NIT-Srinagar to open campus observatory with 14-inch telescope
NIT-Srinagar is launching a new campus observatory featuring a 14-inch aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. The facility, developed in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, aims to enhance astronomy education and research for students and the local community.
Why it matters
This marks the first dedicated campus-based observatory at an NIT in India, significantly boosting regional access to advanced observational astronomy.
The National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Srinagar is set to become the first NIT in the country to have a dedicated campus-based observatory equipped with a 14-inch aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, officials said on Monday (September 21, 2026).
The telescope provides aberration-free, flat-field images for astrophotography and planetary observation, the officials said. The NIT-Srinagar Observatory for Astronomy and Astrophysics (NSOAA) will be inaugurated on Tuesday (September 22, 2026), marking a milestone in science education and research, they said.
“The facility will bring advanced observational astronomy to the campus and create a new platform for students, researchers and the wider community to engage directly with the night sky,” an NIT-Srinagar spokesperson said.
The centrepiece of the observatory is a 14-inch Celestron C14 EdgeHD Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, equipped with a computerised equatorial mount and supported by specialised astronomical imaging equipment, he said.
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