Ladakh is set to get a unique Dark Sky Reserve: Why it should be on your bucket list

Months after plans were announced to launch a unique initiative to boost astro tourism, Ladakh is ready to get the first Dark Sky Reserve of the country. Radha Krishna Mathur, the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, will virtually inaugurate the facility on October 31.

The initiative by the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), the Union Territory administration, and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru aims to lower light pollution in the region for better observations and to boost the local economy by harnessing the power of astronomy.

The Dark Sky Reserve is located at Hanle, which is about 300 kilometers away from Ladakh and is part of the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. As part of the initiative, 24 astro ambassadors have been selected from a cluster of five villages in and around the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO).

Funded by the LAHDC, the astro ambassadors will be provided with 8-inch Dobsonian telescopes that will be used to look out into the universe and provide a new avenue of income. The ambassadors will cater to tourists visiting Hanle in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Milky Way galaxy, which shines through the night in the region due to its cloudless skies and lower atmospheric disturbance.

The idea of the Dark Sky Reserve was floated by the Indian Astronomical Observatory and a tripartite MoU was signed among the UT administration, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh, and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, which runs the observatory.

“All the observatories around the world are protected by dark sky policy, which ensures little to no light pollution. Now that more and more people are coming to see the stars and the galaxy in Hanle, it led us to think of protecting our natural and celestial heritage. This has to be done at the village level and if the villages get benefits from this initiative, then why not. Along with villagers, LAHDC and UT Ladakh gave this proposal to set up the reserve,” Dorje Angchuk, Engineer In-charge of IAO, Hanle said.

The Dark Sky Reserve will be centered in a radius of 22 kilometers around the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle. (India Today)