India’s PRATUSH among telescopes astronomers want to put on, around the moon

• Astronomers are looking forward to opening a new window on the universe by posting high-resolution telescopes on the moon, and in orbit around it.
• There are numerous proposals to do this from astronomers around the world - including one from India called PRATUSH.

Key highlights

• India's PRATUSH telescope, built by RRI and ISRO, aims to unlock the secrets of the universe's early days.
• This radio telescope will be positioned on the far side of the moon. To avoid Earth's interference, it will first orbit Earth before being launched towards the moon.
• PRATUSH will listen for faint radio signals from the very first stars and galaxies.
• This will help us understand when these first stars emerged, what they were like, and the nature of the light they emitted during the universe's "cosmic dawn."
• The telescope is equipped with special instruments to capture these weak signals amidst the cosmic noise.
• These instruments include a wideband antenna, a self-calibrating receiver, and a digital correlator.
• The goal is to achieve a sensitivity of a few millikelvin, allowing for clear detection without distortions.

Prelims takeaway

• Cosmic rays
• pratyush