On a moonless night in the Andaman Islands, the stars don’t just twinkle—they blaze. The Milky Way cuts a bright ribbon across the sky, meteor trails flicker and vanish, and the sound of waves blends with the soft whir of camera shutters clicking away in long exposure. For most visitors, it feels like a dream. For Udhay Bhasker, it’s home.
“The first time I saw the night sky here as a stargazer, it honestly took my breath away,” says Bhaskar, the founder of Astrophotography and Stargazing in Andaman. “It was one of those moments where you stop everything and just… look up. That was when I knew I had to do something with this,” he said.
Bhasker, a self-taught astro-communicator and passionate astrophotographer, grew up on the islands and cut his teeth in the hospitality business before launching his stargazing initiative to help travelers reconnect—with nature, with the universe, and sometimes even with themselves.
A natural observatory
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, located far off India’s eastern coast, are not just a tropical paradise of white-sand beaches and coral reefs. Thanks to minimal light pollution and a favorable climate—particularly between November and May—the islands have quietly emerged as one of India’s most promising astro-tourism destinations.
The Milky Way, a barred spiral galaxy that is home to our solar system, can be clearly seen from select spots across the islands. With the naked eye, it appears as a hazy, luminous band stretching across the sky—but with long exposure photography, its intricate dust lanes, star clusters, and vibrant galactic core come to life in extraordinary detail. For those new to stargazing, it’s often the highlight of the night.
The Milky Way seen from above a lake.
Photo Courtesy: Fahrettin Turgut
Bhasker, who says he is now in semi-retirement, offers guided night sky sessions using high-powered telescopes and cameras, where guests can witness celestial sights rarely visible in urban India: Saturn’s rings, distant galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, and the vibrant sweep of the Milky Way. He typically charges for these tours but maintains that he waives the fee for those who are unable to afford it.
“People forget what real darkness looks like,” Bhasker says. “In the cities, we’re always surrounded by artificial light. But here, in the Andamans, you get a true dark sky—and that changes everything.”
“We’re seeing the stars the way our ancestors did—clear, brilliant, and full of mystery,” Bhasker said. “Every time someone sees Saturn through a telescope for the first time, I get to watch that sense of wonder hit them. It never gets old,” he said.
From private beach sessions to jungle clearings, Bhasker and his small team create immersive experiences designed to be both educational and meditative. Guests are taught how to identify constellations, track planets, and even try their hand at astrophotography, capturing everything from meteor showers to deep-sky objects.
For enthusiasts, the remote setting is a dream. “We’ve had people come here just to photograph the Milky Way,” he said. “No light pollution, no traffic, just you and the sky. It’s perfect for long exposures and deep-sky imaging.”
More than just a sky tour
But Andaman Stargazing isn’t only about looking up. It’s about slowing down.
“We live in a world that’s always rushing,” Bhasker said. “When you lie on the sand at night, surrounded by nature, and look at light that’s traveled millions of years to reach you—that moment shifts something inside. It’s peaceful. It’s humbling,” he said.
And it’s catching on. As interest in sustainable and experience-based travel grows, more visitors are seeking out the Andamans not just for diving or snorkeling, but for something quieter and more cosmic.
Bhasker says he welcomes everyone—from seasoned astronomers to curious travelers seeing a dark sky for the first time. “You don’t need to know anything about stars to feel moved by them,” he said. “Come with your questions, come with your camera, or just come with your curiosity. We’ll take care of the rest,” he said.
