Ladakh Gets Asia’s Largest Imaging Cherenkov Telescope

New Delhi: To boost scientific research, the Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment (MACE) observatory, the largest imaging Cherenkov telescope in Asia was inaugurated at Hanle in Ladakh.

Established at an altitude of 4,300 metres, it is claimed to be the highest of its kind telescope in the world.

This telescope was inaugurated by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) secretary Ajit Kumar Mohanty on Oct 4. The inauguration of MACE observatory was a part of the platinum jubilee year celebrations of the DAE.

The telescope has been indigenously built by the Mumbai-based Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) with support from the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) and other Indian industry partners.

In his inaugural address, Mohanty said the MACE observatory places India at the forefront of cosmic-ray research globally.

The telescope will allow scientists to study high-energy gamma rays, paving the way for deeper understanding of the universe’s most energetic events, Mohanty said.