Two New Telescopes for Ladakh: NLST and NLOT
Why in the news
Union Budget 2026 cleared two large astronomical telescopes for Ladakh and an upgrade to the Himalayan Chandra Telescope, boosting India’s observing capacity.
NLST versus NLOT
| Feature | NLST | NLOT |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | National Large Solar Telescope | National Large Optical-Near Infrared Telescope |
| Size | 2-metre aperture | 13.7-metre segmented mirror |
| Site | Merak, near Pangong Tso | Hanle |
| Target | The Sun, in visible and near-infrared light | Faint, distant objects in optical and near-infrared light |
| Mirror | – | 90 hexagonal segments working as one mirror |
Key facts
- Ladakh offers altitude, dry air and very dark skies.
- NLST studies solar magnetism and activity, complementing space-mission data.
- NLST would be the third Indian ground-based solar observatory, following Kodaikanal and Udaipur.
- NLOT ranks among the largest of its type globally.
Exam angle
- Merak: NLST; Hanle: NLOT.
- NLOT mirror: 90 hexagonal segments.
- Existing solar observatories: Kodaikanal and Udaipur.