Recent astronomical site survey at Hanle, Ladakh

Abstract

The aspirations of Indian astronomers for a high altitude observatory have led to the exploration of Hanle, southeastern Ladakh as a possible site. After a discussion of the historical background, we present results of the first year of continuous site survery carried out by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. This high altitude (4500 m) cold desert merits serious consideration due to low atmospheric water vapor, good seeing, low extinction, low sky background, a good number of spectroscopic and photometric nights, and approachability