Merak is a village on the southern banks of Pangong Tso, near Spangmik on the south India-China border in the Leh District, Ladakh.

Merak
Merak is located in Ladakh
Merak
Merak
Location in Ladakh
Merak is located in India
Merak
Merak
Merak (India)
Coordinates: 33°47′50.535″N 78°35′28.356″E / 33.79737083°N 78.59121000°E / 33.79737083; 78.59121000
Country India
Union TerritoryLadakh
TerritoryLadakh
DistrictLeh district

Location

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Merak is situated 176 kilometers east of Leh, on the southern banks of Pangong Tso. It is directly opposite to Finger 3 which is located on the northern bank of the lake.[2]

History

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In 2018, a telescope was installed to study solar chromosphere at Indian Astronomical Observatory, Merak.[3] The village is also the proposed site for National Large Solar Telescope (NLST), a Gregorian multi-purpose open telescope.[4] Stable Auroral Red (SAR) arcs were observed in Merak in November 2023[5][6] and during the May 2024 solar storms.[7][8]

In 2021, the village got its first tap water supply.[9] Also, BSNL, a state-run telecom service provider got approval from Indian Army for a 25-km optical fibre cable link between Merak and Chushul for civilian telecom traffic.[2]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Merak". Merak, Ladakh on Google Maps.
  2. ^ a b Dutta, Sanjay (14 April 2021). "Army, people power cell service in village on Pangong shore". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  3. ^ Ravindra, B.; Kesavan, Prabhu; Thulasidharen, K. C.; Rajalingam, M.; Sagayanathan, K.; Kamath, P. U.; Dorjey, Namgyal; Dorjee, Angchuk; Kemkar, P. M. M.; Dorjai, Tsewang; Banyal, Ravinder K. (27 September 2018). "Installation of solar chromospheric telescope at the Indian Astronomical Observatory, Merak". Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy. 39 (5): 60. arXiv:1808.07643. Bibcode:2018JApA...39...60R. doi:10.1007/s12036-018-9554-1. ISSN 0973-7758. S2CID 119081673.
  4. ^ Hasan, S. S. (1 February 2010). "The Indian National Large Solar Telescope (NLST)". NASA/ADS. 264: 499–504. doi:10.1017/S1743921309993206.
  5. ^ IIAstrophysics [@IIABengaluru] (9 November 2023). "Red auroral activity, attributed to a SAR event, was seen on 5 November from our observatories in Hanle and Merak in Ladakh! This was due to a geomagnetic storm caused by a solar storm #Aurora #RedAurora" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "IIA's observatory captures red-hued Aurora from Hanle, Merak". The Times of India. 8 November 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  7. ^ IIAstrophysics [@IIABengaluru] (11 May 2024). "Intense aurorae were seen at latitudes as low as Ladakh this morning due to the strongest solar storm in 2 decades. And our cameras captured its glory! See the timelapse from all-sky camera at #Hanle #Ladakh #HDSR @IndiaDST @asipoec @dorje1974 @utladakhtourism @fiddlingstars" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Ray, Kalyan (11 May 2024). "Two Indian sky-cameras at Ladakh capture aurora caused by most powerful solar storm in two decades". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  9. ^ Excelsior, Daily (30 October 2021). "75 years after independence, Ladakh habitations start getting tap water supply". Jammu Kashmir Latest News | Tourism | Breaking News J&K. Retrieved 6 November 2021.