A star party in the mountains Premium

At Hanle, India's first dark sky reserve, a group of amateur astronomers experienced the wonders of the night sky under pristine conditions. They observed stars, galaxies, nebulae, and other celestial objects, as well as phenomena like zodiacal light, airglow, and gegenschein. The event was expertly planned and conducted, and is likely to become an annual event. It was an unforgettable experience for the amateur astronomers and a source of pride for India.

The temperatures were subzero and freezing. The conditions were unforgiving. We were elated and thrilled being outdoors all night.

At 4,300 metres above sea level, we felt it could have been the Everest Base Camp. In reality, we were at Hanle, in the Union Territory of Ladakh. The air is so thin at such altitudes that the oxygen level is less than 60% of what one is normally used to at sea level. Before getting here, we had to acclimatise ourselves for 48 hours at Leh, at an altitude of 3,500 m, before climbing up to Hanle.

It is definitely not for everyone. But it was certainly for us: we were a group of amateur astronomers invited by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) to attend the HDSR Star Party 2023, organised and conducted by IIA.

The Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR) is India’s first dark sky region, and is centred at Hanle in Eastern Ladakh, around the Indian Astronomical Observatory. HDSR preserves the dark skies by reducing light pollution in the surrounding areas, and uses these dark skies to promote astrotourism as a means to further enhance socio-economic development in the area.

A dark sky is the night sky as nature meant for it to be: without any light pollution. Light from the human-made objects that we use – especially outdoor lighting sources – blocks our view of the stars and most celestial objects in the night sky.

Ironically, a dark sky lets you see better. From within a light-polluted city, we can typically see only a handful of stars. But from a dark site, we can see thousands in the same location of the sky.

Apart from stars, the Milky Way’s galactic centre and its arms are clearly visible to the naked eye. We can also see several star clusters, nebulae, galaxies such as the Andromeda and the Triangulum.