The temperatures were subzero and freezing. The conditions were unforgiving. We were elated and thrilled being outdoors all night.
At 4,300 metres above sea level, we felt it could have been the Everest Base Camp. In reality, we were at Hanle, in the Union Territory of Ladakh. The air is so thin at such altitudes that the oxygen level is less than 60% of what one is normally used to at sea level. Before getting here, we had to acclimatise ourselves for 48 hours at Leh, at an altitude of 3,500 m, before climbing up to Hanle.
It is definitely not for everyone. But it was certainly for us: we were a group of amateur astronomers invited by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) to attend the HDSR Star Party 2023, organised and conducted by IIA.
