Himalayan Chandra Telescope

May 19, 2023

The Himalayan Chandra Telescope in Hanle recently joined hands with 10 other global observatories to observe the brightening of a blazar, one of the most powerful objects in the universe.

About Himalayan Chandra Telescope:

  • It is a 2 meter optical-infrared telescope named after Nobel laureate Subramaniam Chandrasekhar.
  • Location: It is at the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) in Hanle near Leh in Ladakh.
  • It is currently the tenth highest optical telescope in the world, situated at an elevation of 4,500 meters.
  • The telescope remotely operated using a dedicated satellite communication link from the Centre for Research & Education in Science & Technology (CREST), Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore.
  • Imaging instruments include a Faint Object Spectrograph, a near infra-red and an optical CCD camera.

What is a Blazer?

  • It is a type of galaxy that is powered by a humongous black hole and is among one of the brightest and most powerful objects in the universe. 
  • They are known for emitting highly energetic particles and radiation, including gamma rays, X-rays, and radio waves.