The Indian Institute of Astrophysics is a premier institute devoted to research in astronomy, astrophysics and related physics.

The Vainu Bappu Observatory (VBO) at Kavalur has been the main optical observatory of the Institute for nighttime astronomy since the late 1960s. There are several telescopes in operation here, the foremost among these being the 2.34 metre Vainu Bappu Telescope (VBT), 1.3m J.C. Bhattacharya Telescope (JCBT), and the 1m telescope at VBO was installed in 1972.

The new high altitude Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) at Hanle in south-eastern Ladakh has augmented the facilities for nighttime astronomy. Here, a 2 metre Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) has been installed in 2001.