Work on India’s first-ever night sky sanctuary in Ladakh will be over in month’s time

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The work on India’s first night sky sanctuary in Ladakh will be completed in over a month’s time, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Friday.


The night sky sanctuary will attract tourists from across the world over to picturesque Ladakh and also boost astro-tourism in the region, he said during a meeting with Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, R.K. Mathur, who had called on him at North Block here.

“The work on India's first-ever night sky sanctuary, being set up by CSIR under Union Ministry of Science & Technology, in Ladakh’s Hanle is going on in full swing and shall be complete in over a month’s time,” said Mr. Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel.

It will boost astro tourism in India and will be one of the world’s highest-located sites for optical, infra-red, and gamma-ray telescopes, a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry said.

Friday’s meeting was a follow-up to the one held between the two in September this year, when the Union Minister had announced that the setting up of India’s first-ever "night sky sanctuary" in Ladakh.

The two leaders also discussed a wide range of development related issues pertaining to the Union Territory, it said.

Mr. Mathur apprised the Union Minister about the Rozgar Mela held on October 31, in Ladakh where the UT administration gave away appointment letters to around one thousand local youth, furthering the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give jobs to the deserving youth of the country.

While discussing the various projects, Mr. Singh said, Prime Minister Modi has always accorded highest priority to Ladakh and other peripheral regions.

In a unique and first-of-its-kind initiative, the Department of Science & Technology (DST), government of India, has undertaken to set up India’s first-ever "night sky sanctuary" in Ladakh.

The proposed dark sky reserve will be located at Hanle in Ladakh as a part of Changthang wildlife sanctuary, the statement said.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/work-on-indias-first-ever-night-sky-sanctuary-in-ladakh-will-be-over-in-months-time-jitendra-singh/article66183668.ece

All you need to know about India's first Night Sky Sanctuary in Ladakh

India's first Night Sky Sanctuary is located within the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary and adjacent to the Indian Astronomical Observatory, the second-highest optical telescope in the world.

www.livemint.com

 

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This film presents the idea behind the upcoming Hanle Dark Sky Reserve in Ladakh, India. This is the story of how this venture will bring together astro-tourism as well as preserving dark skies for scientific research, in a collaboration between astronomers, the administration, and the local communities.

Light pollution is a serious global issue. According to a study, 80% of the world lives under a light-polluted sky, which adversely affects not only humans but also flora and fauna. We are at severe risk of losing our night sky heritage to light pollution.

Since the preservation and conservation of the night sky is of paramount importance, the Ladakh UT administration, along with the Ladakh Hill Development Council, and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics have initiated the establishment of Hanle as India's First Dark Sky Reserve. Around 250 km from Leh, Hanle is one of the world's most enchanting, serene and breathtaking locations that houses the highest altitude astronomical observatory in the world, The Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO).

This observatory is run by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, which is headquarted in Bengaluru. The reserve will include an area covering over 1000 square km centred at the IAO. To create awareness about the importance of the dark sky reserve, the Ladakh UT administration plans to promote astro-tourism, by incorporating several home-stays and installing telescopes in the villages across the reserve.

The dark skies are an excellent resource that can be utilised for astro-tourism as well as education, which will help in the socio-economic development of the region as a whole. The film has been developed to highlight the importance of the Dark Sky Reserve and is made available in public domain under the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share Alike 4.0 International License.

For some of the best stargazing in the world, many make the trek to Ladakh at the northern tip of India. The region is home to the Indian Astronomical Observatory, specifically situated for its unique geology. Located on cold, remote desert land, the area experiences very little rainfall and hardly any snow. The high altitude—2.5 miles above sea level—also allows scientists to collect more data than would be possible at a lower altitude. For visitors of the observatory, the summer months give way to a perfectly clear sky. As soon as the sun sets, visitors are treated to a blanket of extraordinary stars and light.

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@villageidiot @Imran Khan kabhi pojitive waali bhi dekh lia kro hamari khabrein

@Paitoo

 

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I will give you a pat on the back for this thread. I’m an amateur star gazer. This would be a cool thing for a country to have.

 

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We also have night sanctuaries in Pakistan, mostly operated by our goats, i mean ISI and they provide night services to generals and other politicians.

 

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I will give you a pat on the back for this thread. I’m an amateur star gazer. This would be a cool thing for a country to have.

Waay back in the day I used to have a telescope.. wasn't exactly of the highest quality but on full moon days I'd still take it out and get a good view of the moon.. good fun.

Not entirely sure I want to (read can lol ) spend the kind of money required for either a camera/lenses that can do a super proper job of it now, or for a srs telescope. "Stargazing" or astro photography is an amazing hobby but, some folk can view (or take pics) of the horsehead nebula etc.. but then you have to process those images, which in itself is another skill, and requires both hardware and knowledge to get a good result.

either way, just being up in the Himalayas and away from all the pollution, both particle and light, that you have to deal with in a plains is such a blessing.. the sky just looks insane even to the naked eye.

good stuff, man.. share some pics of Mars etc if you can.. that's a hell of a hobby !

Hate how they very quickly get very expensive but... 100 USD for a decent small scale RC something.. you get into mini turbines etc but and all of a sudden your "toys" cost upward of 2000 USD :S .. fuuu

 

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Waay back in the day I used to have a telescope.. wasn't exactly of the highest quality but on full moon days I'd still take it out and get a good view of the moon.. good fun.

Not entirely sure I want to (read can lol ) spend the kind of money required for either a camera/lenses that can do a super proper job of it now, or for a srs telescope. "Stargazing" or astro photography is an amazing hobby but, some folk can view (or take pics) of the horsehead nebula etc.. but then you have to process those images, which in itself is another skill, and requires both hardware and knowledge to get a good result.

either way, just being up in the Himalayas and away from all the pollution, both particle and light, that you have to deal with in a plains is such a blessing.. the sky just looks insane even to the naked eye.

good stuff, man.. share some pics of Mars etc if you can.. that's a hell of a hobby !

Hate how they very quickly get very expensive but... 100 USD for a decent small scale RC something.. you get into mini turbines etc but and all of a sudden your "toys" cost upward of 2000 USD :S .. fuuu

The lower ended decent types are $200-$400 but the ideal one is $2,300. It’s a lot of money if you’re doing it all the time. Like drones for example. Drones are fun but then you get tired of flying them.

The best places for telescopes are high altitude areas and desert where there’s minimal city lights affecting it.