Off the wire
• China caps amount of local gov't debt  • Experts: China, Czech Republic cooperation "exemplary" for promoting Belt and Road Initiative  • Top Chinese political advisor highlights private sector, ethnic unity  • Roundup: Cypriot court remands in custody man suspected of hijacking EgyptAir flight  • Buxiaolin appointed acting chairwoman of N. China's Inner Mongolia  • 2nd LD Writethru: Xi urges fostering sense of community of common destiny with Czech Republic  • India, World Bank ink 1.5 billion U.S. dollars loan pact for Clean India campaign  • Two school children killed in Afghan blast  • Zimbabwe tobacco output to tumble after devastating drought  • German inflation picks up in March  
You are here: 　 Home

Modi remotely launches Asia's biggest telescope in northern India from Belgium

Xinhua, March 30, 2016 Adjust font size:

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday remotely launched Asia's biggest optical telescope, called ARIES, in the northern Indian hill town of Nainital from Belgium.

Modi, who is currently in Belgium, remotely activated the telescope, made with Indian-Belgian collaboration, from Brussels along with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel.

The telescope is located at a height of 2,500 meters and the site was chosen for getting a clear view of the sky.

It's mirror has a 3.6 meter diameter that will help astronomers study star structures and magnetic field structures of stars.

"The activation of this telescope is a major achievement for us. The project was challenging and the international collaboration helped us," said Wahab Uddin, director of Aries. Enditem