The Himalayan Chandra Telescope at Hanle, Ladakh, has completed 25 years since its First Light on 26 September 2000.
Operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) under the Department of Science and Technology, it is named after Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. Hanle's 250-plus clear nights a year make it ideal for optical and near-infrared astronomy, and the telescope is run remotely from Hosakote, Bengaluru, via an INSAT-3B satellite link.