17th June 2022 (6 Topics)
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India’s first Dark Sky Reserve
Context
The Hanle in Ladakh is all set to become India’s first Dark Sky Reserve.
- The site is going to promote astronomy-tourism, giving a boost to local tourism through science.
About
What is a dark-sky reserve (DSR)?
- A dark-sky Reserve (DSR) is an area, usually surrounding a park or observatory that restricts artificial light pollution.
- The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is associated with the International Dark Sky Reserve (IDSR) and International Dark Sky Park (IDSP).
- An International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) was founded in 1988 to reserve public or private land for an exquisite outlook of nocturnal territories and starry night skies.
- In 1993, Michigan became the first state in the United States to designate a tract of land as a "Dark Sky Reserve" at the Lake Hudson State Recreation Area.
- It is generally understood that a dark-sky reserve, should be sufficiently dark to promote astronomy.
- However, this is not always the case. The lighting protocol for a dark-sky reserve is based on the sensitivity of wildlife to artificial light at night.
What is the objective of these reserves?
- The purpose of the dark-sky movement is generally to promote astronomy.
- However, astronomy is certainly not the only objective of conserving a dark sky.
- A dark night sky is associated with so many facets of history, philosophy, religion, societal development, poetry, song, mathematics, and science.
- The preservation of a DSR is necessary to understand our environmental history.
India’s first site for dark reserve
- A part of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary at Hanle in Ladakh is all set to become India’s first Dark Sky Reserve.
- The site will also promote astronomy tourism, giving a boost to local tourism through science.
- The reason for selecting site for the programme:
- Ladakh holds great potential for undertaking uninterrupted astronomical observations.
- At a height of 4,500 metres, Hanle is already home to optical, gamma ray and infrared telescopes for Space exploration.
- It is pristine for the dry weather for most months of the year, remains cloudless during nights and offers dark skies, making it a perfect natural setup for sky gazing.
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About the Hanle Dark Sky reserve (HDSR)
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