A Coimbatore team is back from their first visit to Hanle Dark Sky Reserve in Ladakh

The Milky Way at evening sky in Hanle
| Photo Credit: Akshay Satish

A gorgeous view of the Milky Way in a 180 diploma arc extending from the South to the North on the evening sky in Hanle, Ladakh, India’s first darkish sky reserve, is an unforgettable reminiscence for a bunch of younger college students from Coimbatore. “Every inch of the dark sky was filled with stars, star clusters and constellations. It was magical,” remembers Akshay Sathish (18). A team of 11 youngsters led by Obuli Chandran, founding father of Mango Education and astronomy educator Mihir Athale are simply back from their first expedition to Ladakh the place they noticed a spectacular view of the evening sky at Hanle. “We teach astronomy to students who have a passion for it. Along with theory, we have done several star gazing trips in the South to places like Mudumalai, Hasanur and Udhagamandalam where the skies are clear and there is very less light pollution. This is our first trip with children to the Himalayas,” says Obuli.

The team at Hanle with Dorje Angchuk
| Photo Credit:
Swati Karkare

Much earlier than it grew to become a darkish sky reserve, Hanle was picked by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics to arrange an observatory owing to its dry and chilly climate. The high-altitude Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) situated there at 14,764 toes, is one of many highest observatories in the world. “The IAO is a field station of IIA, Bengaluru,” says Dorje Angchuk, chief engineer in-charge at IAO, Hanle. “Our agenda is scientific research for the professional astronomer. Lately, we have been venturing into outreach,” says Dorje including that yearly, college students from faculties in and round Leh visit the reserve as part of discipline journeys. Along together with his team, he has spent effort and time in orienting the locals to the wonders of astronomy.

The reserve has augmented services for night-time astronomy. After solar down, astronomy fans deliver out their cameras and tripods and what follows is star hopping all via the evening. “I have been studying astronomy for six years and my fascination with the night sky has increased after the visit to Hanle,” says Rishi Chander (16). For R N Vishnuvardhan (10), the youngest in the team, it was a first-time expertise the place he might catch a glimpse of the Andromeda Galaxy with out utilizing a telescope.

Nomadic Festival
| Photo Credit:
Obuli Chandran

While there, the team additionally acquired to expertise the nomadic life-style and traditions of the folks of the area on the Nomadic Festival 2023 at Hanle village in Changthang district. “We could see some of the best of cultural performances, where cultural troupes from different villages in Changthang presented dance, songs and traditional sports. Nomadic communities in Ladakh lead a challenging but self-sufficient lifestyle, adapting to the harsh climatic conditions and high altitudes. They have a deep connection with nature and maintain a strong sense of community and cultural identity,” says Mihir.

The team additionally acquired a possibility to visit the Druk Padma Karpo School in Ladakh that options in the Aamir Khan-starrer 3 Idiots. Besides the evening sky, the team additionally recall breathtaking views of cool blue lakes, snow-capped mountains, and a rejuvenating dip at Chumathang sizzling spring that bubbles from the bottom close to the banks of the ice-cold Indus River.

Dorje says they need to use astronomy to promote curiosity in science amongst college students. “Being a remote observatory, Hanle is a difficult place to visit as it involves lots of travel and students are subject to AMS due to high altitude. Any group coming from the plains needs to be acclimatised for a minimum of two days before they can visit the observatory. We want to build excitement in astronomy with visits to such facilities and also give them an insight on the kind of instrumentation used for the same during day time along with a presentation of the research work carried out there,” he says, including, “The objective is to make the pristine dark skies, a coveted destination for students.”

The Hanle Dark Sky Reserve is accessible all year long. For particulars on planning a visit from Coimbatore, name 9952243541/ 9894167141.