HYDERABAD: At first glance, the Celestron CPC 1100 Schmidt at the GP Birla Observatory looks nothing like the long, thin telescopes one has been accustomed to seeing in movies and science textbooks. But that’s just the wonder of it.With an 11-inch primary mirror aperture and a wide, stout body for company, this powerful telescope promises to usher in a new age for space enthusiasts wanting to view galaxies 100s of light years away.Or better still, to observe exo-planets (planets revolving around stars in far off galaxies) with a magnification factor of 660.In essence, Hyderabadis now have the chance to go galaxy hoping.Nirmala Birla, wife of the late Ganga Prasad Birla, and family will open to the public the GP Birla Observatory and Astronomical Research Centre, said to be the best amateur observatory in the country, on Nov 17.Briefing the media on the launch of the observatory here on Tuesday, Nirmala Birla said, “Over the years, we have served millions of people by bringing the mysteries of science, astronomy and archeology, within everyone’s reach at the B M Birla Science Centre.The G P Birla Observatory and Astronomical Centre, which is a part of the centre now, enables all enthusiasts to further their interests in research, studying the wonders of the sky and witness the astronomical world from close quarters.” Elaborating further, Dr BG Sidharth, Director General of the BM Birla Science Centre, said, “It’s been a vision of the BM Birla Science Centre to install a research telescope here for the past 10-15 years.But considering the everincreasing levels of sky pollution and the presence of less professional sky gazers in Hyderabad, we felt an amateur telescope such as the C-11 would be perfect for the city.” “It might take close to two months to set up the monitoring room and mount the telescope for proper public use.Once that is done, anyone, even a 10-year-old child can take prior appointment and come view the skies for as long as he wants,” added Dr Sidharth.He was hopeful that with the launch of such a telescope, serious space enthusiasts, young or old, could come up with surprising discoveries.“Even though it’s an amateur viewing telescope, it is comparable to some of the best ultra-modern professional observatories and has been designed based on specification given by the French organisation using latest state-of-the-art German technology,” he explained.He went on to describe how apart from tracking major celestial objects, the centre was preparing means to project the images recorded on the telescope to a remote space for public viewing.“So in case of a celestial event, people need not crowd around the telescope.The images will be beamed onto a screen like a projector, somewhere outside, where everyone can watch it.” There is a solar eclipse next month, but more importantly the centre hopes to ready everything for the Venus transition occurring 7-8 months from now, when the planet will cause the formation of a tiny black spot on the sun’s surface, as it passes the star during its orbital period.The budding Galileos and Copernicuses of Hyderabad couldn’t have asked for a better looking glass.
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