>Shiprajohn at 07:10, 6 May 2021

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{{Infobox Observatory}}
The '''Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO)''', located in [[Hanle (village)|Hanle]] near [[Leh]] in [[Ladakh]], India, has one of the world's highest located sites for [[optical telescope|optical]], [[infrared telescope|infrared]] and [[gamma-ray telescope]]s. It is operated by the [[Indian Institute of Astrophysics]], [[Bangalore]]. It is currently the ninth (see [[List of highest astronomical observatories]]) highest optical telescope in the world, situated at an elevation of 4,500 meters (14,764 ft).

==Location==
The Indian Astronomical Observatory stands on Mt. Saraswati, Digpa-ratsa Ri, [[Hanle (village)|Hanle]] in south-eastern [[Ladakh]] union territory of India.<ref name="CurrSci">News, [http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/dec252000/1629.pdf Dec 25, 2000, Vol. 79 No. 12 Current Science], Indian Academy of Sciences</ref> Accessing the observatory, located near the Chinese border, requires a ten-hour drive from [[Leh]] Ladakh, the district capital of leh.<ref name="natgeo"/>

==History==
In the late 1980s a committee chaired by Prof. B. V. Sreekantan recommended that a national large optical telescope be taken up as a priority project. The search for the site of the observatory was taken up in 1992 under the leadership of [[Arvind Bhatnagar|Prof. Arvind Bhatnagar]]. The scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics found the site at Hanle.<ref>Rajan, Mohan Sundara. "Telescopes in India". National Book Trust, India, 2009, p. 132</ref>

The [[First light (astronomy)|first light]] was seen by the Observatory 2-metre telescope on the midnight hour between 26 September and 27 September 2000.<ref name="CurrSci" />

The satellite link between the Centre for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST), Bangalore and Hanle was inaugurated by the then Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister [[Farooq Abdullah|Dr. Farooq Abdullah]] on 2 June 2001. The Observatory was dedicated to the nation on 29 August 2001.<ref>About IAO, IAO website. http://www.iiap.res.in/iao_about accessed on 20 January 2011.</ref>

==Observation==
The Hanle site is deemed to be excellent for visible, infrared and [[submillimeter astronomy|submillimeter]] observations throughout the year.<ref name="natgeo" /> Specifically the observation conditions yield about 255 spectroscopic nights per year, approximately 190 photometric nights per year and an annual rain plus snow precipitation of less than 10 cm. In addition, there are low ambient temperatures, low humidity, low concentration of atmospheric aerosols, low atmospheric water vapour, dark nights and low pollution.<ref name="CurrSci" />

==Facilities==
The Observatory has two active telescopes. These are the 2.01 meter optical-infrared Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) and a [[High Altitude Gamma Ray Telescope]] (HAGAR). The HCT is remotely operated from Bangalore from the Centre for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST) using a dedicated satellite link.

===Himalayan Chandra Telescope===
The Himalayan Chandra Telescope is a 2.01 meters (6.5 feet) diameter optical-infrared telescope named after India-born Nobel laureate [[S. Chandrasekhar|Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar]].<ref name="natgeo">Pallava Bagla (7 January 2002) "[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/12/1227_020104indiaobs.html India Unveils World's Highest Observatory]", National Geographic News, Retrieved 21 January 2011</ref> It contains a modified [[Ritchey–Chrétien telescope|Ritchey-Chretien]] system with a primary mirror made of ULE ceramic which is designed to withstand low temperatures it experiences.<ref name="frontline" /> The telescope was manufactured by Electo-Optical System Technologies Inc. at Tucson, Arizona, USA. The telescope is mounted with 3 science instruments called Himalaya Faint Object Spectrograph (HFOSC), the near-IR imager and the optical CCD imager.<ref name="natgeo" /><ref>IAO Telescope http://www.iiap.res.in/iao_telescope Accessed on 21 January 2011</ref> The telescope is remotely operated via an [[INSAT-3B]] satellite link which allows operation even in sub-zero temperatures in winter.<ref name="frontline">Ravi Sharma (Volume 18 - Issue 20, 29 Sep - 12 Oct 2001), [http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1820/18200840.htm "A stellar acquisition"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041207040103/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1820/18200840.htm |date=7 December 2004 }}, ''Frontline''; Retrieved on 25 January 2011</ref>

[[File:IAO-Hanle-high energy gamma ray telescope-UnderRainbow.jpg|thumb|High Energy Gamma Ray Telescope (HAGAR), Hanle]]

=== GROWTH-India Telescope ===
The GROWTH-India telescope is a 0.7 meter wide-field optical telescope that had first light in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|title=GROWTH-India - First Light!|url=https://sites.google.com/view/growthindia/first-light|access-date=2020-10-07|website=sites.google.com|language=en-US}}</ref> It is the country's first fully robotic research telescope.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sharma|first=Dinesh C.|title=India’s first robotic telescope opens its eyes to the universe|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/indias-first-robotic-telescope-opens-its-eyes-to-the-universe/article24209626.ece|access-date=2020-10-07|website=@businessline|language=en}}</ref> It was set up as a part of the international GROWTH program,<ref>{{Cite web|title=GROWTH Observatories|url=http://growth.caltech.edu/observatories.html|access-date=2020-10-07|website=growth.caltech.edu}}</ref> and has been widely used for time domain astronomy. The telescope is operated jointly by [[Indian Institute of Technology Bombay|IIT Bombay]] and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics.

===High Altitude Gamma Ray Telescope===
The High Altitude Gamma Ray Telescope (HAGAR) is an atmospheric Cerenkov experiment with 7 telescopes setup in 2008.<ref>Staff Reporter (13 December 2009) [https://web.archive.org/web/20091216163514/http://www.hindu.com/2009/12/13/stories/2009121357060600.htm "Plan to establish Indian Neutrino observatory"], The Hindu, Retrieved on 21 January 2011</ref> Each telescope has 7 mirrors with a total area of 4.4 square meters. The telescopes are deployed on the periphery of a circle of radius 50 meters with one telescope at the center. Each telescope has alt-azimuth mounting.<ref>Hagar Telescope http://www.iiap.res.in/iao_hagar Accessed on 21 January 2011</ref>

===Center for Research and Education in Science and Technology===
The Center for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST) is situated 35 km to the northeast of Bangalore near Hoskote town. The Center houses the control room for the remote operations of the 2m Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) at the Indian Astronomical Observatory, Hanle, and the HCT data archive. The operations are controlled using a remote satellite link.<ref>CREST http://www.iiap.res.in/centers/crest Accessed on 21 January 2011</ref>

==Upcoming facilities==
The Indian Institute of Astrophysics is collaborating with the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences of [[Washington University]] in [[St. Louis]], US to operate two 0.5 meters [[Cassegrain telescope]]s to monitor [[active galactic nuclei]]. One of the observatories is to be established in Hanle.<ref name="natgeo" /> The facilities 180 degrees apart in [[longitude]] are together to be called the Antipodal Transient Observatory (ATO).<ref>Antipodal Transient Observatory. http://www.iiap.res.in/iao_ato {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108052648/http://www.iiap.res.in/iao_ato |date=8 November 2016 }} Accessed on 20 January 2011</ref>

A Himalayan [[Gamma Ray]] Observatory (HiGRO) is being set up at Hanle in collaboration with [[Tata Institute of Fundamental Research]], [[Mumbai]] and [[Bhabha Atomic Research Centre]], Mumbai. This is currently in the advanced stage of commissioning and is expected to be functional by 2018.

[[Major Atmospheric Cerenkov Experiment Telescope]] (MACE) was expected to be set up here by December 2012.<ref name=MACE>{{cite news|last=Sunderarajan|first=P|title=Gamma ray telescope getting ready at Hanle|url=http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/article2112390.ece|access-date=17 June 2011|newspaper=The Hindu|date=17 June 2011}}</ref> The Experiment expects to have a 21-meter collector which can collect gamma rays from space.<ref name=MACE /> The effort to establish the facility is led by Bhaba Atomic Research Center in collaboration with Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, [[Indian Institute of Astrophysics]], [[Bangalore]] and [[Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics]], [[Kolkata]]. The facility is estimated to cost [[Rupee|Rs]]. 400 million.<ref name=MACE /> Once completed it will be the only such facility in the [[eastern hemisphere]].<ref name=MACE /> As of June 2014 the telescope has been fabricated by the [[Electronics Corporation of India]] and is being installed at the IAO.<ref>http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/MACE-telescope-ready-to-be-shifted-to-Hanle-Ladakh-from-Hyderabad/articleshow/37126715.cms</ref> Once installed, this Telescope will be the second largest gamma ray telescope in the world and the world's largest telescope at the highest altitude.

==See also==

; Research
* [[Bharati (research station)]]
* [[Dakshin Gangotri]] First Indian station 1983, converted to support base
* [[Maitri (research station)|Maitri]] Second Indian station 1989
* [[Defence Research and Development Organisation]]
* [[Defence Institute of High Altitude Research]]
* [[Indian Antarctic Program]]
* [[Jantar Mantar, Jaipur]]
* [[National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research]]
* [[Siachen Base Camp (India)]]
* [[Antarctic field camps|List of Antarctic field camps]]
* [[Research stations in Antarctica#List of research stations|List of Antarctic research stations]]
* [[List of highest astronomical observatories]]

; Borders
* [[Actual Ground Position Line]] (AGPL), India-Pakistan border across Siachen region
* [[Line of Actual Control]] (LAC), India-China border across Ladakh
* [[Line of Control]] (LoC), India-Pakistan border across Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir

; Conflicts
* [[Sino-Indian War]]
* [[Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts]]
* [[Siachen conflict]]
* [[Siachen Glacier]]

; Geography
* [[Geology of the Himalaya]]
* [[Indus-Yarlung suture zone]]
* [[List of districts of Ladakh]]

; Tourism and infrastructure
* [[India-China Border Roads]]
* [[Siachen Base Camp (India)]]
* [[Tourism in Ladakh]]

;Pre-independence
*[[Nizamia observatory]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* Official Website - [http://www.iiap.res.in/centers/iao Indian Astronomical Observatory]
* [http://www.60kph.com/photos/wallpapers/images/hanle_observatories_800.jpg 2-m Himalayan Chandra Telescope with the 50-cm Antipodal Transient Observatory in the background]
* [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bangalore-scientists-techies-to-help-build-largest-telescopes/articleshow/5150150.cms Bangalore scientists, techies to help build largest telescopes]

{{Indian space programme}}

[[Category:Astronomical observatories in India]]
[[Category:Space programme of India]]
[[Category:Indian Institute of Astrophysics]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Ladakh]]
[[Category:Leh district]]
[[Category:Science and technology in Ladakh]]
[[Category:2001 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir]]

Indian Astronomical Observatory - Revision history

>Shiprajohn at 07:10, 6 May 2021