Monday, July 6, 2015

Stargazing


#gazing at the heavens at Ahlarkapin observatory

THE KNOW-HOW Sightseeing in Atacama doesn’t stop when the sun sets. High altitude, clear skies and minimal light pollution provide the perfect conditions for astronomy. ALMA-the world’s largest ladn-based observatory-is sited just 40 minutes southeast of San Pedro but until its visitor centre opens as planned later this year, it remains strictly for scientists. In San Pedro, guests staying at Hotel de Larache (explora.com) can make use of an observatory dome with a Meade 16-inch telescope to observe globular clusters and nebulae. Guests at Tierra Atacama can go on outings touching on Andean cosmology at the nearby Ahlarkapin Observatory (included in hotel rates; tierraatacama.com), while French astronome Alain Maury offers beginner-friendly Star Tours just outside town (spaceobs.com).

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