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

Astronomy & Astrophysics 28 are available for public and forms the backbone of most of the ongoing research in the field of galaxy formation in the Universe. Hubble's spectroscopic observation of distant UV-bright quasars have been instrumental in (i) + constraining the epoch of He reionization (ii) quantifying how baryons are distributed around galaxies, large scale filaments and voids and (iii) constraining the strength and redshift evolution of ultraviolet ionising background. The UV and high spatial resolution capabilities of HST have allowed one to track star- and star-cluster- formation and role of dust and gas in numerous nearby galaxies beyond the Local Group. Additional factors such as different types of star clusters, the interstellar medium, and the environments of supernovae are being used to arrive at a more complete picture of the dynamical history of the relatively nearbyUniverse. Precise HST observations of star cluster members in our Galaxy have allowed one to determine their luminosities and temperatures. This has enhanced our understanding of star formation, stellar evolution, and inputs to the theoretical models used to explain these phenomena. These advances are important as similar models are used to understand stellar populations of galaxies by using the observed spectral energy distribution. HST also played an important role in the exoplanet (including Earth-like planets) studies. HST took the first visible-light image of an exoplanet beyond the solar system. Transit observations and direct measurements of chemical compositions of planetary atmospheres using HST have allowed us to characterise exoplanets and their atmosphere. Numerous planets with and without hazy atmospheres were found. HSTobservations have also found organicmolecules on an exoplanet. It is hoped that HST will continue to work in the coming decades. However, no servicing or upgrade missions are planned. The Indian community has been successfully using HST archival data in combination with the ground based observations for their research. Many Indian astronomers have successfully made proposals for observing time on HST and were awarded observation time. As there are no UV spectroscopic missions planned in the near future, the proposedUV spectroscopic telescope INSIST (Section 5) by the Indian community (ISRO) will play an important role. Spitzer Space telescope was an observatory class (like HST) infrared observatory which was in operation during 2003-2020. It was launched with an aim to provide a unique, infrared view of the universe and allow us to peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes by opaque gas and dust. Spitzer was an 85-cm diameter telescope capable of imaging in the 3.6 - 160 μ m and spectroscopy in the 5.2-38 μ mwavelength ranges . Spitzer's list of accomplishments includes producing the most extensive map of the Milky Way galaxy; some of the first investigations of exoplanet atmospheres; the detection of seven Earth-size exoplanets around the TRAPPIST-1 star (the most rocky planets ever found around a single star); detection of the earliest-forming galaxies ever studied some of which formed within less than 400 million years after the Big Bang; and the discovery of a new ring around Saturn. All the data obtainedwith Spitzer are archived and publicly available. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a joint venture of the three leading space organisations around the • • • • MEGA SCIENCE VISION-2035