Ladakh administration to promote Hanle as international destination for astronomers

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, October 21

Hanle Dark Sky Reserve in Ladakh is set to be promoted by the UT administration as a destination for astronomers from across the world.

With the Union Ministry of Home recently permitting overnight staying of foreign tourists at the Hanle reserve, locals and those associated with tourism believe there will be an influx of international tourists at the high-altitude reserve situated in Changthang region of Ladakh.

The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife Protection, Ladakh, organised the first official ‘star party’ from October 12 to 15 to promote astro-tourism in the region which has specific night sky free of pollution to watch distant starts.

Due to its dark sky and dry weather, Hanle is home to IIA’s Indian Astronomical Observatory and hosts many professional telescopes.

An official spokesperson of the Ladakh administration said Hanle had one of the darkest skies in India and recently, an area of radius roughly 22 km around Hanle has been notified by the UT as the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR).

Dorje Angchuk, engineer-in-charge of the observatory, said the HDSR aimed to control man-made light pollution in the area in order to preserve the pristine dark sky for astronomical research. “The reserve is promoted as a tourist destination for enjoying the night sky, and also helps in the socio-economic development of the locals,” he said.

Angchuk said they were planning to make the HDSR ‘star party’ an annual event and hoped that it would be one of the most sought after events for astronomy enthusiasts in India and abroad.