Travel and vacation

Be Dazzled By Namibia's African Diamond Skies

Posted on: 18 April, 2008 - Category: Travel by: travel300

Have you ever wondered how it would feel to see thousands of diamonds all around you?

Well, you can, here in Namibia. Our sky is filled with thousands of stars, all night long, all year long, shining like a 1000 diamonds all around you.

In Namibia, situated in the Southern Hemisphere, you can see 70% more of our Galaxy than anywhere in Europe or most of the Northern Hemisphere.

As Earth is tilted at 23.5 degrees, we are also lucky to always look right into our Milky Way. The “River of Light” which is one of our Galaxy’s spiral arms filled with millions of stars.

We can also see the brightest part of the Milky Way. The centre of our Galaxy which is the swollen part in the flat spiral disc, stretching over 20 000 light years.

In any one night you can see 8-11 constellations of the Zodiac with the naked eye. Imagine being able to see where your star sign comes from, as clear as ever.

And as these constellations move with the planets, the sun sets or rises with one of the brightest planets, Venus, namely our morning star or evening star.

At most times of the year you also see Jupiter and Mars moving over your head. For the more serious astronomer, Namibia’s skies offer the opportunity to see some of the most famous Nebulae.

Seen with the naked eye, there’s a bright nebulae in Orion’s Sword. Orion also has a dark Nebulae present in the belt, the “Horses Head”. Another dark nebulae can be found in the Coal Sack, clearly seen in the Milky Way.

For the ladies our sky has its own magnificent Jewel Box, a cluster of stars shining in different colours, lighting up your soul. Most of the globular clusters known can be seen in the Southern Hemisphere.

Now you are thinking, all well said, but how on earth am I going to recognize these stars, planets and constellations? Lucky for you, we have some amazing lodges situated all over Namibia offering telescopes and guides with a lot of knowledge of our skies to take you on a trip through our galaxy.

To name but a few there is Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge, situated in the Namib Desert near to one of Namibia’s famous and most beautiful attractions, the dunes of Sossusvlei. With the vast space around you, the stars glimmer in the desert night sky. Also not far from Sossusvlei, in the Tsarisberge Mountains, you can go to Zebra River Lodge.

With a very personal and relaxing atmosphere, the owner Rob will take you step by step and show you all the “have to be seen” spots in our galaxy through his telescope. During the day they can take you on the best hiking trails, passing some of our most spectacular fauna and rock formations, leading to beautiful spring pools.

Then there’s Rooisand, situated near the Gamsberg pass, 4000 ft above sea level between mountains, which has it’s own Observatory! Now that you did not expect!

Rooisand also offers a lot of other nature activities that the rest of the family can enjoy while you are on your galactic mission.

Astronomer or just appreciative of the mysteries the sky holds, your thirst for knowledge can be satisfied in Namibia. So come and enjoy, not only the wonders of our nature wilderness but also that of our skies.

For further information please contact Africa tourist Info www.infotour-africa.com for Kruger Safaris and Cape Town self drive tours.