Amateur astronomers and Astrophotographers gathered at Hanle for the second star party.
The Milky Way looms over the Sky Party at Hanle. (Image Credit: PIB).
New Delhi: Between 29 September and 04 October, astrophotographers and amateur astronomers gathered at the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve for the second annual sky party, organised by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA). Hanle and the surrounding regions in Ladakh provide among the darkest skies in India, with more than 45 stargazers from across the country gathering for the event. The Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR) is located around the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle, and was notified by the Government of Ladakh in December 2022, and has since become a major astrotourism destination in India.
Director of the IIA, Annapurni Subramaniam said, “The Indian Astronomical Observatory operated by IIA hosts professional telescopes from our institute as well as those from other organisations, and many more are expected to be built in the future, since this is the best available astronomical site in the country. We are specially delighted that, through the HDSR project, the Observatory has been connecting with the local communities in a substantial and meaningful fashion. This Star Party, which has attracted so many passionate amateur astronomers, is yet another way in which HDSR brings together the cosmos and the people who love the night sky”
The importance of preserving dark skies
The HDSR is a socioeconomic development project oriented towards science, with the goal of preserving the darkness of the night sky with several steps to curb light pollution, along with measures to encourage astrotourism in collaboration with local villagers, who have been provided telescopes and have been trained to be astrotourism guides, known as HDSR Astronomy Ambassadors. These Astronomy Ambassadors themselves were active and enthusiastic participants on the sky party, which provided them an excellent opportunity to engage with, and learn from expert astrophotographers. About 400 tourists visited the party during the open night on 2 October.
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