Competitive Times: Technology

Nafithromycin: Country’s First Indigenous Antibiotic

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7bJRADVxvhfDxzN8AfNPYC4qyEEmRAyZGOOm6RkxdUSE8J94ITwvg5g4QjcS4MW6oZsTXkstPxPhe0oONP6eBsmkBNs25NeKO4uxp649pC5_HeCrM97HJIi0dAFxbFY0n3KIV6r-ri1vX9L4SLAvuIr9UNxKBSflF3408tPVs1hMZRqn6duszYj8vsI/s398/nefithromycin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Nafithromycin Indias first First Indigenous Antibiotic" border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="398" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7bJRADVxvhfDxzN8AfNPYC4qyEEmRAyZGOOm6RkxdUSE8J94ITwvg5g4QjcS4MW6oZsTXkstPxPhe0oONP6eBsmkBNs25NeKO4uxp649pC5_HeCrM97HJIi0dAFxbFY0n3KIV6r-ri1vX9L4SLAvuIr9UNxKBSflF3408tPVs1hMZRqn6duszYj8vsI/w400-h303/nefithromycin.jpg" title="Nafithromycin Indias first First Indigenous Antibiotic" width="400" /></a></div> In a major achievement, after three decades of research and hard work, India has led the way with the creation of Nafithromycin, the country’s first indigenous Macrolide antibiotic.Antimicrobial resistance has long been a growing global concern, with pharmaceutical companies striving to develop new medicines to combat it worldwide. Despite years of challenges and relentless effort, a breakthrough has finally emerged. It is noted that India has achieved the goal after three decades of research and hard work. India has led the way with the creation of Nafithromycin, the country’s first indigenous Macrolide antibiotic. This remarkable achievement marks a pivotal moment in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, showcasing India’s growing capabilities in pharmaceutical innovation.India's Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability and death. While AMR is a natural process driven by genetic changes in pathogens over time, its spread is significantly accelerated by human activities, particularly the overuse and misuse of antimicrobial drugs in humans, animals, and plants. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a major global health issue, with around 6 lakh lives lost in India each year due to resistant infections. However, India is making significant strides in addressing AMR, particularly through the development of new drugs. Nafithromycin, developed with ₹8 crore in funding under the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council  (BIRAC) Biotech Industry Program for Phase 3 clinical trials, is a key milestone in this effort.  Since India carries a large share of the global pneumonia burden, introducing Nafithromycin is especially important, as there have been no new antibiotics in recent years. Nafithromycin offers improved patient compliance and is a vital step in combating AMR.Nafithromycin: Milestone for Public HealthNafithromycin, was officially launched on November 20, 2024, by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh. Developed by Wockhardt with support from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), Nafithromycin, marketed as "Miqnaf," targets Community-Acquired Bacterial Pneumonia (CABP) caused by drug-resistant bacteria, which disproportionately affects vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.Nafithromycin’s development marks a historic milestone as the first new antibiotic in its class to be introduced globally in over 30 years. The drug, which has undergone extensive clinical trials across the U.S., Europe, and India, has been developed with an investment of ₹500 crores and is now awaiting final approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO).This innovation exemplifies the power of public-private collaboration and underscores India’s growing capabilities in biotechnology. Nafithromycin’s successful introduction represents a major leap in the fight against AMR, offering hope for treating multi-drug-resistant infections and saving lives worldwide.

Current-Affairs Health Technology Nafithromycin: Country’s First Indigenous Antibiotic

In a major achievement, after three decades of research and hard work, India has led the way with the creation of Nafithromycin, the country’s first indigenous Macrolide antibiotic.Antimicrobial resistance has long been a growing global concern, with…

ISRO Aditya L1 Mission: Know The Facts, What is Lagrange Points And More

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10bsx-oDfGN0xsCoOdX6HjD23P-sU2iX3xx5y8vJpUlmbsfjaeeSLDZbYbvut2P2PriMafQpJMapxPej0InrlG-0_Ya-4RBNYva2qtHuD0h8FaSsSJEtY9xS8ZVuc9-fGksYmHf_iPLXSpJa1-T4yo18nlAdd_ngONOmyMVegfJudxX7yDmpuuqaS7Z8/s534/Aditya-L1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="ISRO Aditya L1 Mission: Know The Facts, What is Lagrange Points And More" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="458" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10bsx-oDfGN0xsCoOdX6HjD23P-sU2iX3xx5y8vJpUlmbsfjaeeSLDZbYbvut2P2PriMafQpJMapxPej0InrlG-0_Ya-4RBNYva2qtHuD0h8FaSsSJEtY9xS8ZVuc9-fGksYmHf_iPLXSpJa1-T4yo18nlAdd_ngONOmyMVegfJudxX7yDmpuuqaS7Z8/w343-h400/Aditya-L1.jpg" title="ISRO Aditya L1 Mission: Know The Facts, What is Lagrange Points And More" width="343" /></a></div> After the successfully landing of Chandryan on the surface of Moon, now on  September 02, 2023, at 11.50 hrs, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) successfully launched the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, from the Second Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota.After a flight duration of 63 minutes and 20 seconds, Aditya-L1 spacecraft was successfully injected into an elliptical orbit of 235x19500 km around the Earth.Aditya-L1 is the first Indian space based observatory to study the Sun from a halo orbit around first Sun-Earth Lagrangian point (L1), which is located roughly 1.5 million km from earth.Aditya-L1 spacecraft will undergo four earth-bound orbital maneuvers before placing in the transfer orbit towards the Lagrange point L1. Aditya-L1 is expected to arrive the intended orbit at the L1 point after about 127 days.Aditya-L1 carries seven scientific payloads indigenously developed by ISRO and national research laboratories including Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru and Inter University Centre for Astronomy & Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune.ADITYA-L1: Facts in Brief Aditya L1 is the first space based observatory class Indian solar mission to study the Sun. The spacecraft is planned to be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of theSun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from the Earth. A satellite placed in the halo orbitaround the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/ eclipse. This will provide a greater advantage of observing thesolar activities continuously. The spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere,chromosphere, and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle detectors. Using the special vantage point of L1, four payloadsADITYA-L1 Mission DetailsAditya-L1 is a satellite dedicated to the comprehensive study of the Sun. It has 7 distinct payloads developed, all developed indigenously. Five by ISRO and two by Indian academic institutes in collaboration with ISRO.Aditya in Sanskrit means the Sun. L1 here refers to Lagrange Point 1 of the Sun-Earth system. For common understanding, L1 is a location in space where the gravitational forces of two celestial bodies, such as the Sun and Earth, are in equilibrium. This allows an object placed there to remain relatively stable with respect to both celestial bodies.Following its scheduled launch on September 2, 2023, Aditya-L1 stays Earth-bound orbits for 16 days, during which it undergoes 5 maneuvres to gain the necessary velocity for its journey. Subsequently, Aditya-L1 undergoes a Trans-Lagrangian1 insertion maneuvre, marking the beginning of its 110-day trajectory to the destination around the L1 Lagrange point. Upon arrival at the L1 point, another maneuvre binds Aditya-L1 to an orbit around L1, a balanced gravitational location between the Earth and the Sun. The satellite spends its whole mission life orbiting around L1 in an irregularly shaped orbit in a plane roughly perpendicular to the line joining the Earth and the Sun.The strategic placement at the L1 Lagrange point ensures that Aditya-L1 can maintain a constant, uninterrupted view of the Sun. This location also allows the satellite to access solar radiation and magnetic storms before they are influenced by Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. Additionally, the L1 point’s gravitational stability minimizes the need for frequent orbital maintenance efforts, optimizing the satellite's operational efficiency.Quick Facts: Aditya-L1 will stay approximately 1.5 million km away from Earth, directed towards the Sun, which is about 1% of the Earth-Sun distance. The Sun is a giant sphere of gas and Aditya-L1 would study the outer atmosphere of the Sun. Aditya-L1 will neither land on the Sun nor approach the Sun any closer. What is Lagrange Points? For a two body gravitational system, the Lagrange Points are the postions in space where a small object tends to stay, if put there. These points in space for a two body systems such as Sun and Earth can be used by spacecraft to remain at these positions with reduced fuel consumption.Technically at Lagrange point, the gravitational pull of the two large bodies equals the necessary centripetal force required for a small object to move with them. For two body gravitational systems, there are total five Lagrange points denoted as L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5. The Lagrange pointsfor Sun-Earth system are shown in the figure. The Lagrange point L1 lies between Sun-Earth line. The distance of L1 from Earth is approximately 1% of the Earth-Sun distance. (Source ISRO)<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div>

Current-Affairs Technology ISRO Aditya L1 Mission: Know The Facts, What is Lagrange Points And More

After the successfully landing of Chandryan on the surface of Moon, now on September 02, 2023, at 11.50 hrs, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) successfully launched the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, from the Second Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Sp…

Russia’s Luna-25 to India's Chandrayaan-3: Destination South Pole of Moon -Facts You Need To Know

Technology Russia’s Luna-25 to India's Chandrayaan-3: Destination South Pole of Moon -Facts You Need To Know

After the tragic faolure of the Russia’s Luna-25 mission to touch the South Pole of Moon, now entire world is eyeing the India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission. Russian Luna-25 mission and India's Chandrayaan-3 mission both are aimed to land on the south pol…

PSLV-C54/Earth Observation Satellite (EOS)-6 Mission: All You Need To Know

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiap_YLfQzP79vLR2e7-KBxg5MAzHIpVyjjcCDG2mGd0n9Mx4bTF1Y6CFs7qoRfve-4bXQqwp8KCm-2nSPV4-Sotbe_ohN48-zY43UKE4VoW7ktxuHbo7_y2LKxJ8MyR-Au-0kd2tRCs9XCVEiyPwqOIACxttV0gt4c3vW1YPw62mM8-QJTxv1QOQDH/s640/isro.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="EOS-6 Bhutan Satellite Anand All You Need To Know" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiap_YLfQzP79vLR2e7-KBxg5MAzHIpVyjjcCDG2mGd0n9Mx4bTF1Y6CFs7qoRfve-4bXQqwp8KCm-2nSPV4-Sotbe_ohN48-zY43UKE4VoW7ktxuHbo7_y2LKxJ8MyR-Au-0kd2tRCs9XCVEiyPwqOIACxttV0gt4c3vW1YPw62mM8-QJTxv1QOQDH/w400-h300/isro.jpg" title="EOS-6 Bhutan Satellite Anand All You Need To Know" width="400" /></a></div> The third generation Indian satellite for monitoring the oceans, formally named as Earth Observation Satellite-6 (EOS-6) was launched today by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The advance 13 channel OCM with 360 m spatial resolution and 1400 km swath will observe the day side of the earth every day and will provide crucial data on distribution of ocean algae which is the base of the food chain within marine ecosystem. It was lunched in partnership with Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) among others, from its First Launch Pad (FLP) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota.Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in a message from Jammu congratulated and thanked ISRO and MoES teams for successful launch.The ocean observing mission is a follow up to OceanSat-1 or IRS-P4 and OceanSat-2 launched in 1999 and 2009, respectively. The satellite was launched aboard the proven launch vehicle PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) on its 56th flight (24th flight of the PSLV-XL version).  The launch, designed as PSLV-C54, also accommodated other small satellites along with Oceansat-3.The Oceansat-3 was placed in the polar orbit at the height of about 740 kilometers above sea level. While at ~1100 kilograms, it is only slightly heavier than Oceansat-1, for the first time in this series it houses three ocean observing sensors viz Ocean Color Monitor (OCM-3), Sea Surface Temperature Monitor (SSTM), and Ku-Band scatterometer (SCAT-3). There is also an ARGOS payload. All these sensors have their own importance for India’s blue economy aspirations.The advance 13 channel OCM with 360 m spatial resolution and 1400 km swath will observe the day side of the earth every day and will provide crucial data on distribution of ocean algae which is the base of the food chain within marine ecosystem. The OCM-3 with high signal-to-noise ratio is expected to provide improved accuracy in daily monitoring of phytoplankton having wide range of operational and research applications including fishery resource management, ocean carbon uptake, harmful algal bloom alerts, and climate studies.The SSTM will provide ocean surface temperature which is a critical ocean parameter to provide various forecasts ranging from fish aggregation to cyclone genesis and movement. Temperature is a key parameter required to monitor health of the coral reefs, and if needed, to provide coral bleaching alerts. The Ku-Band Pencil beam scatterometer onboard EOS-6 will provide high resolution wind vector (speed and direction) at the ocean surface, something which any seafarer would like to know of, whether its fishermen or shipping company. The data of temperature and wind is also very important for assimilation into ocean and weather models to improve their forecast accuracies. ARGOS is a communication payload jointly developed with France and it is used for low-power (energy-efficient) communications including marine robotic floats (Argo floats), fish-tags, drifters, and distress alert devices useful for conducting effective search and rescue operations.Mission ObjectivesTo ensure the data continuity of Ocean colour and wind vector data to sustain the operational applications.To improve the applications, some additional datasets such as Sea Surface Temperature and more number of bands in Optical region for florescence and in Infrared region for atmospheric corrections are accommodated.To develop / improve related algorithms and data products to serve in wellestablished application areas and to enhance the mission utility. INDIA-BHUTAN SATISRO Nano Satellite-2 for Bhutan (INS-2B) spacecraft is configured with INS-2 Bus. INS-2B will have two payloads namely NanoMx and APRS-Digipeater. NanoMx is a multispectral optical imaging payload developed by Space  Applications Centre (SAC).APRS-Digipeater payload is jointly developed by DITTBhutan and URSC. AnandThe Anand Nano satellite is technology demonstrator to demonstrate the capabilities and commercial applications of miniaturized earth-observation camera for earth observation using a microsatellite in Low Earth Orbit. This is a three-axis stabilized satellite consisting of a satbus, accommodating all subsystems like telemetry, tele-command, Electrical Power system, Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS), on-board computers etc, and a payload unit. Astrocast (4 Nos.)Astrocast, a 3U spacecraft is a technology demonstrator satellite for the Internet of Things (IoT) as the payload. There are 4 nos. of Astrocast Satellites in this mission. These spacecraft are housed within an ISISpace QuadPack dispenser. The dispenser protects the satellite from contamination. Thybolt (2 Nos.)The Thybolt is a 0.5U spacecraft bus that includes a communication payload to enable rapid technology demonstration and constellation development for multiple users. It also demonstrates Store-and-Forward functionality for authorized users in the amateur frequency band. The satellites shall be deployed by using Dhruva Space Orbital Deployer to perform the specific mission operations for a minimum lifetime of 1 year. (Source ISRO/PIB)

Technology PSLV-C54/Earth Observation Satellite (EOS)-6 Mission: All You Need To Know

The third generation Indian satellite for monitoring the oceans, formally named as Earth Observation Satellite-6 (EOS-6) was launched today by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The advance 13 channel OCM with 360 m spatial resolution and…

Indian Scientists find Efficient Way to Quantify Quantum Entanglement in Higher Dimensional Systems

Technology Indian Scientists find Efficient Way to Quantify Quantum Entanglement in Higher Dimensional Systems

Experiments on the quantum entanglement (where several particles behave like a single unit even when they are separated), which received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2022 has seen a major achievement by Indian scientists, who have found a simpler wa…

NTPC-Ramagundam: India’s largest floating solar power project-Facts in Brief

<div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kTk9tVgICoh4OGPbD7gnlERWNmQuIwn-e6i0J34-nEaINOU-xyIT3YpxaFp_tQCkNN42NQgLPhCyW7-Br4i4d_ClqFjyDUKMkdpY-r5JEN5zHy_L4COY4x2ZajXte1YfqTzh7Vbt_kDkc24r-JhId5YqNRRDADvqIpRn1X_7Ymk_1GiRxr6Cx3O7/s640/NTPC-Ramagundam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="NTPC-Ramagundam: India’s largest floating solar power project-Facts in Brief" border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="640" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kTk9tVgICoh4OGPbD7gnlERWNmQuIwn-e6i0J34-nEaINOU-xyIT3YpxaFp_tQCkNN42NQgLPhCyW7-Br4i4d_ClqFjyDUKMkdpY-r5JEN5zHy_L4COY4x2ZajXte1YfqTzh7Vbt_kDkc24r-JhId5YqNRRDADvqIpRn1X_7Ymk_1GiRxr6Cx3O7/w400-h306/NTPC-Ramagundam.jpg" title="NTPC-Ramagundam: India’s largest floating solar power project-Facts in Brief" width="400" /></a></div> India's largest floating Solar Power Project is now fully operational. NTPC declared Commercial Operation of the final part capacity of 20 MW out of 100 MW Ramagundam Floating Solar PV Project at Ramagundam, Telangana with effect from 00:00 hours of July 01, 2022.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">With the operationalisation of 100-MW Solar PV Project at Ramagundam, total commercial operation of Floating Solar Capacity in Southern Region rose to 217 MW. Earlier, NTPC declared Commercial operation of 92 MW Floating Solar at Kayamkulam (Kerala) and 25 MW Floating Solar at Simhadri (Andhra Pradesh), Shri Anand added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">NTPC-Ramagundam: Facts in Brief</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 100-MW Floating Solar project at Ramagundam is endowed with advanced technology as well as environment friendly features. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Constructed with financial implication of Rs. 423 crores through M/s BHEL as EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contract, the project spreads over 500 acres of its reservoir. Divided into 40 blocks, each having 2.5 MW.  Each block consists of one floating platform and an array of 11,200 solar modules. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The floating platform consists of one Inverter, Transformer, and a HT breaker. The solar modules are placed on floaters manufactured with HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) material.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The entire floating system is being anchored through special HMPE (High Modulus Polyethylene) rope to the dead weights placed in the balancing reservoir bed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The power is being evacuated up to the existing switch yard through 33KV underground cables.  This project is unique in the sense that all the electrical equipment including inverter, transformer, HT panel and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) are also on floating ferro cement platforms. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The anchoring of this system is bottom anchoring through dead weight concrete blocks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Further, with the presence of floating solar panels, the evaporation rate from water bodies is reduced, thus helping in water conservation. Approximately 32.5 lakh cubic meters per year water evaporation can be avoided. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The water body underneath the solar modules helps in maintaining their ambient temperature, thereby improving their efficiency and generation. Similarly, while coal consumption of 1,65,000 Tons can be avoided per year; Co2 emission of 2,10,000 tons per year can be avoided. </div></div>

Technology NTPC-Ramagundam: India’s largest floating solar power project-Facts in Brief

India's largest floating Solar Power Project is now fully operational. NTPC declared Commercial Operation of the final part capacity of 20 MW out of 100 MW Ramagundam Floating Solar PV Project at Ramagundam, Telangana with effect from 00:00 hours of …

ABHYAS: High speed Expendable Aerial Target Successfully Tested: Facts in Brief

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSqVXaaRFSEbsAo4VZHUDRS7x-Zw5U1lW3Nx-NnAOxcjTrpLofal_MBRTWkE-bPbdymyejVZaQCHeam5rHMb7PNtl5aVhAmMVVrYNSGNc8ZZIHjjqlXJnAKsUBtWk34c6CHo02fO63cZmop3JUA1G2pkyMk6wAzmGpqHOaWSazKF-vGN7wsHn5o4a/s517/abhyaas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="ABHYAS: High speed Expendable Aerial Target Successfully Tested: Facts in Brief" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="517" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSqVXaaRFSEbsAo4VZHUDRS7x-Zw5U1lW3Nx-NnAOxcjTrpLofal_MBRTWkE-bPbdymyejVZaQCHeam5rHMb7PNtl5aVhAmMVVrYNSGNc8ZZIHjjqlXJnAKsUBtWk34c6CHo02fO63cZmop3JUA1G2pkyMk6wAzmGpqHOaWSazKF-vGN7wsHn5o4a/w400-h371/abhyaas.jpg" title="ABHYAS: High speed Expendable Aerial Target Successfully Tested: Facts in Brief" width="400" /></a></div>ABHYAS: In a major achievement, ABHYAS – High speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) was successfully flight-tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. ABHYAS is designed & developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).The performance of the aircraft at low altitude including sustained level and high manoeuvrability was demonstrated during the test flight. The target aircraft was flown from a ground based controller in a pre-designated low altitude flight path, which was monitored by various tracking sensors deployed by ITR, including radar and electro-optical targeting system.ABHYAS is designed & developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The air vehicle was launched using twin under-slung boosters which provide the initial acceleration to the vehicle. It is powered by a small gas turbine engine to sustain a long endurance flight at high subsonic speed. The target aircraft is equipped with Micro-Electromechanical Systems-based Inertial Navigation System for navigation along with the Flight Control Computer for guidance and control along with Indigenous Radio Altimeter for very low altitude flight and Data Link for encrypted communication between the Ground Control Station and Target Aircraft. The vehicle is programmed for fully autonomous flight.Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO, Armed Forces and the Industry for the successful flight trial of ABHYAS and said that development of this system will meet the requirements of aerial targets for the Armed Forces.Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy appreciated the efforts of the teams associated in the design, development and testing of the system.

Technology ABHYAS: High speed Expendable Aerial Target Successfully Tested: Facts in Brief

ABHYAS: In a major achievement, ABHYAS – High speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) was successfully flight-tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. ABHYAS is designed & developed by Aeronautical Development Est…

Touch-Less Touch Sensor To Avoid Viruses Spreading Through Contact: Facts in Brief

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbrEZC8mEWLtOHgUawPyIM2Kq0zxrExNButgYQ2AUXrrJUDHyAwKVOQ2zPK7fDnILj5bakE1f39zMJ9vXc7e4lPxJubIzgi2cul9DM6Bc6DG9BOJoR2vQSMHssg3wskxw_RbU-4JgnPxpqax6Nw9whu3ZNIx42tqLsaSVAeT6J3ja7gYAo2Vq7TGEg=s499" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Touch-Less Touch Screen Technology To Avoid Viruses Spreading Through Contact: Facts in Brief" border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="499" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbrEZC8mEWLtOHgUawPyIM2Kq0zxrExNButgYQ2AUXrrJUDHyAwKVOQ2zPK7fDnILj5bakE1f39zMJ9vXc7e4lPxJubIzgi2cul9DM6Bc6DG9BOJoR2vQSMHssg3wskxw_RbU-4JgnPxpqax6Nw9whu3ZNIx42tqLsaSVAeT6J3ja7gYAo2Vq7TGEg=w400-h291" title="Touch-Less Touch Screen Technology To Avoid Viruses Spreading Through Contact: Facts in Brief" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indian Scientists have provided an affordable solution to develop a low-cost touch-cum-proximity sensor popularly called touchless touch sensor through a printing technique.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The coronavirus pandemic has triggered efforts to make our lifestyle more adaptable to pandemic scenarios. Actions are naturally driven to strategies to reduce the risk of viruses spreading, particularly in public places where touchscreens on self-service kiosks, ATMs, and vending machines are nearly inevitable.</div>Recently Bengaluru based scientists from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced and Scientific Research (JNCASR), autonomous institutes of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, has set up a semi-automated production plant for the production of printing-aided patterned (resolution of around 300 µm) transparent electrodes, which has the potential for being utilized in advanced touch less screen technologies.This work by the team led by Prof. G U Kulkarni and co-workers and funded by DST-Nanomission at CeNS has been published recently in the journal ‘Materials Letters’ recently. Dr. Ashutosh K Singh, a scientist working on this project, said, “We have fabricated a touch sensor which senses a proximal or hover touch even from a distance of 9 cm from the device”.“We are making a few more prototypes using our patterned electrodes to prove their feasibility for other smart electronic applications. These patterned electrodes can be made available to interested industries and R&D labs on a request basis to explore collaborative projects,” said Dr. Indrajit  Mondal, another co-author in the research.The novel low-cost patterned transparent electrodes have tremendous potential to be used in advanced smart electronic devices like touchless screens and sensors. This touchless touch sensor technology could assist in preventing the spread of viruses that spread through contact.

Technology Touch-Less Touch Sensor To Avoid Viruses Spreading Through Contact: Facts in Brief

Indian Scientists have provided an affordable solution to develop a low-cost touch-cum-proximity sensor popularly called touchless touch sensor through a printing technique.The coronavirus pandemic has triggered efforts to make our lifestyle more ada…

Science: Special Electro-active Nanoparticles Developed for Potential Applications in Touch & Acoustic Sensor

Technology Science: Special Electro-active Nanoparticles Developed for Potential Applications in Touch & Acoustic Sensor

The scientists have achieved δ-phase in PVDF nanoparticles at lowest possible electric field till date --- 103 times lesser electric field than the conventional method. This makes the finding more convenient for application-based commercial technolog…

Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1): Five Facts in Brief

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5D1-Wh2SUNDZxvWnUjnCEcBhiODLnNqRdrZzvaO73KTvha3xxoAj7ytue4XMlic4mhPh2oU3TnnLp0V3Aq7qvpb_3d0nESOJtr2KqQ6mXFqDtgdmFSJ1TpI4_cuQFVVgzzs-uGTzSI6YYXqh-ehKD_3BLhQqbzhSAXKgar-8d5ynDx9rLPS6q4AiH=s305" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img alt="Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1)" border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="305" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5D1-Wh2SUNDZxvWnUjnCEcBhiODLnNqRdrZzvaO73KTvha3xxoAj7ytue4XMlic4mhPh2oU3TnnLp0V3Aq7qvpb_3d0nESOJtr2KqQ6mXFqDtgdmFSJ1TpI4_cuQFVVgzzs-uGTzSI6YYXqh-ehKD_3BLhQqbzhSAXKgar-8d5ynDx9rLPS6q4AiH=w400-h308" title="Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1)" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1): Comet Leonard also known as Comet C/2021 A1 is in news as it remained visible in the sky when it passes near the planet Venus.</div>What is Comets: Comets..commonly known as the frozen leftovers from the formation of the solar system composed of dust, rock, and ices. According to scientists, Comets are generally range from a few miles to tens of miles wide, but as they orbit closer to the Sun. It is assumes that commets heat up and spew gases and dust into a glowing head that can be larger than a planet.Here are Five Facts about Comet C/2021 A1<div style="text-align: justify;"><ol><li>Comet C/2021 A1 was discovered by Greg Leonard and it was named on his name-Leonard.</li><li>The comet is expected to travel within 2.6 million miles (4.2 million kilometers) of Venus and it is expected to make its closest approach to the sun on Jan. 3 at a distance of 92 million km.</li><li>On the brightness scale, Leonard's brightness was witnesses at around magnitude +6.3 by scientists. </li><li>According to the scientists, the bright comet made its closest approach to Earth on Dec. 12.</li><li>During its closest path, its passed through a distance of about 34 million kilometers.</li></ol></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div>

In-News Technology Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1): Five Facts in Brief

Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1): Comet Leonard also known as Comet C/2021 A1 is in news as it remained visible in the sky when it passes near the planet Venus.What is Comets: Comets..commonly known as the frozen leftovers from the formation of the solar sy…

India launches the 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica:40 expeditions, 03 Base Stations in Antarctica

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8paiBaVb3feWO6GlUchNELDCbTB5HW3COzNLAWbALkgBJ-OoZY0Qucyt7oeVk8l5UHzqAgYtVAAERV7ewSQy6zp8JSdq6gW9Evr0Zi1KPZeGMvvlJJyPJjgdHqaPOB96DOnlV6wZGP38/s677/ministry+of+earth+science.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="India launches the 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica:40 expeditions, 03 Base Stations in Antarctica" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="677" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8paiBaVb3feWO6GlUchNELDCbTB5HW3COzNLAWbALkgBJ-OoZY0Qucyt7oeVk8l5UHzqAgYtVAAERV7ewSQy6zp8JSdq6gW9Evr0Zi1KPZeGMvvlJJyPJjgdHqaPOB96DOnlV6wZGP38/w400-h284/ministry+of+earth+science.jpg" title="India launches the 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica:40 expeditions, 03 Base Stations in Antarctica" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">India has successfully launched the 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica with the arrival of the first batch of its contingent at the southern white continent. The first batch comprising of 23 scientists and support staff reached the Indian Antarctic station Maitri on last week.Four more batches shall be landing in Antarctica by air using DROMLAN facility and onboard chartered ice-class vessel MV VasiliyGolovnin by mid-January 2022. </div>The 41st expedition has two major programs. The first program encompasses geological exploration of the Amery ice shelf at Bharati station. This will help explore the link between India and Antarctica in the past. The second program involves reconnaissance surveys and preparatory work for drilling of 500 meters of ice core near Maitri. It will help in improving the understanding of Antarctic climate, westerly winds, sea-ice and greenhouse gases from a single climate archive for past 10,000 years.  The ice core drilling will be done in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey and the Norwegian Polar Institute. In addition to accomplishing scientific programs, it will replenish the annual supplies of food, fuel, provisions, and spares for operations and maintenance of life support systems at Maitri and Bharati.Permanent research base stations in Antarctica<ol style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Dakshin Gangotri (1983)</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Maitri (1988)</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Bharati (2012)</li></ol>The Indian Antarctic program, which began in 1981, has completed 40 scientific expeditions, and built three permanent research base stations in Antarctica, named Dakshin Gangotri (1983), Maitri (1988) and Bharati (2012). As of today, Maitri and Bharati are fully operational. The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa—an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences—manages the entire Indian Antarctic program.As India is committed to maintaining the continent of Antarctica free of COVID-19 and the highest standards of safety, the Indian contingent has reached Antarctica following a strict medical examination at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi; training for snow-ice acclimatization and survival at the Mountaineering and Skiing Institute, ITBP Auli, Uttarakhand; and a stringent sanitary protocol including a 14 days quarantine at Cape Town, South Africa.The crew is expected to return to Cape Town in late March/early April of 2022, leaving a team of 48 members for over winter. It will also bring back the over winter team of the preceding 40thexpedtion. The 41st expedition is being led by Dr. Shailendra Saini, Scientist National Centre for Polar & Ocean Research (Voyage Leader), Shri. HuidromNageshwar Singh, Metrologist, India Metrological Department (Leader, Maitri Station) and Shri. AnoopKalayilSoman, scientist Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (Leader, Bharati Station)

Technology India launches the 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica:40 expeditions, 03 Base Stations in Antarctica

India has successfully launched the 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica with the arrival of the first batch of its contingent at the southern white continent. The first batch comprising of 23 scientists and support staff reached the Indian Antar…

Scientists Peek into the Sun by Estimating Magnetic Fields using Radio Observations

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7cIL1IK61wmxOPo_OMIb-du6Rdf5hA4w9ix9m3nSYfarBIRiQCVstkBT2g67bmmbPKH-vxoxzytHGdINvRp6ZNI-yZMQZJ-ALMGOgkKVchPLH4jA47ZD5ymO0q_RuZS-z3q80m2B65s/s485/Sun.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img alt="Scientists Peek into the Sun by Estimating Magnetic Fields using Radio Observations" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="485" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7cIL1IK61wmxOPo_OMIb-du6Rdf5hA4w9ix9m3nSYfarBIRiQCVstkBT2g67bmmbPKH-vxoxzytHGdINvRp6ZNI-yZMQZJ-ALMGOgkKVchPLH4jA47ZD5ymO0q_RuZS-z3q80m2B65s/w400-h396/Sun.jpg" title="Scientists Peek into the Sun by Estimating Magnetic Fields using Radio Observations" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a major achievement, Indian Scientists, along with international collaborators, have measured the magnetic field of an eruption from the Sun's atmosphere (by observing the weak thermal radio emission associated with the erupted plasma for the first time), offering a rare peek to the interior of the Sun. The study of the phenomenon happening in the Sun's atmosphere or the solar corona provides insights into the inner workings of the Sun.</div> The Sun is an extremely active object, spewing out vast quantities of gas in many violent events and the corona is a region of very high temperatures, strong magnetic fields, and violent plasma eruptions. A class of such eruptions are Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).<h4 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: red; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: red; font-family: georgia; font-size: large; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://competitivetimes.blogspot.com/p/inspiring-thoughts.html">Inspiring Thoughts...Click and Feel the Power of Thoughts</a></h4> CMEs are the most powerful explosions happening in our solar system. When a really strong CME blows past the Earth, it can damage the electronics in our satellites and disrupt radio communication networks on Earth. Hence, astronomers regularly study these events. This field of research helps to understand Space Weather.<a href="https://competitivetimes.blogspot.com/2020/10/atal-tunnel-longest-highway-tunnel-in.html">Atal Tunnel-The longest Highway Tunnel in the World: Things you Need to Know</a>A team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, along with their collaborators, used data from their radio telescopes to measure the magnetic field and other physical conditions of the plasma in a CME detected on 1 May 2016. It was found with the help of radio telescopes of IIA in Gauribidanur, Karnataka, along with some space-based telescopes that observed the Sun in extreme ultraviolet and white light and was caught when the base of its activity was just behind the visible limb of the Sun.<a href="https://competitivetimes.blogspot.com/2020/10/estimate-mass-of-black-hole-new-study.html">Estimate the Mass of Black Hole: A new study by ARIES of DST suggests new formula</a>This allowed the researchers to detect a much weaker radio emission called thermal (or blackbody) radiation from the plume of gas that was ejected in the CME. They were also able to measure the polarisation of this emission, which is indicative of the direction in which the electric and magnetic components of the waves oscillate. Using this data, they then calculated the physical properties of the ejected plasma as well. The results of the study by R. Ramesh, A. Kumari, C. Kathiravan, D. Ketaki, and T. J. Wang have been published in the leading international journal Geophysical Research Letters. “Though CMEs can occur anywhere on the Sun, it is primarily those which originate from regions near the centre of the visible solar surface (called the photosphere) like the one we studied that are important for us, since they may propagate directly towards the Earth,” said R. Ramesh, Professor at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore and the lead author of the paper. “These CMEs are usually studied in visible light, but because the disc of the Sun is so much brighter, we can detect and follow these CMEs only when they have travelled beyond the Sun's surface. However, radio observations of the thermal emission, like in our study, lets us study the CMEs right from the surface itself”, she added,” said A. Kumari, a co-author.<a href="https://competitivetimes.blogspot.com/2020/09/government-to-set-up-neutrino.html">Government to set up Neutrino Observatory in the country: Know Complete List Here</a>“Knowing the source region of the CMEs, the associated magnetic field, and their kinematics in the region up to seven lakh kilometer either above the solar surface or off its limb, are important to fully understand the characteristics of the CMEs in a holistic manner,” says C. Kathiravan, another co-author of the study. (Source PIB)

Technology Scientists Peek into the Sun by Estimating Magnetic Fields using Radio Observations

In a major achievement, Indian Scientists, along with international collaborators, have measured the magnetic field of an eruption from the Sun's atmosphere (by observing the weak thermal radio emission associated with the erupted plasma for the firs…

Researchers Discover Three Super-massive Black Holes Merging Together in Our Nearby Universe

Technology Researchers Discover Three Super-massive Black Holes Merging Together in Our Nearby Universe

In a major achievement, Indian researchers have discovered three supermassive black holes from three galaxies merging together to form a triple active galactic nucleus, a compact region at the center of a newly discovered galaxy that has a much-highe…

Space Tourism-The Next Frontier: Things You Need to Know

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWbl1WCZ-zPYfoCTen9a10D_tzXGSLjsHZWmnP3PKdVjRpedq8ovnBf1pigPWFsd6-q_CFDtaJYEpW-Jp5faCxPoMxthx7KUy_mVTxMyeHkv1Km2hZ2M_Vb-UfjSzogDGhoz0ahPzZYM/s640/Space+Tourism.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Space Tourism-The Next Frontier: Things You Need to Know" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWbl1WCZ-zPYfoCTen9a10D_tzXGSLjsHZWmnP3PKdVjRpedq8ovnBf1pigPWFsd6-q_CFDtaJYEpW-Jp5faCxPoMxthx7KUy_mVTxMyeHkv1Km2hZ2M_Vb-UfjSzogDGhoz0ahPzZYM/w400-h300/Space+Tourism.jpg" title="Space Tourism-The Next Frontier: Things You Need to Know" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The concept of Space tourism or commercial space travel is not new...  ‘Space tourism is the space travel for recreational, leisure of business purposes.  Space Tourism has been in news recently because of two American billionaires, Richard Bronsan and Jef Bezos who went into space as tourists using their personal rocket and aircraft.</div>The Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai in association with the Aeronautical Society of India, Mumbai Branch organised an online lecture on 'Space Tourism: The Next Frontier' . Dr. Punita Masrani, Aerospace Medicine Specialist, V. M. Medical Centre, Mumbai discussed various aspects of the commercial space travel in the lecture.The concept of Space tourism or commercial space travel is not new and its history right from the idea conception to reality was discussed by Dr Punita in the online lecture. ‘Space tourism is the space travel for recreational, leisure of business purposes. Space Tourism has been in news recently because of two American billionaires, Richard Bronsan and Jef Bezos who went into space as tourists using their personal rocket and aircraft’ cited Dr. Punita.In the lecture, Dr. Punita said that earlier NASA and the Russian Space Agency started taking tourists for space travel. It was exorbitant and process was stringent. Russian Soyuz spacecraft used to take tourists every 6 months. ‘Space Adventures was the first agency in the field of Space Tourism. The agency was started by US billionaire Richard Garriot in 1998. The agency offered brokered rides aboard the Russian Soyuz Rockets’ Dr. Punita informed.Dr. Punita said, while, both NASA and the Russian Space Agency halted space tourism, industrialists and entrepreneurs thought they could start private missions so that more and more people could travel to space. This gave birth to the concept of Space tourism.In her lecture, Dr Punita said Dennis Tito was the first commercial spaceflight passenger before which only astronauts went to the space for research purposes. Tito went to space on the Russian Soyuz TMA Launch Vehicle in April 2001. Mark Shuttleworth, Greg Olsen, Anoush Ansari, Charles Simony, Richard Garriott, Guy Laliberte were others who went on paid trips to space between 2002 to 2009. The private space travelers had to go through stringent selection standards, extensive training, and adopted measures of counteract challenges.Dr. Punita also discussed in detail the various companies that are working in the field of private space travel:Blue Origin was established in 2000 by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Blue Origin’s reusable rocket New Shepard successfully completed first human flight recently with four private citizens onboard. The crew included Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos, Wally Funk and Oliver Daemen. The rocket New Shephard took off on 20th July 2021 from West Texas, United States.SpaceX is an American aerospace manufacturer, founded in 2002 by Elon Musk of Tesla Motors. The company has developed the Dragon Spacecraft which was used by NASA astronauts to go the International Space Station. Space X is planning to send citizens to the International Space Station on a 10-day paid trip. Space X is also planning trips to the moon and Mars.Virgin Galactic was established in 2004 by the British entrepreneur Richard Branson. Richard Branson and his crew recently reached more than 50 miles above the New Mexico desert aboard his Virgin Galactic rocket plane and safely returned to earth.Dr. Punita informed that while all these missions just offer a ride to the space, the NASA recently has allowed to take private citizens to the International Space Station for a short visit. Companies like Axiom Space are involved in the training of private astronauts. The company is also planning Private Space station in future.In the lecture, Dr. Punita also explained the basic terminologies involved in space tourism like orbital flights, sub orbital flights, low earth orbits. According to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale an altitude above 100km above sea level i.e., Kármán Line is space. The same agency considers an altitude of 50 miles (80.47km) as the altitude to qualify as spaceflight.Dr. Punita also informed that the International Space Station is a modular space station in low Earth orbit (Thermosphere). The station was established in 1998. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada). DR. Punita discussed the science involved and risk, awareness, concerns, and medical informed consent which are essential part of the tourism. She further explained what could be possible post flight medical problems or conditions and impact of space travel on human body and brain.About the Nehru Science CentreNehru Science Centre (NSC) is one of the largest science centres in India and a land mark place for the students in the Western Region of the country. It is the western zonal headquarters of National Council of Science Museums and governs and coordinates the activities of five other science centres in Western Region viz: Raman Science Centre, Nagpur, Regional Science Centre, Bhopal, Regional Science Centre, Calicut, Goa Science Centre, Panaji and District Science Centre, Dharampur. NSC receives over 7.5 lakh visitors a year and has proved itself to be one of the prime attraction centre for the school students and a centre of excellence in enhancing the understanding of science and in imparting scientific temper in the country.About the National Council of Science MuseumsNational Council of Science Museums, the apex body of Science Centres and Science Museums in India, functions under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India as an autonomous scientific organisation. It coordinates the activities of 25 Science Centres across the country. The Council specializes in developing Science Centres and Museums, the state-of-the-art interactive exhibits and programmes and human resource development in science communication. The Council also has distinction of developing a Science Centre on turnkey basis for Mauritius.   It organizes nationwide scientific events and activities for the school students. Besides the IAO, the council also is known for events like the National Science Seminar, National Science Drama Contest, and Science Expo etc. The Council serves about 10 million visitors which includes 25% students, through its interactive galleries in various science centres and 22 travelling Museum Buses for rural areas and other events and activities. (Spurce PIB)

Technology Space Tourism-The Next Frontier: Things You Need to Know

The concept of Space tourism or commercial space travel is not new... ‘Space tourism is the space travel for recreational, leisure of business purposes. Space Tourism has been in news recently because of two American billionaires, Richard Bronsan a…

Three-dimensional distribution of molecular & atomic hydrogen in galaxies: Clues for star formation and galaxy evolution

Technology Three-dimensional distribution of molecular & atomic hydrogen in galaxies: Clues for star formation and galaxy evolution

In a new study, a researcher from Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru, an autonomous organisation of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, has carried out mathematical calculations on the computer and used publicl…

DRDO develops COVID-19 Antibody Detection Kit: Things You Need to Know

Technology DRDO develops COVID-19 Antibody Detection Kit: Things You Need to Know

In a major achievement, Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), a laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has developed an antibody detection-based kit 'DIPCOVAN', the DIPAS-VDx COVID-19 IgG Antibody M…

Theory by Indian Scientists to shed light on mystery behind complex phenomena in Plasma-- the fourth state of matter

Technology Theory by Indian Scientists to shed light on mystery behind complex phenomena in Plasma-- the fourth state of matter

Indian Scientists have recently developed a theory that helps understand the complicated nature of Sun-Earth interaction's happening in the magnetosphere-- an area of space around Earth that is controlled by the Earth’s magnetic field. This new theor…

Study: Indian Astronomers provides clues to explosion mechanism of supernovae...The Key Measure of Cosmological Distances

<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiziW08-QL-Pr_r3rvOFYOr1y2XxexShNcQI4h0QWTkNwqUHIrbSMAJSn73dvawKwaOFSC_EO4hHWim3NuCO78n32pAT-UdtZViNSx7uMn7inc8UrQ3uc4asJKo2T3B43poBkT9rfSmtRg/s640/12749N.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Study: Indian Astronomers provides clues to explosion mechanism of supernovae." border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiziW08-QL-Pr_r3rvOFYOr1y2XxexShNcQI4h0QWTkNwqUHIrbSMAJSn73dvawKwaOFSC_EO4hHWim3NuCO78n32pAT-UdtZViNSx7uMn7inc8UrQ3uc4asJKo2T3B43poBkT9rfSmtRg/w400-h300/12749N.jpg" title="Study: Indian Astronomers provides clues to explosion mechanism of supernovae." width="400" /></a></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">In a major achievement, a team of Indian astronomers observing such distant supernovae have narrowed down the possible mechanisms of explosion of such supernovae which provide key measures of cosmological distances. The explosive death of a star as a supernova is one of the most spectacular and catastrophic events in the Universe.</div>In 2011, the Nobel Prize was awarded to three scientists for discovering that the Universe is expanding at an ever-accelerating rate through observations of distant supernovae. Now a team of Indian astronomers observing such distant supernovae have narrowed down the possible mechanisms of explosion of such supernovae which provide key measures of cosmological distances.Their detailed study of a supernova called SN 2017hpa, a particular type of supernovae called I a supernova, which exploded in 2017 helped narrow down the explosion mechanism of the supernovae by observations of unburned carbon in the early phase spectra.The explosive death of a star as a supernova is one of the most spectacular and catastrophic events in the Universe. Type Ia supernovae are the result of explosions of white dwarfs that exceed their mass beyond the Chandrasekhar limit through accretion of matter. Their homogeneous nature makes them extremely good standardizable candles to measure cosmological distances. However, the explosion mechanisms which create these supernovae (SNe), and the exact nature of their progenitor systems (star which is at the origin of a supernova phenomenon) are still not yet clearly understood. While most SNeIa are homogeneous, a good fraction of these events show diversity in both their light curve as well as spectral properties.The study by Anirban Dutta, PhD student at Indian Institute of Astrophysics an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India along with collaborators which has been published recently in the journal ‘Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS)’will help in understanding the diversity as a function of the progenitor as well as its properties and the explosion mechanism of such supernovae.The burning front in the white dwarf moves or propagates at speeds less than speed of sound which leaves behind unburned material. The expansion velocity calculated using these unburned features can provide an essential hint towards the velocity structure of the ejected material. It is generally expected that the unburned material will be present in the outermost layers of the ejecta and expand with velocity higher than velocity of the outer most layer of the star called photospheric velocity. In this study, the authors have shown that the unburned layer is moving with photospheric velocity indicating that mixing of the explosion materials is dominant within the ejected material.“It is very important to study more such exotic objects from the very early hours of explosion to very late phase to place tighter constraints on the explosion mechanism as well as the progenitor system,” said Anirban Dutta one of the researchers. (Source PIB)

Technology Study: Indian Astronomers provides clues to explosion mechanism of supernovae...The Key Measure of Cosmological Distances

In a major achievement, a team of Indian astronomers observing such distant supernovae have narrowed down the possible mechanisms of explosion of such supernovae which provide key measures of cosmological distances. The explosive death of a star as a…