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Indian Astronomical Observatory

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Hanle Observatory

TheIndian Astronomical Observatory(IAO) is a high-altitude astronomy station located inHanle,India and operated by theIndian Institute of Astrophysics.Situated in the Western Himalayas at an elevation of 4,500 meters (14,764 ft), the IAO is one of the world's highest located sites foroptical,infraredandgamma-ray telescopes.[1]It is currently the tenth (seeList of highest astronomical observatories) highest optical telescope in the world.

Location[edit]

The Indian Astronomical Observatory stands on Mt. Saraswati, Digpa-ratsa Ri,Hanlein the south-easternLadakhunion territory of India.[2]Accessing the observatory, located near the Chinese border (Line of Actual Control), requires a 250 km longten-hour drivefromLehcity, the headquarter of Leh district.[3]Nyoma,75 km northwest from Hanle, has an Indian military airbase.[4]

History[edit]

In the late 1980s, a committee chaired byB. V. Sreekantanrecommended 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 ofArvind Bhatnagar.The scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics found the site at Hanle.[5]

Thefirst lightwas seen by the Observatory 2-metre telescope on the midnight hour between 26 September and 27 September 2000.[2]

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 MinisterFarooq Abdullahon 2 June 2001. The Observatory was dedicated to the nation on 29 August 2001.[6]

Dark-sky preserve and astrotourism[edit]

See also:International Dark-Sky Association (IDA)

Hanle Dark-sky preserve[edit]

Hanle's high energy gamma-ray telescopes at night

In September 2022, the area surrounding Hanle became India's firstdark-sky preserve.[7]The Hanle site is deemed to be excellent for visible, infrared andsubmillimeterobservations throughout the year.[3]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.[2]The preserve extends to the 6 hamlets of Hanle revenue village - Bhok, Dhado, Punguk, Khuldo, Naga and Tibetan Refugee habitation within 1073 sq kmChangthang Wildlife SanctuaryinChangthang plateau.North, south, east and west four extremities of the preserve are between a distance of 19.6 km to 22 km from the observatory.[8]

The darkness of the night sky is classified on theBortle scalefrom 1 ( "excellent", i.e., extremely dark) to 9 ( "Inner-city sky", i.e., partially dark). Hanle is categorised as an excellent dark astronomical site with Bortle colour key ‘Black’.[9]The dark sky is important for the conservation of nocturnal animals and ecology. To minimize light pollution and to ensure dark skies, Hanle preserve has many restrictions such as lights being indoors only in certain places, mandatory light-blocking curtains on windows and doors, street light colors limited to yellow, no high beam headlights on vehicles, no vehicle movements at night, and more.[10]

To avoidaltitude sickness,tourists must acclimatize for a day or two at Hanle (at 4500 m elevation) or Leh.[10]

Astrotourism[edit]

There are many astrotourism locations in India ranging from Ladakh,Himachal Pradesh,Uttarakhand,South IndiatoAndaman Nicobar Islands.Among these Uttarakhand has the highest number of public and private night sky observatories, such asAryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences(ARIES) in Devasthal inNainital district.The Uttrakhand government is also setting up observatories atAbbott MountinChampawat district,Pithoragarh,Kausani,Jadhang(or Jadung, under theVibrant Villages programme), andTakula(in Nainital). In Uttarakhand, a startup named Starscapes also has private astrotourism observatories atBhimtal,Kausani,and astrovillageBenitalinChamoli district.[10]

There are more than100 planetariums in India.Nehru Planetariumis based in five locations atMumbai,New Delhi,PuneandBangaloreandPrayagraj.TheKalpana ChawlaPlanetarium inJyotisarinKurukshetrainHaryana.[11]

In 2023, India had more than 15 private observatories for astrotourism that came up in the last five years, many of which have their observatories in multiple locations.Astrostays,a startup, organises astrotourism trips toPangongin Ladakh. InKarnataka,theAssociation of Bangalore Amateur Astronomers(ABAA) meets every Sunday atBanglore Nehru PlanetariumandBangalore Astronomical Society(BAS) organizers regular astro tours to the outskirts of cities and to remote locations in India.Starvoirs,aChennai-based startup, owns private observatories in nine places across the country, includingRameshwaram,Chidambaram,Kodanad,theAndaman Islands,andNagaland.[10]

The astrotourism potential in India is underutilised and underdeveloped. There are numerous places in India that could be developed, designated and preserved as the dark sky preserves. For example,MadikeriinCoorgis surrounded by coffee plantations and natural forests and rates 3 (rural sky) on the Bortle scale. Just asProject Tigerhas immensely helped the conservation of tigers, their surrounding ecology, and reduction of carbon footprints,[citation needed]the issue of conservation of dark skies could help conservation of ecology and nocturnal animals, but there is very low awareness of this in India.[citation needed]The designation of dark sky preserve by theInternational Dark-Sky Association(IDA) is a 3-year process, which involves identifying dark sky areas, preparing a development and conservation plan, and submitting a proposal to IDA for the designation. There is no nationwide plan to systematically develop more dark sky areas with the mandatory lighting restrictions.[10]

Facilities[edit]

The Observatory has several active telescopes. These are the 2.01 meter optical-infrared Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT), GROWTH-India telescope, Cassegrain telescope, 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 (HCT)[edit]

The Himalayan Chandra Telescope is a 2.01 meters (6.5 feet) diameter optical-infrared telescope named after India-born Nobel laureateSubrahmanyam Chandrasekhar.[3]It contains a modifiedRitchey-Chretiensystem with a primary mirror made of ULE ceramic which is designed to withstand low temperatures it experiences.[12]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.[3][13]The telescope is remotely operated via anINSAT-3Bsatellite link which allows operation even in sub-zero temperatures in winter.[12]

GROWTH-India Telescope[edit]

The GROWTH-India telescope is a 0.7 meter wide-field optical telescope that had first light in 2018.[14]It is the country's first fully robotic research telescope.[15]It was set up as a part of the international GROWTH program,[16]and has been widely used for time domain astronomy. The telescope is operated jointly byIIT Bombayand the Indian Institute of Astrophysics.

Punjabi University, Patiala (Punjab) 24-inch Cassegrain telescope Observatory[edit]

In the 1980s, a 24-inch Cassegrain telescope was installed at a 90-foot height in a huge dome on the observatory in the Punjabi University, Patiala campus. The Department of Physics, Punjabi University, Patiala is the only department in northern India with this unique facility.[citation needed]

IIA-Washington University Cassegrain telescope[edit]

Since 2011, the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) has collaborated with the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences ofWashington University in St. Louisto operate two 0.5-meterCassegrain telescopesto monitoractive galactic nuclei.One of the observatories is established in Hanle.[3]The facilities 180 degrees apart inlongitudeare together to be called the Antipodal Transient Observatory (ATO).[17]

High Altitude Gamma Ray Telescope[edit]

High Altitude GAmma Ray Telescope (HAGAR), Hanle

The High Altitude Gamma Ray Telescope (HAGAR) is an atmospheric Cerenkov experiment with 7 telescopes set up at Hanle in 2008.[18]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.[19]A HimalayanGamma RayObservatory (HiGRO) was set up at Hanle in collaboration withTata Institute of Fundamental Research,MumbaiandBhabha Atomic Research Centre,Mumbai.

Major Atmospheric Cerenkov Experiment Telescope(MACE) was set up here in December 2012.[20]The Experiment has a 21-meter collector which can collect gamma rays from space.[20]The facility is a result of initiative led byBhabha Atomic Research Centrein collaboration withTata Institute of Fundamental Research,Indian Institute of Astrophysics,BangaloreandSaha Institute of Nuclear PhysicsKolkata.The facility cost in 2011 wasRs.400 million.[20]As of 2011, it was the first and only such facility in theeastern hemisphere.[20]The telescope was fabricated by theElectronics Corporation of Indiaand was installed at the IAO in June 2014.[21]This telescope became the second-largest gamma-ray telescope in the world and the world's largest telescope at the highest altitude.

Center for Research and Education in Science and Technology[edit]

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 2-m Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) at the Indian Astronomical Observatory, Hanle, and the HCT data archive. The operations are controlled using a remote satellite link.[22]

See also[edit]

Research
Borders
Conflicts
Geography
Tourism and infrastructure
Pre-independence

References[edit]

  1. ^"Indian Astronomical Observatory, Hanle".Indian Institute of Astrophysics.20 November 2020.Retrieved13 November2022.
  2. ^abc"The first light at the Indian Astronomical Observatory, Hanle, Ladakh"(PDF).Current Science.79(12): 1635–1636. 25 December 2000.Archivedfrom the original on 7 June 2023.
  3. ^abcdePallava Bagla (7 January 2002) "India Unveils World's Highest Observatory",National Geographic News, Retrieved 21 January 2011
  4. ^"Eye on India, China raises Tibet military command rank | Central Tibetan Administration".tibet.net.Archived fromthe originalon 7 November 2016.Retrieved1 October2016.
  5. ^Rajan, Mohan Sundara. "Telescopes in India". National Book Trust, India, 2009, p. 132
  6. ^About IAO, IAO website.http://www.iiap.res.in/iao_aboutaccessed on 20 January 2011.
  7. ^Jerome, Karthik (9 September 2022)."All you need to know about India's first dark sky reserve in Ladakh".Business Standard.
  8. ^Hanle India's first dark sky reserve,accessed 5 June 2023.
  9. ^Godiyal, S.; Khurana, M."MACE Telescope: Light of Night Sky at Hanle"(PDF).BARC Newsletter(July-August 2022): 72–76.
  10. ^abcdeIndia’s new tourism boom is in the sky. Uttarakhand to Andamans, stargazing on the rise,The Print, 5 June 2023.
  11. ^"IBN News".Ibnlive.in.com. 3 February 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2009.Retrieved10 December2010.
  12. ^abRavi Sharma (Volume 18 - Issue 20, 29 Sep - 12 Oct 2001),"A stellar acquisition"[usurped],Frontline;Retrieved on 25 January 2011
  13. ^IAO Telescopehttp://www.iiap.res.in/iao_telescopeAccessed on 21 January 2011
  14. ^"GROWTH-India - Gallery".sites.google.com.Retrieved25 May2024.
  15. ^Sharma, Dinesh C. (3 July 2018)."India's First Robotic Telescope Opens Its Eyes to the Universe".The Wire.Retrieved25 May2024.
  16. ^"GROWTH Observatories".growth.caltech.edu.Retrieved7 October2020.
  17. ^Antipodal Transient Observatory.http://www.iiap.res.in/iao_atoArchived8 November 2016 at theWayback MachineAccessed on 20 January 2011
  18. ^Staff Reporter (13 December 2009)"Plan to establish Indian Neutrino observatory",The Hindu, Retrieved on 21 January 2011
  19. ^Hagar Telescopehttp://www.iiap.res.in/iao_hagarAccessed on 21 January 2011
  20. ^abcdSunderarajan, P (17 June 2011)."Gamma ray telescope getting ready at Hanle".The Hindu.Retrieved17 June2011.
  21. ^MACE telescope ready to be shifted to Hanle, Ladakh from Hyderabad | Hyderabad News - Times of India
  22. ^CRESThttp://www.iiap.res.in/centers/crestAccessed on 21 January 2011

External links[edit]

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