Breakthrough in cosmic observation: India’s MACE telescope spots 8-billion-year-old gamma-ray flare 

India’s MACE telescope has detected a gamma-ray flare from a distant quasar, marking a breakthrough in cosmic observation. The burst, originating from quasar OP 313 (B2 1308+326), is 8 billion light-years away — older than Earth itself.  

On Republic Day, scientists from Mumbai’s Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) observed the flare using MACE, the world’s highest gamma-ray telescope, located in Ladakh’s Hanle region at 4,300 metres above sea level. The discovery sheds light on the early universe, as the detected light began its journey when the cosmos was less than half its current age.  

To grasp the vastness of this event, scientists compare it to the Sun’s light taking just eight minutes to reach Earth, which is 150 million kilometres away. The gamma-ray burst from OP 313, in contrast, travelled across billions of years to be detected now.  

MACE, built by BARC under the Department of Atomic Energy, is Asia’s largest telescope of its kind. It spans 21 metres, weighs 180 tonnes, and features 356 mirror panels. Its high-resolution imaging camera, weighing 1,200 kilograms, helps decode high-energy cosmic events like black holes, dark matter, and supernovae.  

Following MACE’s discovery, observatories in Russia and the United States confirmed the sighting. Scientists believe such gamma-ray flares offer crucial insights into the formation and evolution of galaxies, helping unravel the mysteries of deep space.  

The detection of this ancient flare underscores the scale and age of the universe. While Earth is about 4.5 billion years old, this explosion predates its formation by nearly 3.5 billion years.  

The Major Atmospheric Cerenkov Experiment (MACE) telescope is an imaging telescope in Ladakh, India that studies high-energy gamma rays. It is the largest imaging Cherenkov telescope in Asia and the highest of its kind in the world. 

The MACE telescope was designed and developed in India by institutions like Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA).