Rajasthan becomes 1st state to organise Astro-tourism; Jaipur to have 4 sites for the event

Bringing in a cheer for all the stargazers, Rajasthan last week announced to introduce night-sky tourism in the state. With the aim to boost Astro-Tourism in the state, the administration has launched this project in all 33 districts of Rajasthan. As per reports, four tourist places in Jaipur are all set to become the venue of this newly-launched tourism plan. Read on to know more about the night-sky tourism project mapped out by the Rajasthan government.

4 tourist hubs finalised in Jaipur

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In an attempt to boost tourism as well as create scientific thinking among the general public in the state, the administration announced this innovative plan. With this, Rajasthan has become the first state in India to introduce night-sky tourism all across the state.

Key tourist hotspots in Jaipur like Jantar-Mantar, Amber Fort, University of Maharaja, and Jawahar Kala Kendra have already been finalised as the venues to watch astronomical events this year. In addition to this, a telescope will also be installed for skywatching at the Bikaner House in New Delhi, informed Mugdha Singh, Rajasthan's Department of Science and Technology Secretary.

The inception of a unique initiative

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While explaining the concept, the secretary said, "We planned to organise the stargazing session at the secretariat and the officials there were also excited to watch the stars. Then we decided to launch it for the public and it kicked off on January 21, 2021. There was a huge queue, especially of children, who had come from distant places to watch it."

Aimed at encouraging people towards science and technology and boosting their scientific temper, the unique initiative offers telescopic views of celestial marvels on special occasions across different spots in the city. According to Mugdha Singh, the next step includes procuring and setting up telescopes for all the districts in Rajasthan and Bikaner House in Delhi.

"The most distinguishing feature of this novel product is that it will be managed by calendars of the sky. The sky will guide us to fix the dates. We shall study the pattern when there is a clear sky and then shall schedule its date in 33 districts," added Mugdha.

Schedule for the upcoming Astro-tourism events

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In a bid to inspire young children to pursue astronomy, this star-gazing experience will be free for all. For revenue collection, special workshops will be organised on related topics that will be imparted in exchange for a minimal fee. The administration had announced the schedule for the events last month. So far, three such events have successfully been commenced and the date and venue for the remaining three events have been mentioned below.

• 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 footsteps of Rajasthan, the Nainital District Administration in collaboration with Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) announced the launch of a similar Astro-tourism project in Takula village. Meanwhile, Ladhak also showed interest in organising such events in the region.

-with inputs from IANS.