Ladakh’s Night Sky Sanctuary

Ladakh is on top priority of GoI and no stone has been left unturned in last three years to put Ladakh on global tourism map. First of its own kind projects have been allocated to Ladakh and that too with carbon emission free Ladakh in mind. Be it gigabyte solar plant or India’s first Geo-thermal power generation Ladakh is in headlines for all the good reasons to promote tourism there. Electric buses, solar street lights, solar pumps for water, solar heated swimming pools, heritage home stay are the real landscaping which administration is trying to build up in pollution free Ladakh. The pristine mesmerising nature’s beauty is in abundance there and it’s just question of providing requisite infra to make it most preferred tourist destination. It’s not only infra but education and health facilities are also getting upgraded with establishment of world class university and setting up of medical college to promote education and health tourism also. Latest addition to GoI’s efforts is again unique, India’s first-ever Night Sky Sanctuary, being set up by CSIR under Union Ministry of Science & Technology, in Ladakh’s Hanle. Fitted with optical, infra-red, and gamma-ray telescope, it will be world’s highest located telescope which will definitely boost Astro Tourism not only in Ladakh but India also. It is going to be a life time opportunity for every tourist to explore night sky at an altitude of fifteen thousand plus feet without air pollution or atmospheric moisture with a background of sparkling stars and planets to watch without any hindrance or disturbance. There is no scarcity of unique destinations in Ladakh and this Night Sky star sanctuary is going to be another feather in the cap. Efforts are on to make Ladakh a destination, one of its own kind in whole world. Step by step Ladakh is on way to achieve it, all credit to GoI and LG Administration for the kind of efforts put in shortest interval of three years only. Much has been achieved till now, rest sky is the limit.