Southeast Asia’s first Night Sky Sanctuary will soon start in Ladakh, the country’s youngest union territory and an old civilization. It is being established in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore. Union Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh has informed that on behalf of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, we will request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the Night Sky Reserve located in Hanle, Ladakh. The minister said the dark sky reserve, being one of 15 or 16 of its kind in the world, would attract those interested in astronomy. The Dark Sky Reserve will be located in Hanle village in eastern Ladakh as a part of the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. It will boost astro-tourism in India and will be one of the top locations in the world for optical, infra-red and gamma-ray telescopes. It is spread over 1,073 square kilometers. Adjacent to the Indian Astronomical Observatory, the world’s second highest optical telescope of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics is located at Hanle at an altitude of 4500 metres.
