Hanle village in Ladakh to get country's first night sky sanctuary
New Delhi, September 3
Hanle in South-Eastern Ladakh will get India’s first-ever ‘night sky sanctuary’. The project is slated to be completed within next three months, the Ministry of Science and Technology said.
The proposed ‘sanctuary’ will boost tourism in astrophysics as Hanle at more 15,000 feet is the world’s highest-located Astrophysics observatory and had optical, infra-red, and gamma-ray telescopes to watch the sky.
Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology announced the move after a meeting with Lt Governor of Ladakh, RK Mathur, who called on him at the national capital today.
A tripartite MoU was signed recently among Ladakh administration, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) for launching the ‘sanctuary.’
It aims to help in boosting local tourism and economy through interventions of Science and Technology. All stakeholders will jointly work towards the preservation of the night sky from unwanted light pollution and illumination, which is a serious threat to the scientific observations and natural sky conditions.
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