General Awareness ยท Physics

Indian Observatories and Astronomy

2,525 Questions

Indian observatories and astronomy questions cover national research institutions, space telescopes, radio telescopes, and historic astronomical events. These facts are highly relevant for the general awareness section of UPSC and state PSC exams. Solve these questions to memorize key observatories and their specific functions.

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Indian Observatories and Astronomy Questions

Multiple choice

What is the name of the comet that was discovered by Indian astronomer M.K. Vainu Bappu in 1953?

  1. Comet Bappu-Bok

  2. Comet Hale-Bopp

  3. Comet Hyakutake

  4. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Comet Bappu-Bok was discovered by Indian astronomer M.K. Vainu Bappu and American astronomer Bart J. Bok in 1953. It is a periodic comet with an orbital period of about 10 years.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the comet that was discovered by Indian astronomer S.K. Biswas in 1982?

  1. Comet Biswas

  2. Comet Hyakutake

  3. Comet Hale-Bopp

  4. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Comet Biswas was discovered by Indian astronomer S.K. Biswas in 1982. It is a periodic comet with an orbital period of about 6 years.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the comet that was discovered by Indian astronomer V.S. Venkatasubramanian in 1999?

  1. Comet Venkatasubramanian

  2. Comet Hale-Bopp

  3. Comet Hyakutake

  4. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Comet Venkatasubramanian was discovered by Indian astronomer V.S. Venkatasubramanian in 1999. It is a periodic comet with an orbital period of about 7 years.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the comet that was discovered by Indian astronomer S.K. Biswas in 1983?

  1. Comet Biswas

  2. Comet Hyakutake

  3. Comet Hale-Bopp

  4. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Comet Biswas was discovered by Indian astronomer S.K. Biswas in 1983. It is a periodic comet with an orbital period of about 7 years.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the comet that was discovered by Indian astronomer V.S. Venkatasubramanian in 2000?

  1. Comet Venkatasubramanian

  2. Comet Hale-Bopp

  3. Comet Hyakutake

  4. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Comet Venkatasubramanian was discovered by Indian astronomer V.S. Venkatasubramanian in 2000. It is a periodic comet with an orbital period of about 8 years.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the comet that was discovered by Indian astronomer S.K. Biswas in 1984?

  1. Comet Biswas

  2. Comet Hyakutake

  3. Comet Hale-Bopp

  4. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Comet Biswas was discovered by Indian astronomer S.K. Biswas in 1984. It is a periodic comet with an orbital period of about 9 years.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the comet that was discovered by Indian astronomer V.S. Venkatasubramanian in 2001?

  1. Comet Venkatasubramanian

  2. Comet Hale-Bopp

  3. Comet Hyakutake

  4. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Comet Venkatasubramanian was discovered by Indian astronomer V.S. Venkatasubramanian in 2001. It is a periodic comet with an orbital period of about 10 years.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is not a type of telescope?

  1. Refracting telescope

  2. Reflecting telescope

  3. Radio telescope

  4. X-ray telescope
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Radio telescopes are not telescopes in the traditional sense, as they do not use lenses or mirrors to focus light. Instead, they use radio waves to detect and study celestial objects.

Multiple choice

What is the largest optical telescope in the world?

  1. Gran Telescopio Canarias

  2. Keck I and Keck II telescopes

  3. Subaru Telescope

  4. Very Large Telescope
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Gran Telescopio Canarias is the largest optical telescope in the world, with a primary mirror diameter of 10.4 meters.

Multiple choice

What is the most powerful radio telescope in the world?

  1. Atacama Large Millimeter Array

  2. Square Kilometre Array

  3. Very Large Array

  4. Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Square Kilometre Array is the most powerful radio telescope in the world, with a total collecting area of one square kilometer.

Multiple choice

What is the largest optical telescope in the world?

  1. Gran Telescopio Canarias

  2. Keck I and Keck II telescopes

  3. Very Large Telescope

  4. Subaru Telescope
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The largest optical telescope in the world is the Gran Telescopio Canarias, located on the Canary Islands in Spain.

Multiple choice

What is the largest radio telescope in the world?

  1. Square Kilometer Array

  2. Atacama Large Millimeter Array

  3. Very Large Array

  4. Green Bank Telescope
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The largest radio telescope in the world is the Square Kilometer Array, a collection of radio telescopes located in Australia and South Africa.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the Indian radio telescope facility dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial signals?

  1. Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT)

  2. Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES)

  3. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)

  4. Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), located near Pune, Maharashtra, is a prominent Indian facility dedicated to SETI observations and other astronomical research.

Multiple choice

Which Indian institution has played a significant role in the development of advanced signal processing algorithms for SETI?

  1. Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT Bombay)

  2. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (IISc)

  3. National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA)

  4. Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

IIT Bombay has made notable contributions to the development of signal processing algorithms specifically tailored for SETI, enhancing the sensitivity and efficiency of extraterrestrial signal detection.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the Indian astrobiology research center that focuses on the study of the origin and evolution of life in the universe?

  1. National Centre for Astrobiology (NCAB)

  2. Indian Centre for Astrobiology (ICAB)

  3. Astrobiology Research Centre (ARC)

  4. Centre for Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences (CAPS)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The National Centre for Astrobiology (NCAB) is a prominent Indian research center dedicated to studying the origin and evolution of life in the universe, including the search for extraterrestrial life.