Indian Astronomical Observatory to Observe BL Lacertae

The Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) has formed a partnership with 10 international telescopes to observe and study the phenomenon of BL. Lacertae (BL. Lac), is a blazar located approximately 950 million light-years away from Earth.

About the Partnership

  • Formed between: IAO, Hanle, Ladakh, and 10 other global telescopes
  • Formed in: May 2023
  • Purpose: To observe BL. Lac blazer

What is Blazar?

  • Blazars, a type of galaxy powered by a ginormous black hole are among the brightest, most energetic objects in the sky.
  • They belong to a class of galaxies known as “active galactic nuclei” or AGNS, a reference to the supermassive black holes that power them.
  • BL. Lac was first discovered by Cuno Hoffmeister in 1929.
Indian Astronomical Observatory

  • It is a high-altitude astronomy station located in Hanle, Ladakh, and operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics.
  • It is 10th highest observatory in the world currently.
  • In September 2022, it became India’s first dark-sky preserve (DSP).
  • A dark-sky preserve (DSP) is an area, usually surrounding a park or observatory, that restricts artificial light pollution. It is established to observe astronomical phenomena more clearly.