New Delhi:

Five new districts have been created in the Union Ministry of Ladakh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced today. The new districts are Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang.

“The Modi government is committed to creating abundant opportunities for the people of Ladakh,” Mr Shah said. “The new districts, namely Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang, will take the benefits meant for the people to their doorsteps by bolstering governance in every nook and cranny.”

In pursuit of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji’s vision to build a developed and prosperous Ladakh, the MHA has decided to create five new districts in the union territory. The new districts, namely Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang, will take the benefits meant for the people…

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 26, 2024

Ladakh was given a Union Territory status after the Centre revoked Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two UTs in 2019. Being a UT, Ladakh comes under the direct administrative control of the Home Ministry. 

“The creation of five new districts in Ladakh is a step towards better governance and prosperity. Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra, and Changthang will now receive more focused attention, bringing services and opportunities even closer to the people. Congratulations to the people there,” wrote Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X. 

Rare stable auroral red arc event in Ladakh due to solar storms, creating spectacular northern lights in high latitudes

In Ladakh, astronomers at the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve saw a red glow on the northwest horizon in the sky from about 1 am on May 11 that continued till early dawn.

“We were fortunate to witness Aurora activities on our all-sky camera during regular telescope observations,” Stanzin Norla, an engineer at the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve, told PTI.

He said a faint red glow was visible to the naked eye along the horizon and the event was captured in much detail by a DSLR camera installed at the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve.

“It streaked through the sky from about 1 am till 3:30 am,” Stanzin said, adding that the skies turned red along the horizon and to a pinkish hue later.

Dorje Angchuk, an engineer at the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle, described the event as a stable auroral red arc, which was a rare occurrence over the skies at Ladakh.

“Auroras seen near the north or south poles are dynamic events. They keep changing. But the one witnessed at Ladakh was more stable. It is called the stable auroral red arc. The steady glow remained in the sky for a couple of hours”, Angchuk said.

Such events are rare at Hanle because it is located far south, Dibyendu Nandi, Head, CESSI at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, told PTI.

He said the chances of such events being witnessed at places such as Hanle become higher during intense disturbances triggered by solar storms.

“These auroral red arcs are likely caused by heating of the atmosphere by electric currents that are circulating between Earth and outer space,” Mr. Nandi said.

“These ring currents get enhanced during geomagnetic disturbances induced by solar storms and thus the likelihood of observing the red auroral arcs is higher at times when we are in the midst of a severe geomagnetic storm”, he said.

The CESSI said the sun produced strong solar flares beginning on May 8, resulting in five outbursts of plasma capable of disrupting satellites in orbit and power grids here on Earth.

“We are witnessing severe Space Weather at levels we have not seen in the last two decades. It might get worse as more solar storms are expected to impact Earth or maybe just more spectacular auroras for all,” Mr. Nandi said.

The U.S.’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is calling this an unusual event, pointing out that the flares seem to be associated with a sunspot that’s 16 times the diameter of Earth. An extreme geomagnetic storm in 2003 took out power in Sweden and damaged power transformers in South Africa.

The chief of Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas, has said that India will be ahead of China in terms of infrastructure along the borders. Lieutenant General Rajeev Chaudhry was speaking about the ongoing projects in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. The comment comes nearly a week before Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurates 90 infrastructure projects built by the BRO at a cost of Rs 2,941 crore in 10 border states and Union Territories.

“Ninety projects are being dedicated to the nation on September 12. Out of that, 26 are in Ladakh and 36 are in Arunachal… so our focus is totally on these two states and we are going much ahead and much faster in these two states to in fact beat China, if I may say so, in another two to three years,” Lieutenant General Chaudhry, the Director General of BRO, told news agency ANI.

Delhi: Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry, DG, Border Roads Organisation says, “90 projects are being dedicated to the nation on 12th September. Out of that, 26 are in Ladakh and 36 are in Arunachal…So our focus is totally on these two states and we are going much ahead and much faster in… pic.twitter.com/kfpPz8NHQZ

— ANI (@ANI) September 7, 2023

The projects to be inaugurated by Mr Singh include 22 roads, 63 bridges, one tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh and two strategic airfields.

“It’s a great moment for the nation that so many projects are being made on the border areas and it is strengthening the security metrics of our army so they can get deployed as far forward as possible and take care of any critical situations if they arise,” the Army officer said.

The defence minister will also lay the foundation virtually (e-shilanyas) of an airfield in Nyoma, eastern Ladakh. It will be developed at a cost of Rs 218 crore.

Located at a height of 13,400 feet, Nyoma is about 46 kilometres from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

The Milky Way at night sky in Hanle
| Photo Credit: Akshay Satish

A stunning view of the Milky Way in a 180 degree arc extending from the South to the North at the night sky in Hanle, Ladakh, India’s first dark sky reserve, is an unforgettable memory for a bunch of young students from Coimbatore. “Every inch of the dark sky was filled with stars, star clusters and constellations. It was magical,” recalls Akshay Sathish (18). A team of 11 children led by Obuli Chandran, founder of Mango Education and astronomy educator Mihir Athale are just back from their first expedition to Ladakh where they observed a spectacular view of the night sky at Hanle. “We teach astronomy to students who have a passion for it. Along with theory, we have done several star gazing trips in the South to places like Mudumalai, Hasanur and Udhagamandalam where the skies are clear and there is very less light pollution. This is our first trip with children to the Himalayas,” says Obuli.

Much before it became a dark sky reserve, Hanle was picked by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics to set up an observatory owing to its dry and cold weather. The high-altitude Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) located there at 14,764 feet, is one of the highest observatories in the world. “The IAO is a field station of IIA, Bengaluru,” says Dorje Angchuk, chief engineer in-charge at IAO, Hanle. “Our agenda is scientific research for the professional astronomer. Lately, we have been venturing into outreach,” says Dorje adding that every year, students from schools in and around Leh visit the reserve as a part of field trips. Along with his team, he has spent time and effort in orienting the locals to the wonders of astronomy.

The reserve has augmented facilities for night-time astronomy. After sun down, astronomy enthusiasts bring out their cameras and tripods and what follows is star hopping all through the night. “I have been studying astronomy for six years and my fascination with the night sky has increased after the visit to Hanle,” says Rishi Chander (16). For R N Vishnuvardhan (10), the youngest in the team, it was a first-time experience where he could catch a glimpse of the Andromeda Galaxy without using a telescope.

While there, the team also got to experience the nomadic lifestyle and traditions of the people of the region at the Nomadic Festival 2023 at Hanle village in Changthang district. “We could see some of the best of cultural performances, where cultural troupes from different villages in Changthang presented dance, songs and traditional sports. Nomadic communities in Ladakh lead a challenging but self-sufficient lifestyle, adapting to the harsh climatic conditions and high altitudes. They have a deep connection with nature and maintain a strong sense of community and cultural identity,” says Mihir.

The team also got an opportunity to visit the Druk Padma Karpo School in Ladakh that features in the Aamir Khan-starrer 3 Idiots. Besides the night sky, the team also recall breathtaking views of cool blue lakes, snow-capped mountains, and a rejuvenating dip at Chumathang hot spring that bubbles from the ground near the banks of the ice-cold Indus River.

Dorje says they want to use astronomy to promote interest in science among students. “Being a remote observatory, Hanle is a difficult place to visit as it involves lots of travel and students are subject to AMS due to high altitude. Any group coming from the plains needs to be acclimatised for a minimum of two days before they can visit the observatory. We want to build excitement in astronomy with visits to such facilities and also give them an insight on the kind of instrumentation used for the same during day time along with a presentation of the research work carried out there,” he says, adding, “The objective is to make the pristine dark skies, a coveted destination for students.”

The Hanle Dark Sky Reserve is accessible throughout the year. For details on planning a trip from Coimbatore, call 9952243541/ 9894167141.