lookispecials.blogg.se - Stars in the sky

Almadén de la Plata (Seville): The greatest information and Star Tourism center in Spain! It has five observatories and public telescopes that everybody can use, and it organizes many astronomical activities throughout the Seville area including the Southern Sierra de Jaén.With a 2.5m diameter telescope to explore every corner of the universe! Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory (Teruel): Speaking of which, “here you will touch the stars” is the motto of this public center which is already the main tourist attraction in the province.If you look down, you will find a beautiful view over the astonishing city of Granada and the Alhambra, and if you look up, you will almost touch the stars. Sierra Nevada (Granada): The Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia’s Observatory stands on one of the highest points of the peninsula.Photo Courtesy of OSN IAA – Sierra Nevada Observatory

Here, the impressive views are only comparable to the reigning silence. Monfragüe National Park (Cáceres): Situated next to the ruins of a castle and surrounded by high mountains, deep valleys and rock cliffs, it overlooks the Tagus River and a dark, almost black sky.Sierra de Gredos (Ávila), Sierra Nevada (Granada), Sierra de los Filambres (Almería), Monfragüe National Park (Cáceres), Alhama, Cidacos and Jubera valleys ( La Rioja), Almadén de la Plata (Seville), the Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory (Teruel), and the Montsec Astronomical Observatory (Lleida) are some of the Spanish Star Tourism sites that are able to compete with major international destinations.

Not far from here, in one of the most touristic areas of southern Portugal, the Algarve, near Portimão, you can visit the Centro de Observação Astronómica no Algarve where you can even stay for the night since they also have accommodation to allow long stargazing sessions.

Alentejo (Portugal), in particular the Alqueva dam area, a barely inhabited location where the light conditions are best suited to gaze the stars.

This initiative is supported by UNESCO and the UNWTO (World Tourism Organization), and the first Starlight certification went to a place in the Iberian Peninsula: Besides, all locations have been declared ‘Starlight Reserve’ by UNESCO.Ī Starlight Reserve is “a site where a commitment to preserve the quality of the night sky and its associate values, whether they are cultural, scientific, astronomical, natural, or landscape-related”. Thus, some of the best places to stargaze on the Canary Islands are Roque de los Muchachos (La Palma), Mirador Morro Velosa (Fuerteventura), or the Teide National Park and Granadilla de Abona in Tenerife, leader of European project Sky Route. These exclusive conditions have not gone unnoticed for researchers -who have set international large telescopes on their summits- nor for the general public. They have a clean, unpolluted, and quiet atmosphere, the trade winds’ breeze, and high mountains that make tourists feel a little closer to the universe and that ensure a unique night show in the world. They are also known for their perfect geographical location: very close to the Equator, but far enough from tropical storms, which allows visitors to see the entire Northern Hemisphere and a big part of the Southern one.

Canary Islands: The world’s stargazing paradise for their clear, almost transparent sky, as well as for their low rainfall rates.

Where should we start our stargazing trip? Stargazing from Spain Photo courtesy of Daniel Lopez for EFE – Milky Way on the horizon above Mount Teide, with the Roque Chinchado or stone tree on the left. Spain has become one of the main Star Tourism destinations, together with Finnish Lapland, where you can await the Northern Lights in amazing resorts, the Mongolian steppe, the Bedouin camps in the Sahara dunes, and the Chilean Elqui valley that supposedly boasts the perfect night sky.

Until then, we will have to go on start gazing from Earth and, in this sense, Spain is in luck. Some people are always trying to find the universe’s limits and dreaming of implementing the eccentricities by companies like Space Adventures or Zero G. More than 1,000 people are on the waiting list. It is impossible not to look up to admire them until Richard Branson finalizes the preparations for the first suborbital trip with Virgin Galactic so that we can be a little closer to the stars. They are responsible for harvests, epidemics and guidance for the arrival of big news. They are objects of attraction and fear, but they also awaken a deep fascination. Stargazing from Horus and Nut until Zeus, Jupiter or Odin, not forgetting Navajo Ahsonnutli or Maori Rangi, the stars have always been home to gods, mythological creatures, legends, and, why not, The Little Prince.