A star party in the mountains

A protracted-exposure {photograph} of stars over the Hanle Darkish Sky Reserve in Ladakh.
| Picture Credit score: Akash Anandh

The temperatures have been subzero and freezing. The situations have been unforgiving. We have been elated and thrilled being outdoor all evening.

At 4,300 metres above sea degree, we felt it might have been the Everest Base Camp. In actuality, we have been at Hanle, within the Union Territory of Ladakh. The air is so skinny at such altitudes that the oxygen degree is lower than 60% of what one is often used to at sea degree. Earlier than getting right here, we needed to acclimatise ourselves for 48 hours at Leh, at an altitude of three,500 m, earlier than climbing as much as Hanle.

It’s undoubtedly not for everybody. However it was definitely for us: we have been a bunch of newbie astronomers invited by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) to attend the HDSR Star Occasion 2023, organised and performed by IIA.

The Hanle Darkish Sky Reserve (HDSR) is India’s first darkish sky area, and is centred at Hanle in Japanese Ladakh, across the Indian Astronomical Observatory. HDSR preserves the darkish skies by decreasing gentle air pollution within the surrounding areas, and makes use of these darkish skies to advertise astrotourism as a method to additional improve socio-economic growth within the space.

Seeing into darkish skies

A darkish sky is the evening sky as nature meant for it to be: with none gentle air pollution. Mild from the human-made objects that we use – particularly out of doors lighting sources – blocks our view of the celebs and most celestial objects within the evening sky.

Sarcastically, a darkish sky permits you to see higher. From inside a light-polluted metropolis, we will sometimes see solely a handful of stars. However from a darkish web site, we will see 1000’s in the identical location of the sky.

Other than stars, the Milky Method’s galactic centre and its arms are clearly seen to the bare eye. We are able to additionally see a number of star clusters, nebulae, galaxies such because the Andromeda and the Triangulum.

Zodiacal gentle – a faint glow of diffuse daylight scattered by interplanetary mud within the Photo voltaic System; airglow – an optical phenomenon brought on by faint emission of sunshine within the earth’s ambiance; and gegenschein – a vivid spot within the evening sky centred on the antisolar level, brought on because of backscatter of daylight by interplanetary mud – are additionally seen.

Venus will be so vivid within the evening sky that its gentle can solid shadows on the bottom, simply as moonlight does.

A begin to one thing huge

Though a few of us astrophotographers have been conscious of the theories of those optical phenomena and the truth that we might see so many stars and celestial objects underneath the darkest of skies, it was nonetheless an amazing feeling to truly observe and expertise them underneath the Bortle Class 1 skies of Hanle.

The Bortle Scale helps newbie astronomers measure the evening sky’s brightness at a given location. The dimensions ranges from Class 1, the darkest skies accessible over the earth, by way of to Class 9, which denotes the pale, light-marred skies over the insides of cities.

A way of thrill in addition to warning crammed the skinny air underneath the darkish skies of Hanle. Observing outdoor in these harsh situations – with or with out gear – meant one needed to be each strong-willed and cautious. However it was value each second as warning quickly led to exhilaration after which surprise.

For us newbie astronomers, the three nights and days of the HDSR Star Occasion made for an important alternative to watch underneath pristine evening skies. We might additionally join with fellow newbie astronomers who had come from numerous elements of the nation: they have been skilled amateurs in addition to younger ones with starlit eyes.

We additionally obtained to rub shoulders with skilled astronomers, exchanging concepts and knowledge on all issues astronomy, together with the particulars of visible commentary and the methods of astrophotography, in addition to share massive telescopes and imaging gear in the course of the occasion. In all, it was an unforgettable expertise.

Being the primary ever darkish sky reserve within the nation, HDSR is definitely a supply of delight for India and will likely be a blueprint for different darkish websites in different areas. And similar to at Hanle, upcoming darkish sky reserves also can promote astrotourism, which is able to assist each newbie astronomers like us in addition to native communities.

The Star Occasion can also be extremely prone to evolve into an annual occasion, and I’m glad that I used to be a part of the profitable first version of the HDSR Star Occasion this yr. It was expertly and thoughtfully deliberate and performed by Dorje Angchuk, who’s the engineer-in-charge on the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle, and Niruj Mohan Ramanujam, head of the IIA SCOPE Part.

I imagine the occasion was an important begin to one thing huge for informal stargazers, passionate newbie astronomers, and our space-loving nation as an entire.

(Akash Anandh is an newbie astronomer, astrophotographer, author, and science communicator)

akash.anandh@gmail.com