Col Satish Singh Lalotra
‘Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another—Plato.’
High above the rarefied atmosphere of Ladakh where men and beasts both labour to trudge the seemingly impossible heights of the Himalayas that lie strung in a maze of unrecognizable labyrinthine of snow, scree and moraine, the indomitable human spirit transcends all of them to cast an astronomical glow at a non -descript village of ‘Hanle’. The village of Hanle now wears the singular cap of astronomical proportions in heaving the place and equally that of ‘South east Asia’ for being the first so called ‘Night sky sanctuary/Dark sky reserve. Mr Jitendra Singh, the son of the soil of J&K and Union Minister of State (independent charge) Science and Technology, Atomic Energy, and Space announced the same at the ‘Ladakh pride exhibition’ recently in New Delhi. Ladakh off late has been shooting into world prominence for all the right reasons beginning October when in the nearby Burtse the area was catapulted into world geological map by the intrepid Dr Retish Arya who at more than 18,000 feet discovered the fossils of a bygone era belonging to the pre-historic times thus coinciding with the ‘World Fossil Day. With the latest feather in the cap of Ladakh in the form of ‘Night sky sanctuary ‘,this cold desert has never had its USP so marvelously positioned to garner world interest with a renewed vigour as it has now. This ‘Ladakh Pride Exhibition’ was organized by the LAHDC/Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh at the initiative of CEC (Chief executive Councilor) Tashi Gyalson to mark the fourth anniversary of the establishment of the UT of Ladakh. The exhibition showcase GI-tagged products of Ladakh including ‘Seabuckthron, Raktsey karpo apicorts, Ladakh wood carvings and pashmina wool too in addition to the above thus acting as a window of opportunity for the locals.
Now what exactly is ‘Dark sky reserve’ that is being set up at Hanle village in eastern Ladakh as part of ‘Changthang wild life sanctury’? Well to an un- initiated, the terminology connotes an area which has minimum or no light pollution. Light pollution refers to the excess amount of artificial light at night, which endangers the ecosystem by harming the animals whose lives depend on the dark. It also creates inconvenience for astronomers as they are unable to view celestial objects like the stars, planets, etc due to excessive amounts of light. The dark sky reserve is a place that tries to minimize light pollution and create natural conditions which are free from pollutants. This dark sky reserve will host a number of optical, infrared and gamma ray telescopes. The extra-ordinary facility is being created by the Bengaluru based ‘Indian institute of Astrophysics’ in collaboration with the LADHC and the UT of Ladakh. The DSR (Dark sky reserve) is spread over an area of 1073 square kilometers that is adjacent to the IAO (Indian astronomical observatory), the second -highest optical telescope in the world at Hanle perched at an altitude of 4500 meters. The world’s highest astronomical observatory is the ‘University of Tokyo Atacama observatory located at an altitude of 5640 meters on the summit of ‘Cerro Chajnantor’ in a scientific reserve called Atacama Astronomical park, Chile. As for the IIA (Indian institute of Astrophysics) that has been spearheading this project, it was set up in its current form in 1971 as an autonomous institute to conduct research in astronomy, astrophysics, and allied areas of physics.
Much before Hanle became a DSR (Dark sky reserve), it was picked up by the IIA to set up an observatory. There were definite reasons to pick up Hanle for an astronomical institute. The best reason is that it is very cold and dry too at this remote area which are the two most important prerequisites for an avid astro enthusiast. Due to this dry air and very cold atmosphere, the lights coming from far away sources are not attenuated. Moreover Hanle also falls in the rain -shadow region in this part of the Himalayas, resulting in more number of clear nights in the year thus further accentuating its importance in the realm of astronomy. The telescope in Hanle situated at Mt Saraswati or Digpa Ratsa Ri, also known as the scorpion mountain at 4,500 meters is one of the highest observatories in the world. As is the wont in such cases the technical people involved at the facility have left no stone unturned in convincing and orienting the locals to the wonders of astronomy. It has been given to understand that about 25 years back there was a lot of apprehension amongst the locals owing to the outsiders manning this facility. Ladakh has always been a closed world to the outsiders despite its inhabitants being very hospitable and genial by nature. Much of it is the result owing to its remoteness thus breeding ignorance and a sense of skepticism in their very being. Many may not be aware that as late as 1948 the locals of Ladakh had not seen an aircraft much less travel in it. It was only during the famous ‘Kashmir war’ of 1947-48 when on a fateful morning Air commodore Mehar Singh aka Mehar Baba along with Major General Thimmayya landed on a dusty air strip at Leh making the onlookers to prostrate before them thinking them as God incarnations. In so far as the facility at Hanle goes, all along they were skeptical that these technical people were going to settle down over here and usurp their living. It has taken an enormous effort to convince them that these dark skies are not only beneficial for astronomy, but also for the villagers where they can get more employment and a tourist rush for them to partake into viewing the starry skies ,and the milky way which is beyond anybody’s expectation.
As part of the orientation, the institute set up the astronomy ambassadors program and trained 24 locals in the usage of these telescopes and on the need to preserve the night sky. 18 telescopes have been donated to these locals in the use of these instruments who will be now able to offer astro-tourists a truly stellar experience. For the tourists Hanle lies about 270 kms to the south east of Leh and is about 7 to 8 hours by road. While Leh is at about 3,500 meters or 11,480 feet ,Hanle is higher at 4500 meters or 14700 feet ,hence all the more reason for travellers to spend at least two full days in Leh and acclimatize before moving on further. Due to all these activities a plethora of homestays have come up in the area with active involvement of airbnb too pitching in its might. Many of these hosts in the homestays double up as astronomy ambassadors with their own telescopes. Though ladakh is a welcome patch of earth to an avid traveller, many may wonder what is the most opportune time to visit Hanle ? Well for the tourists and astro- aficionados the months from March to October are the best time to visit when the temperatures are low enough for a human to bear and the skies clear with Milky Way in a much more pronounced way. The new moon day too is a most auspicious time to visit Hanle when the night sky is lit up in its most glorious glow. The area of radius 22 km around Hanle that has been notified as HDSR (Hanle dark sky reserve) has renowned engineer-in -Chief Dorje Angchuk who has been at the forefront to convince the villagers to preserve the pristine environment around the HDSR.
As per him they plan to hold annual HDSR star parties in future with enthusiasts from India and abroad in a big way. Dorje’s efforts have made HDSR a world ambassador on the astro front which still has its boundaries blurred and needs to be redefined with a renewed vigour. With Ladakh firmly etched on the northern front as a beacon of tourist hope, HDSR will further improve the sheen of this newly formed UT helping the locals to carve out their own future which till recently was an appendage of Jammu & Kashmir. As world renowned thinker Plato has rightly said—‘Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards, and leads us from this world to another.’
(The writer is a retired army officer)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
