A flat landscape and lack of light pollution allow for unobstructed, 360-degree panoramic views of the horizon, a beautiful phenomenon threatened by the city development Namibia's growing tourist industry will bring.
The undisturbed 55 million year-old Namib Desert -- perfect for peeks into the galaxy.
Notable sights of the Namibian sky include:
The Jewel Box-- a single orange supergiant surrounded by cooler-temperatured stars; to the naked eye, this group appears as a single star
The Tarantula Nebula -- More than a thousand light-years in diameter, this giant star-forming region is nearby the Large Megallanic Cloud and was also once thought to be a singular start.
The rings of Saturn & the moons of Jupiter are also visible with the 12-inche Meade LX200 telescope.
--Michelle H.
January 14
References: http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/09/travel/stargazing-in-the-desert-namibia/index.html; http://www.cnn.com/travel/article/namibia-desert-sossusvlei-stargazing/index.html
this sounds amazing wow. i saw the northern lights in alaska and it was magical and this seems ever cooler!
ReplyDeleteI saw the jewel box cluster in Australia using a scope and it was amazing! Where else can one find an international dark sky reserve?
ReplyDeleteWow, just seeing these stars and taking long exposures would make my trip. -- Romain Screve
ReplyDeletecoming from Alaska, a place with incredibly dark skies (outside of Anchorage) and a really sparse population, it's really cool to hear that dark sky reserves are a thing, and I hope that the mentioned Association acts to create some in my home state! - Madelyn
ReplyDeleteWhat is the app called that you use to look at the moon position?
ReplyDelete- Chris LeBoa