India's First 'Night Sky Sanctuary' To Be Set Up In Ladakh: Minister
NDTV
Hanle is best suited for the Night Sky Sanctuary project as it is located in Ladakh's cold desert region, said Union Minister Jitendra Singh.
India's first-ever "Night Sky Sanctuary" will be set up in Ladakh within the next three months, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Saturday.
"India's first-ever 'Night Sky Sanctuary' will be set up in Ladakh as a part of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary and the proposed 'Dark Sky Reserve' will be completed at Hanle in Ladakh within three months that 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," said Mr Singh.
A tripartite MoU was signed recently among the UT administration, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) for launching the Dark Space Reserve.
Mr Singh said all stakeholders will jointly work towards the preservation of the night sky from unwanted light pollution and illumination, which is a serious threat to scientific observations and natural sky conditions.
