Good news for the stargazers! The state administration recently announced to introduce night sky tourism in the 33 districts of the state to boost Astro Tourism. With this, Rajasthan becomes 1st state to organize Astro-tourism; Jaipur to have 4 sites for the event.
As per reports, Jaipur will have four tourist places as the venues to watch astronomical events this year. Major tourist spots of the city like Jantar-Mantar, Amber Fort, University of Maharaja, and Jawahar Kala Kendra have already been finalized as the venues for newly-launched tourism projects.
Rajasthan became the first state in India to introduce night-sky tourism all across the state
The state administration announced this innovative plan intending to increase tourism in the state as well as create scientific knowledge among the general public. For this, 4 tourist hubs have already been confirmed in Jaipur.
As per the night-sky tourism project mapped out by the Rajasthan government, Jantar-Mantar, Amber Fort, University of Maharaja, and Jawahar Kala Kendra will be the decided venues to watch night sky events which are to be held this year. Apart from Rajasthan, a telescope will also be installed for skywatching at the Bikaner House in New Delhi.
Talking about the initiative, Rajasthan’s Department of Science and Technology Secretary, Mugdha Singh, said “Earlier we organized the stargazing session at the secretariat and also for the public on January 21, 2021. Officials as well as the public, especially children, were so excited to watch the stars.
“So far, three such events have successfully commenced and three have been announced. Our further step would be procuring and setting up telescopes for all the districts in Rajasthan and Bikaner House in Delhi,” added Mugdha.
The commencement of a unique drive
This unique initiative is intended for motivating people towards science and technology and promoting their scientific outlook. The project will offer telescopic visions of celestial marvels across different spots in the city on special events.
The most interesting characteristic of this unique project is that it will be regulated by the calendars of the sky. The dates of the events will be fixed as the sky will guide us. A study of the pattern will be done to know the timings of a clear sky and accordingly, the event will be scheduled in all the 33 districts of the state.
Star-gazing experience will be free
In a move to inspire young children towards astronomy, this star-gazing experience will be free for all. For income, special workshops will be arranged on similar themes that will charge a minimal fee. The date and venue for the upcoming three events have been mentioned below.
Schedule for the upcoming Astro-tourism events
On May 17, Mercury will be shown from Amber Fort
On May 26, Amber Durg will show the biggest moon of the year 2021
On July 3, Venus will be shown from Albert Hall
Following the lines of Rajasthan, the Nainital District Administration in association with Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) declared the launch of a similar Astro-tourism program. While, Ladhak also expressed curiosity in arranging such events in their region.