ARYABHATTA RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF OBSERVATIONAL SCIENCES

Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) is a research institute situated at Manora Peak, about 9 kilometres from Nainital, Uttarakhand, India, at an elevation of 1,951 m. It specializes in astronomy, solar physics, astrophysics, and atmospheric science, and functions as an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The institute originated on 20 April 1954 as the Uttar Pradesh State Observatory (UPSO) under Dr. A. N. Singh, based at the Government Sanskrit College in Varanasi. Following the creation of Uttarakhand in 2000, it became the State Observatory (SO), and was renamed ARIES on 22 March 2004 upon coming under DST. ARIES has 32.38 hectares of land at Manora Peak and additional land at Devasthal, about 50 kilometres away, for new observational facilities. The site enjoys around 200 clear nights annually. Research covers stars, galaxies, gamma-ray bursts, star clusters, quasars, and atmospheric science, including studies on pollution and climate interactions. The institute maintains workshops, a computer center, and a library with over 10,000 volumes. Facilities include the 3.6m Devasthal Optical Telescope, 1.3m Devasthal Optical Telescope, 104 cm Sampurnanand Telescope, a Solar Telescope, the 4m International Liquid Mirror Telescope, the Baker-Nunn Schmidt Telescope, and a Stratosphere Troposphere Radar.