Atacama Desert – Chile

Whether a person is an astronomy enthusiast or someone who considers stars as, well, stars, stargazing intrigues both these groups. Star gazing is just watching the stars in the night sky from any place that is away from the city lights. There are star looking clubs, online groups, and sites that assist to unite individuals who appreciate this hobby.It is an action that can be done throughout the year, and can be anyone: couples, families, a gathering of companions, or alone.

Be that as it may, for a definitive stargazing session, the Atacama Desert in northern Chile has the clearest night skies on Earth. It is high, one of the driest places on the planet and unpolluted. A few top-level observatories have set up home here, and tourists are attracted to this location like metal to a magnet. For this Chile has recently opened up to the world’s largest astronomical project, namely, Alma observatory. Utilizing a variety of 66 reception apparatuses that together make up what might as well be called a 10-mile-long telescope; it can reveal details no less than 10 times more resolution than the Hubble space telescope. This will allow capturing planet and star formations billions of light years away. Alma is located 20 miles north-east of San Pedro.

Since this is a radio telescope, not an optical one, there is no nighttime stargazing at Alma – you come here in dazzling daylight to be wowed by the scale, the site and the cutting-edge science. And don’t expect to get up close and personal with the telescope. Visitors won’t be allowed to actually go to Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters, where most of the radio antennas are located, because of the lack of oxygen levels at such height.

The town of San Pedro itself showcases a few alternatives for watching the various universes that sparkle, a large number of light years away. Investigate the wild dark there at desert station Hotel de Larache by explora, where a broad stay incorporates a progression of evening time sky gazing sessions through their top notch Meade 16in telescope. Visitors assemble underneath a perception vault and ogle at supernova remainders, faraway planets, globular bunches and dim nebulae. What’s more, you can even photo the stars – DSLR cameras can be mounted onto the telescope for dynamite astro-photography. So when you’re sitting in your lawn outside your home and stare at stars, you can simply whip out the pictures that you took through the telescope to see the stars up close. This makes for a wonderful guests-entertainment as well 😉

Another great option for stargazing is at Tierra Atacama, a boutique inn and spa on the edge of San Pedro. They can book a stellar star-watching experience for you, with the new Ahlarkapin observatory directly opposite the street. These customized perception visits, which last two hours, highlight another turn on the Atacama’s abundant, starry night skies.