Travelling Telescope

Ladakh, India

“Travelling Telescope” – It’s our initiative to take Astronomy to people rather than it being limited to a particular location. We take our telescope to schools, hotels, organisations or any event when invited. It’s as the name suggests a telescope travelling on wheels, we plan to set up a proper van with our telescope, offering an evening experience. The experience isn’t limited to any particular age group. We are also running a programme to gather the Ladakhi indigenous knowledge of sky. The Ladakhi culture has been related to sky and objects in sky, gathering folk tales, songs, cultural and other practices (like agriculture which has been very much linked to skies). And the plan is to make it available in our evening experiences as well as accessible to the target audience in creative and appropriate ways. We plan on expanding this travelling telescope to strengthen people’s ties with skies that are weakening. Also making it a classroom on wheels, making Astronomy reach people starting here in Ladakh which has one of the best skies in Ladakh. We have been to schools, festivals, hotels etc. The travelling telescope is also linked to Astro-initiatives coming up at HIAL, Phyang, Ladakh.