Satyendra Nath Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences has inaugurated the first astronomical observatory in Eastern India, located in the Garpanchkot Hills of Purulia district, West Bengal.
This is the sixth astronomical observatory center in the nation. It has been named after Satyendra Nath Bose.
Work on the project began in 2012. Two telescopes were installed.
This place has a seeing value of 1.3 arc seconds, which is comparable to that of the other five centres in the country.
From November to April, when the sky will be clear, will be the best time for observation.
The initially two places considered were Susunia Hills in Bankura and Garpanchkot Hills in Purulia.
The centre has been set up 600 metres above sea level.
The other centres are located in Ladakh, Nainital, Mount Abu, Girbani Hills (Pune), and Kavalur (Tamil Nadu).
The observatory features a telescope with a diameter of 14 inches, and there are plans to install a telescope with a diameter of 1 meter in the near future.
Additionally, the S.N. Bose Centre has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Sidhu Kanu Birsa University regarding the observatory’s operation and resource sharing.
