In search of dark skies: The growing allure of stargazing | Long Reads News

Though celestial objects have fascinated mankind for ages, stargazing with sophisticated telescopes and cameras has, of late, become more popular across the country, with multiple astronomy clubs and institutes involved in the subject research. Then there are star buffs who travel across India and, at times, overseas to get a glimpse of eclipses and rare celestial events.

Ladakh and the higher reaches of Uttarakhand possess some of India’s darkest skies (least light polluted), which allow the naked eye to see our own galaxy, the Milky Way, besides a host of planets, double stars, galaxies, nebulae, constellations and meteor showers.

Planets like Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can also be seen via telescope at remote locations in Himachal Pradesh’s Chandra Taal, Uttarakhand’s Spiti Valley, Bhandara near Nashik, and Panshet, Tamhini Ghat, Velhe, Mulshi and Naneghat areas in Pune district.

Successful space missions by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in recent times, too, have stoked interest in the sky, space and astronomy, says Aniruddh Deshpande, the vice president of Pune-based Jyotirvidya Parisanstha (JVP).

India’s oldest amateur astronomy organisation that was established in August 1944, JVP has been organising star parties in and around Pune since 1945.

He says, “ISRO’s successful launches and missions, like Mangalyaan and Chandrayaan, managed to ignite excitement in children and grown-ups about space exploration and astronomy, and, in particular, about stargazing. We have participants who attend multiple star parties near Pune.”

During January and February this year, planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus were visible in a line for about 10 days. Dubbed as ‘planet parade’, though not a rare celestial event, many institutions and amateur astronomy clubs across India seized the opportunity to host multi-day events.

Generally, a stargazing session for a number of hours, or at least one overnight session, preferably on a Saturday around the new moon, is organised every month. Some astronomy clubs host multiple sessions in a month with respect to a major celestial citing.

Stargazing Mumbai, a decade-old amateur astronomy club that organises similar sessions at sites outside Mumbai and Maharashtra, was one such group.

Star parties are organised by institutes or private amateur clubs at remote locations that offer night skies. (Source: Stargazing Mumbai)

Noting that the “hype” around the recent planet parade helped them attract a much larger number of participants than usual, Ritik Shah, the club’s senior science communicator, says, “We usually get between 100-150 participants per astro tour, which include the tent experience and food. The participants are mostly parents accompanying children aged between five and 15 years or younger, and solo participants under the age of 30 years.”

At a recent pre-event star party organised at a local park in Mumbai, Shah’s team received an overwhelming response. He says, “There were over 1,000 people who walked-in and witnessed celestial bodies, sun spots, besides observing the moon and some planets through the seven-eight telescopes we had lined up.”

An average overnight star party held locally can cost anywhere between Rs 500 and Rs 2,000, depending on the tour pack, food and accommodation. Star parties that last nearly 10 days are mostly organised by private astronomy clubs in Uttarakhand or Ladakh, and can cost up to Rs35,000 per person.

Taking note of growing interest in the skies, the governments of Ladakh and Uttarakhand have added astronomy tourism to their list of visitor attractions.

From promoting astronomy tourism in homestays at popular tourist destinations, pursuing astrophotography as a hobby or profession and handy updates on celestial events via social media to easy access to advanced telescopes and allied softwares — Ladakh and Uttarakhand governments are leaving no stone unturned to make star parties a hit.

In 2022, Ladakh designated an area of 1,073 sq km as India and Asia’s first dark sky reserve, named the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR). Local homestay owners, trained to become ‘astronomy ambassadors’, were encouraged to promote astronomy locally and offer tours to visitors. Besides this, the local community was sensitised about the need to protect the skies and to limit light sources.

“HDSR brought publicity to Ladakh. It is good to note that more state governments are following suit and identifying such areas. As an ambassador of dark skies, what more can I hope for,” says Dorje Angchuk, engineer-in-charge, Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) in Hanle, which is operated by Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA). The institute had organised a night sky watch session for the general public at its campus in Bengaluru on March 21, during which viewing of planets Jupiter and Mars was possible.

Though poets and writers have romanticised celestial objects in their works, the Moon remains a favourite — one that most participants wish to see through the telescopes, Dorje says.

However, star parties have some basic requirements. Besides dark skies, organisers also need a safe place — like a homestay or a farmhouse — to house large groups and to serve them food. Otherwise, Deshpande says, visitors will be forced to stay outdoors all night, leaving them vulnerable to threats like wild animals, insects and other undesirable situations.

Dorje, who has captured hundreds of mind-boggling images of Ladakh’s star-studded skies, says, “Whenever I go out alone around Ladakh to take photos, I keep a watch for wild animals.”

Roping-in schools or dharamshalas too is a good option, says Samir Dhurde, an astronomer spearheading science outreach activities at Pune’s Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).

He says, “We recommend partnering with local schools, since they have large open grounds and buildings to house people. They also offer basic battery charging facilities.”

“Over the years, growing human habitation, industries and light pollution have rendered the sites we frequented earlier unfit for stargazing. Sites for star parties have become increasingly remote. Besides, witnessing meteor showers means venturing further into remote locations,” Deshpande says, adding that stargazing in a group of 10 or more at a remote location is usually a good idea.

He says informing nearby villagers or trekkers, if any, is also a good way to avoid emergency situations while stargazing in a group.