Ladakh is prepared to become the first Dark Sky Reserve of the country, months after intentions to start a special project to promote astrotourism were revealed. On October 31, Radha Krishna Mathur, the lieutenant governor of Ladakh, would essentially open the facility.
The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), the government of the Union Territory, and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru, have launched a project to reduce light pollution in the area for improved observations and to promote the local economy by utilising astronomy.
The Dark Sky Reserve is part of the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary and is situated in Hanle, which is around 300 kilometres from Ladakh.
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).
The LAHDC will fund the purchase of 8-inch Dobsonian telescopes for the astro ambassadors, which they will use to observe the cosmos and open up a new source of income.
The ambassadors will assist visitors to Hanle who are hoping to catch a glimpse of the Milky Way galaxy, which appears brightly there at night because of clear sky and minimal atmospheric disturbance.
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