Ladakh will soon have South East Asia's first Night Sky Sanctuary: Union Minister Jitendra Singh

New Delhi: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that Ladakh will soon have South East Asia's first Night Sky Sanctuary. 

The Minister informed that the Sanctuary is being set up with the help of Indian Institute of Astrophysics Bengaluru, which is affiliated to the Department of Science & Technology, Govt of India. He profusely appreciated the Lt Governor of Ladakh, Brig (Retd) B.D. Mishra for his active cooperation in the project.

On behalf of the Ministry of Science & Technology and CSIR, we will request the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to inaugurate the Night Sky Reserve at Hanle, the Minister said.

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the exhibition ‘Ladakh’s Pride’ being held here to mark the fourth anniversary of the establishment of the Union Territory of Ladakh. 

The exhibition is organised by Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh at the initiative of Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) Tashi Gyalson.

The Dark Sky Reserve will be located at Hanle village in Eastern Ladakh as a part of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. 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.

Spread over 1,073 square kilometres, the Night Sky Reserve is located within the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary and adjacent to the Indian Astronomical Observatory, the second-highest optical telescope in the world, of Indian Institute of Astrophysics at Hanle at an elevation of 4500 metres.

“At a time when the country is celebrating the success of Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1 solar mission, this Dark Sky Reserve will fascinate the stargazers, being among only the 15 or 16 of its kind in the world,” said Dr Jitendra Singh.

The Union Minister said that a tripartite MoU was signed among 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.