Nainital Observatory

Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences or ARIES is situated at very quiet and beautiful hills with interesting trails through Himalayan forests providing great view of Himalayas. Originally, the observatory was established in Varanasi on April 20, 1954 under the guidance of Dr. A. N. Singh as UPSO or Uttar Pradesh State Observatory. Due to the haze and dust in plains, it was moved to Nainital in 1955 and then to current location in 1961. It is now situated at Manora peak at a height of 1951 m and a few km southwards to the Nainital town. After the initiation of Uttarakhand in 2000, the UPSO came under the control of government of Uttarakhand and was renamed as State Observatory. ARIES was the new name given to it when it became an autonomous body under the Indian government’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) on 22nd March 2004. The campus hosts large variety of flora and fauna of the Himalayan region and there can be occasional sightings of rare species of birds and wildlife.

The main objective of this observatory was to provide observing facilities to carry research in the areas of astrophysics, atmospheric sciences and astronomy. The main areas of interest here are stellar astronomy, solar astronomy, star clusters, stellar variability, photometric and pulsation studies of nearby galaxies. The optical studies that are carried at ARIES are recognized very well both internationally and nationally.

The ARIES is situated at a longitude of 79 degree east which places it in the middle of 180 degree broad longitude band which has contemporary astronomical facilities in between Canary Islands at 20 degree west and Eastern Australia at 157 degree east. Its location facilitates it the observations that are not possible in Australia or Canary Islands due to broad daylight. ARIES has carved a unique niche in contributing to many areas of Astronomical Research due to its geographical location combined with better astronomical sites.

Astronomical Observatory in Nainital Timings
The astronomical observatory or ARIES is open for the public during all working days on afternoons. However, for night visit and viewing, three to four days during moonlit nights are fixed and for that prior permission is needed. The telescopes at the institute can be used for viewing of night sky Visitors can also attend the slideshows and view the picture gallery describing celestial bodies. The timings of the show may change according to the season. The detail schedule of the show can be confirmed on the contact numbers of Institute.