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{{Short description|Village in Ladakh, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name =Merak
| subdivision_name1 = [[Ladakh]]
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| subdivision_name4 = [[Leh district]]
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| subdivision_type1 = Union Territory
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| subdivision_name2 = [[Ladakh]]
| postal_code = 194201
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| subdivision_type4 = District
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| subdivision_name = [[File:Flag of India.svg|25px]] [[India]]
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| area_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Merak+194201/@33.7973707,78.59121,150m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x3901d20b786f0f71:0x2f35f3d4cd9a8553!8m2!3d33.7977457!4d78.5916335|title=Merak|website=Merak, Ladakh on Google Maps}}</ref>
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Ladakh
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| coordinates = {{coord|33|47|50.535|N|78|35|28.356|E|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map = Ladakh# India
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'''Merak''' is a village on the southern banks of [[Pangong Tso]], near [[Spangmik]] on the south India-China border in the [[Leh District]], [[Ladakh]].

== Location ==
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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|first=Sanjay|last=Dutta|date=14 Apr 2021|title=Army, people power cell service in village on Pangong shore|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/army-people-power-cell-service-in-village-on-pangong-shore/articleshow/82056945.cms|access-date=2021-11-06|newspaper=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref>

== History ==
In 2018, a telescope was installed to study solar chromosphere at Indian Astronomical Observatory, Merak.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ravindra |first1=B. |last2=Kesavan |first2=Prabhu |last3=Thulasidharen |first3=K. C. |last4=Rajalingam |first4=M. |last5=Sagayanathan |first5=K. |last6=Kamath |first6=P. U. |last7=Dorjey |first7=Namgyal |last8=Dorjee |first8=Angchuk |last9=Kemkar |first9=P. M. M. |last10=Dorjai |first10=Tsewang |last11=Banyal |first11=Ravinder K. |date=2018-09-27 |title=Installation of solar chromospheric telescope at the Indian Astronomical Observatory, Merak |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s12036-018-9554-1 |journal=Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy |language=en |volume=39 |issue=5 |pages=60 |arxiv=1808.07643 |bibcode=2018JApA...39...60R |doi=10.1007/s12036-018-9554-1 |issn=0973-7758 |s2cid=119081673}}</ref> The village is also the proposed site for [[National Large Solar Telescope]] (NLST), a [[Gregorian Telescope|Gregorian]] multi-purpose open telescope.<ref name="harvard2">{{Cite journal |last=Hasan |first=S. S. |date=2010-02-01 |title=The Indian National Large Solar Telescope (NLST) |url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010IAUS..264..499H |journal=NASA/ADS |volume=264 |pages=499–504 |doi=10.1017/S1743921309993206}}</ref> Stable [[Aurora|Auroral]] Red (SAR) arcs were observed in Merak in November 2023<ref>{{Cite twitter |number=1722496780884189259 |user=IIABengaluru |title=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 |last=IIAstrophysics |date=2023-11-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-11-08 |title=IIA’s observatory captures red-hued Aurora from Hanle, Merak |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/iias-observatory-captures-red-hued-aurora-from-hanle-merak/articleshow/105071268.cms |access-date=2024-05-19 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> and during the [[May 2024 solar storms]].<ref>{{Cite twitter |number=1789292630288846948 |user=IIABengaluru |title=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 |last=IIAstrophysics |date=2024-05-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ray |first=Kalyan |date=2024-05-11 |title=Two Indian sky-cameras at Ladakh capture aurora caused by most powerful solar storm in two decades |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/ladakh/two-indian-sky-cameras-at-ladakh-capture-aurora-caused-by-most-powerful-solar-storm-in-two-decades-3018442 |access-date=2024-05-19 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}}</ref>

In 2021, the village got its first tap water supply.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Excelsior|first=Daily|date=2021-10-30|title=75 years after independence, Ladakh habitations start getting tap water supply|url=https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/75-years-after-independence-ladakh-habitations-start-getting-tap-water-supply/|access-date=2021-11-06|website=Jammu Kashmir Latest News {{!}} Tourism {{!}} Breaking News J&K|language=en-US}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" />

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Merak.police.jpg| Police check-post, [[Jammu and Kashmir Police]] (October 2016)
File:Merak,see.JPG| View of [[Pangong Tso]] from Merak village (October 2016)
File:Merak.town.JPG|Merak village (October 2016)
File:Merak.ladakh.JPG|Merak village (October 2016)
File:Merak.permit.JPG|Police signpost, Merak (October 2016)
</gallery>

== See also ==

* [[Indian Astronomical Observatory]]
* [[Hanle (village)]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Durbuk tehsil]]

{{Ladakh-geo-stub}}

Merak, Ladakh - Revision history

JesusHupp231: new basic stub needs work