ASTROSAT observations: complementary studies from ground

Abstract

Since the advent of the satellite era, X-ray astronomy and UV astronomy have advanced tremendously. The discovery of intense X-ray emission from accreting compact objects has permitted very detailed timing and spectral studies, leading to the important discovery of neutron stars and black holes as likely candidates driving these systems. Today, with the Rossi X-ray Timing Experiment (RXTE), Chandra x-ray Observatory (CXO) and XMM-Newton telescopes, X-ray astronomy provides the ideal tool to study regions of strong gravity, high magnetic eld and high density in the Universe. Building on the success of earlier Indian piggyback space astronomy experiments, ASTROSAT is now being designed as India's first dedicated multiwavelength astronomy satellite to provide a broad-band space platform ranging from optical to hard X-ray. However significant advancements in the ASTROSAT studies of many of the compact objects are expected from a wider multiwavelength observation platform including ground-based facilities at radio, infrared, optical and TeV bands