Good news for astronomers! India’s first Dark Sky Reserve to soon come up in Ladakh
The signing ceremony was held in the presence of R K Mathur, Lieutenant General, Ladakh, Dr. Annapurni Subramaniam, director, IIA, and Jamyang Namgyal, MP, Ladakh. Moreover, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor said that the site will contribute to the economy of the locals.
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Get ready astronomers as India will soon have its first Dark Sky Reserve at Hanle's Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary in Ladakh. The Dark Sky Reserve will be set up under the memorandum of understanding that was signed between Ladakh's administration, LAHDC Leh, and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA).
The signing ceremony was held in the presence of R K Mathur, Lieutenant General, Ladakh, Dr. Annapurni Subramaniam, director, IIA, and Jamyang Namgyal, MP, Ladakh. Moreover, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor said that the site will contribute to the economy of the locals.
It should be noted that Ladakh holds great potential for undertaking uninterrupted astronomical observations. At a height of 4,500 meters, Hanle is already home to optical, gamma-ray, and infrared telescopes for Space exploration. It is pristine for the dry weather for most months of the year, remains cloudless during nights, and offers dark skies, making it a perfect natural setup for sky gazing.
A dark-sky Reserve (DSR) is an area, usually surrounding a park or observatory that restricts artificial light pollution. The HDSR will be an area spanning 22 km in radius centered around the Hanle observatory. Upon the declaration as HDSR, both locals and tourists will have to adhere to regulations that will be imposed on the outdoor lighting, use of high beam vehicle headlights, light shields, and curtains, among other measures to cut down light pollution.
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