Introducing uvit

Abstract

The Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) is a collaborative project between the Indian and Canadian space agencies. It is expected to be launched in 2009, for a 5-year minimum mission, along with X-ray instruments as part of the ASTROSAT orbiting observatory. ASTROSAT will measure the flux of celestial objects in various high energy bands. The science objectives are broad, extending from individual hot stars, neutron stars, star-forming regions, to active galactic nuclei, addressing fundamental questions about stellar and galactic evolution and cosmology. We summarize the instrument capabilities, detail some of the science objectives, and present flux simulations for hot stars to be studied with UVIT.