India is to set its first night sky sanctuary at Hanle.
A tripartite MoU was signed recently among the UT administration, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) for launching the Dark Space Reserve.
It is a part of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary.
Hanle is best suited for the project as it is located in Ladakh's cold desert region
It is away from any form of human disturbance.
And clear sky conditions and dry weather conditions exist throughout the year.
It will boost Astro-tourism in India.
It will be one of the world's highest-located sites for optical, infra-red, and gamma-ray telescopes.
Hanle is already home to an IIA observatory - a high altitude station atop Mt Saraswati.