India National Large Solar Telescope (NLST) in Ladakh

The Sun sustains life, even though we know little about it. Solar storms may interfere with electronics and satellites. In Ladakh, India is filling this need by constructing the National Large Solar Telescope (NLST). Professor Annapurni Subramaniam is in charge of this initiative, which attempts to improve our knowledge of solar activity.

Project Overview: The Two-Metre Class Optical and Near-Infrared Observational Facility: NLST

• The NLST is a two-meter-class optical and near-infrared observational facility for the study of solar magnetic fields and their evolution. This telescope will provide a spatial resolution of 0.1–0.3 arcseconds, which is beneficial for research on the activity of the sun. 
• It is vital to forecast solar activity to protect technology-based life on the planet Earth.
• Established in Merak, near the Pongong Tso Lake, the NLST provides a clear atmosphere, high light transmission, and low turbulence for observation.
• The NLST will assist the first space-based solar observatory satellite, Aditya L1, besides which it will generate and feed ground-based data to the satellite.
• The cost of the project may be more than Rs 150 crore, yet it is awaiting some form of sanction.
• Advantages of the location include reduced noise, no disturbance from people or a large populace, ceaseless tides, high visibility, and low interference from a lit-up environment or city lights.
• The NLST site was again endorsed by the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, Dr. Ajay K. Sood, during his visit to the facility on the 6th of July, 2024.
• The NLST outlines its objectives to include involvement in posing key science questions on solar behavior and furnishing data on the emergence and evolution of solar magnetic fields.