Context:
Pench Tiger Reserve has been designated as India’s 1st and Asia’s 5th Dark Sky Park
About Pench Tiger Reserve:
- called as Pench National Park
- Location – Maharashtra
- Situated near southern ranges of Satpura hills
- Declared as a national park
- one among the premier tiger reserves of India
- 1st to straddle across two states – Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
- Fictional works of Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book, shooting done here
About Dark Sky Park:
- An area, usually surrounding a park or observatory, that restricts artificial light pollution
- Aim-
- Protects the night sky
- Prevent light pollution
- Promote astronomy
- India’s first dark-sky preserve – Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO)
About Indian Astronomical Observatory:
- A high-altitude astronomy station
- Location – Hanle
- Situated in the Western Himalayas at an elevation of 4,500 meters
- Operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics
- One of the world’s highest located sites for optical, infrared and gamma-ray telescopes
Source: Livemint
Previous Year Question
Among the following Tiger Reserves, which one has the largest area under “Critical Tiger Habitat”?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2020 Prelims]
(a) Corbett
(b) Ranthambore
(c) Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam
(d) Sunderbans
Answer: (c)
Explanation:
Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is the largest tiger reserve in India, having the largest area under ”Critical Tiger Habitat”.
