The Great Rann of Kutch—not to be confused with the Little Rann of Kutch—is a seasonal salt marsh located in the Thar Desert, along the Kutch District of Gujarat in India and the Sindh province of Pakistan. Covering around 2,900 square miles (7,500 square km) the Rann is considered one of the largest salt deserts in the world. The area includes sandy islets of thorny scrub, forming a wildlife sanctuary. Featuring dark, pristine skies averaging class 2 in the Bortle scale, the Rann has for years been the site of choice for the Kutch Astronomy Club (i.e., Stargazing India). A friend of EarthSky shared the following: “This is one of the dark sites where you can see a 360-degree horizon, with the least light pollution. No hills, no buildings, no lights.”
Deborah Byrd
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About the Author:
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.