ISU laid the foundation for the first atmospheric Cherenkov telescope in Tunkinskaya valley. It is a new step to creating the world's largest gamma-ray observatory – TAIGA (Tunka Advanced Instrument for Cosmic Ray and Gamma Astronomy).

The telescope will consist of 34 mirrors 60cm in diameter, total diameter of the segmented mirror – 4.5 m. Overall, it is planned to install 16 telescopes. High-speed and high-sensitivity camera will capture images at the focal point of the mirror. 

“The camera is designed for photographing flashes of light emitted when cosmic rays interact with the atmosphere. The structure of the image will be very likely to indicate what guest from outer space we should welcome - charged nucleus or photon (gamma ray) of very high energy,” Prof. Nikolay Budnev, dean of the Faculty of Physics, co-director of the megaproject "Gamma-Ray Astronomy of Multi-Tev Energy and The Origin Of Galactic Cosmic Rays."