Travel plans stalled again due to pandemic? See above, as astro tourism grows, inspiring star gazers and photographers
The Phyang Monastery in Ladakh will welcome the stars in April 2022. The monks here suggested promoting the site as an astro hub after visiting Astrosta, a homestay on the banks of Pangong Tso.
Homestay is an initiative of Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE), which is facilitating solar power projects in remote Himalayan villages. “The monastery felt that an astonishing experience from the point of view of Buddhist cosmology would generate interest. We are working towards setting up an observatory at the monastery by March,” says Sonal Asgotra, founder of Astrostage.
AstroStage was installed in 2019 at Mann village in Ladakh and in a matter of months, around 350 visitors looked through their Goto Dobsonian telescope to track stars, planets and constellations. Guides are local people who are trained in astronomy and taught to use binoculars. Revenue generated from the Astro tourism facility was pumped back into the community to build the solar water heater.
With international travel difficult during the pandemic, more domestic travelers are discovering the joys of astronomy clubs, local campsites and accessible destinations with spectacular night views. Astro tourism enthusiasts plan ahead and travel to experience solar eclipses, meteor showers and other celestial events.
In 2020 and 2021, Chennai-based astronomer and astro-photographer, Neeraj Ladia, CEO of Space Arcade, led sessions for astro-photographers and families who wanted to stare. They traveled to Yelagiri in groups of 20 to 30. “The hilly areas away from the city have dark skies which is conducive to starry viewing. Between the first and second waves of COVID-19, we saw people showing interest in these short trips. The open space and small gatherings made it safe,” he explains. He also recommends Kodaikanal and Jawadhu hills for astronomy. “There are some secluded, dark spots on the way from Chennai to Pondicherry via ECR; They are also good for astro-photography.”
join the astro party
In India, efforts are being made to tap the growing potential of astrophotography. There is a plan to convert Benital village, located at an altitude of about 2,600 meters above sea level, into an astro village in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Chamoli district administration and Gurgaon-based startup Starscape organized a two-day ‘Astro Party’ in Benital in December 2021 with around 50 visitors.
An astro park is in the works in Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, and in Jaipur, the art and culture department launched a night sky tourism project after the first wave of COVID-19, to encourage visitors to look through installed binoculars. To be. At Jawahar Kala Kendra and Jantar Mantar. The Ladakh administration, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, is planning to promote astrophysics in Hanle village.
Meanwhile, Starscape is expanding its footprint by setting up observatories in Jaipur, Coorg and Udhagamandalam among other places. His journey began from an observatory at Kausani, a hill station in Uttarakhand, located 1,890 meters above sea level, which is a hotspot for astrophotographers.
dark clear sky
Technically speaking, you need cloudless, dark skies without the light pollution emanating from cities.
Astro-photographers lead expeditions for photography enthusiasts, while locals trained in astronomy are respected in other respects. Sonal recalls being guided on late evening treks in Ladakh by locals who knew their way only by looking at the sky: the guides have knowledge of traditional astronomy. With some training, we realized that we can harness the potential and help them earn extra income. ,
Starscapes and Astrostays are expected to tie up with hotel chains and eco-tourism operators. In case of cloudy weather, always have a backup plan to show recorded videos or teach astro-photography. Paul Savio, co-founder and CEO of Starscapes, says the potential for astro tourism in India is promising: “The rise in disposable income has driven people to explore new avenues of experiential tourism.”
So far, there have been more than 40,000 look-ups of Starscapes (people who have bought tickets and seen through their binoculars).
“It is still a small number for a large population like ours. But there are signs of development,” says Savio. In stargazing events, stories from science and mythology merge like those displayed in planetariums. Only, the live legend varies according to the pattern on the sky.
Starscapes is looking to tap into unexplored stargazing locations. “For example, tourists in Goa might try staring at South Goa, where it is possible to see darker skies,” says Savio.
The start-up has whetted the appetite of new stargazers by organizing watch parties in various cities with portable telescopes. Savio says stargazing can be fueled with the enthusiasm of children and so tie-ups with schools and universities will help as well. For example, in Chamoli and Jaipur, they hold fun practical sessions where students stare and make pin-hole cameras.
soak in the meteor shower
In Gujarat, Narendra Gor has been working with the Kutch Amateur Astronomers Club since 1991, and later as part of the Stargazing India team. He recalls the excitement when stargazing was included in the itinerary of Rann Utsav in 2008. “Since then, many families who have come for Rann Utsav have enjoyed the astro-tourism experience. I have met people who travel all the way from Mumbai and Bengaluru to track meteor showers. Stargazing India Maharashtra, Odisha ( Konark beach in winters during festival) and is also active in Chhattisgarh.
calling stargazer
- Popular Destinations: Ladakh, Rann of Kutch in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat.
- Best Time: Winter months offer clear skies
- Start small: Contact local astronomy or astrophotography clubs
Ajay Talwar has been a stargazer since the mid-1980s and started astrophotography in the 1990s. He talks about leading budding photographers on expeditions and lonely experiences with dust-free dark skies in the Himalayas. He also suggests visiting the northern states during winters. “In the south, clear skies are often confined to December and January. In Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, there are many remote places where there is no city light pollution. Indore and Ujjain are also favorable for stargazing as they are on a plateau.”
When the second wave of COVID-19 was on the decline, Gurgaon-based HR professional Sudha Reddy Patnaik and her friend Nupur Chakraborty, a marketing professional, headed to Kausani, not knowing what to expect. The hill station offered some sightseeing experiences during the day. After dark, they visit Starscape Observatory only to be disappointed by the cloud cover. However, the other day, he looked curiously through binoculars and was struck by the rings clearly visible by Jupiter and Saturn, as well as the Andromeda galaxy. “The planets and stars are gone as soon as we look in the binoculars,” Nupur says.
The experience piqued his appetite for astro tourism. She has visited Ladakh in the past, but is not familiar with the stargazing possibilities.
Her friend Sudha seconds her and says that next time she will take her friends and family along: “In Kausani, we were guided by an astronomy expert from the local community who was very enthusiastic. I never knew stargazing could be so much fun. ,
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