MACE Gamma-Ray Telescope on India's Highest Plateau in Ladakh

MACE Gamma-Ray Telescope on India's Highest Plateau in Ladakh

India's first Dark Sky Reserve is in Hanle. Hanle is a small village in the north of India in the union territory of Ladakh. At an altitude of nearly 15,000 feet, it is a cold desert in a rain shadow area and conditions are harsh. Temperatures drop below -25° Celsius and winds gust up to 50km per hour. 

Domestically-developed by India's Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment (MACE) is "Asia's largest and the world's highest gamma-ray telescope. This groundbreaking achievement places India at the forefront of global astrophysics. By capturing high-energy cosmic phenomena, MACE opens new frontiers in our understanding of the universe."

Although the Earth’s atmosphere prevents gamma rays from reaching the surface, their interactions with the atmosphere create ultra-high energy particles. These particles travel faster than the speed of light in air and as a result they emit a flash of eerie blue Cherenkov radiation—similar to a sonic boom created by an aircraft exceeding the speed of sound. 

Gamma rays have the smallest wavelengths and the most energy of any wave in the electromagnetic spectrum. They are produced by the hottest and most energetic objects in the universe, such as neutron stars and pulsars, supernova explosions, and regions around black holes. On Earth, gamma waves are generated by nuclear explosions, lightning, and the less dramatic activity of radioactive decay.

As a part of the Platinum Jubilee year of DAE, Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary, DAE & Chairman, AEC, inaugurated the MACE Observatory on October 4, 2024, at Hanle, Ladakh.

Image Details:

Camera = Sony A7s3

Lens = Sony 20mm F1.8G

Tracker = iOptron Skyguider Pro

Sky Exposure = 240secs, F4, iso 800

Ground Exposure = 20 secs, F2, iso 6400

Software = LR & PS

Learn more about MACE: https://dae.gov.in/dae-inaugurates-mace-asias-largest-and-worlds-highest-imaging-cherenkov-observatory-at-hanle-ladakh/

Image Credit: Vikas Chander

Vikas' website: https://www.vikaschander.com

Release Date: Dec. 25, 2022

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