MSV-2035 Astronomy Document - Inside Design - FINAL - FINAL

in the number and quality of research publications, at a growth rate doubling nearly every eight years. We can expect a steady growth in the future too, but, in order to ensure high quality, it is essential that a number of steps be taken. This aspect is also addressed here. Recommendations: The coming decades will be the era of multi-wavelength and multi-messenger astronomy. For Indian astronomy to be in the same league as the rest of the world, it is important to have access to large observing and high-end computing facilities. This document makes several recommendations in this regard. The salient recommendations are provided here. It is important for India to have access to the best multi-wavelength and multi-messenger observing facilities, through international collaborations. For the success of A&AMega Science Projects, it is important to adhere to all the commitments (monetary and in-kind contributions) and provide deliverables of the required quality and in required quantity on-time over the full duration of the projects. It is important to bridge the gap between the largest optical telescope (3.6m Devasthal Optical Telescope) presently available in the country and the TMT that will be operational in a decade's time. Therefore, it is imperative that we develop our own 10-meter class facility and/or participate in other 10-meter class telescope projects. Given the limited resources in our country, it is important to upgrade and operate our existing astronomy facilities efficiently. This document provides some suggestions in this regard. In particular, automation and networking of some of the facilities fitted with well thought-out instruments will enable Indian astronomers take gainful advantage of the geographical location in areas of time-domain astronomy. With the successful launch and continued operations of AstroSat, India has joined the small league of countries operating space observatories. It will be important to plan and exploit the window of opportunities (such as inUVandX-ray) in space tomake unique contributions. Aground-based facility for solar observations complementing the space observatoryAditya-L1, successfully launched in September 2023 is the need of the hour tomaintain India's rich heritage in Solar astronomy. State-of-the-art facilities require technological advancements. It is therefore important to fund new- technology and proof-of-the-concept R&Dprojects. It is now an established fact that well-maintained data archives considerably enhance the scientific output from astronomical observations. It is strongly recommended to maintain a centralized data archive for all the Indian facilities. Well-structured data pipeline facilities are needed to provide nearly uniform quality processed data to the community. It is important to have large, dedicated computing facilities to achieve maximum scientific outputs from astronomical observations. In particular, more realistic simulations are needed to interpret data from large • • • • • • • • • Astronomy & Astrophysics 9 MEGA SCIENCE VISION-2035