India is all set to set up the country's first-ever "Night Sky Sanctuary" in Ladakh. The proposed Dark Sky Reserve will be located at Hanle in Ladakh which will be a part of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary and 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.It is a unique and first-of-its-kind initiative by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt of India.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh after meeting Lt. Governor Ladakh R.K. Mathur, who called on him at the national capital.
The Union Minister informed that a tripartite MoU was signed recently among the the UT administration, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) for launching the Dark Space Reserve.
He said, the site will have activities to help in boosting local tourism and economy through interventions of Science and Technology.
All the 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.
It may be noted that Hanle is best suited for the project as it is located in Ladakh’s cold desert region, away from any form of human disturbance and clear sky conditions and dry weather conditions exist throughout the year.
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