MACE Observatory

About MACE Observatory:

• The Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment (MACE) Observatory is the largest imaging Cherenkov telescope in Asia.
• Location: It is located at an altitude of ~4,300 m, at Hanle, Ladakh.
• It is Asia’s Largest and World’s Highest Imaging Cherenkov Observatory.
• The MACE project aims to foster international collaborations, advancing India’s contributions to space research and bolstering India’s position in the global scientific community. 
• It is indigenously built by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) with support from Electronics Corporation of India (ECIL), Hyderabad, and other Indian industry partners.
• It will help the scientific community enhance its understanding in the fields of astrophysics, fundamental physics, and particle acceleration mechanisms.
• The MACE telescope will observe high-energy gamma rays, contributing to global efforts to understand the most energetic phenomena in the universe, such as supernovae, black holes, and gamma-ray bursts. 
• It plays a significant role not only in advancing scientific research but also in supporting the socio-economic development of Ladakh.

Q1: What is Cherenkov radiation?

It is a form of energy that we can perceive as a blue glow emitted when the electrically charged particles that compose atoms (i.e. electrons and protons) are moving at speeds faster than that of light in a specific medium. It is named after the 1958 Physics Nobel Prize laureate, Pavel Cherenkov, who shared the award with Ilya Frank and Igor Tamm, for being the first to experimentally demonstrate and explain this glow.

Source: DAE Inaugurates MACE, Asia’s Largest and World’s Highest Imaging Cherenkov Observatory, at Hanle, Ladakh