SOLAR OBSERVATORY

Udaipur Solar Observatory is consisdered as the best observing site in Asia. Situated on an Island in the Fateh Sagar Lake, Solar observatory of Udaipur is among the few in the world that are sited on an Island. This observatory was designed as per the model of Solar Observatory at Big Bear Lake in Southern California. In 1975, It was established by Dr. Arvind Bhatnagar under the "Vedhashala Trust of Ahmedabad".

The observatory has become the perfect center to develop solar physics in India. Being surrounded by water, the island provides a favourable atmosphere for solar observations. As air turbulence is lesser on island then ground, sharp images of the sun can be acquired. Apart from this, other advantages of this observatory is that it is located in Rajasthan, which observes maximum number of cloudless days. All these factors add to quality of extracted images of the Sun.

The observatory comprises a range of telescopes that provide excellent quality of Solar Observations. The observatory is adding a new instrument by the name of "Solar Vector Manetograph" to its store-house. This instrument will play an important role in the future research programme by determining the magnetic field of the active regions. The observatory has seen an entire solar cycle in the twenty-two years of its subsistence. Now it is witnessing the next solar cycle.The observatory also provides a connection for regular solar coverage in numerous international collaborative programs including GONG (Global Oscillations Network Group).

Under GONG Project, USO was numbered among the Six observatories of the world that watch the sun for 24 hours, National Science Foundation of the United States that intends to study Oscillations in the Solar atmosphere has sponsored this project of GONG. Hence, USO is a site of National and International Importance.