Be Dazzled By Namibia's African diamond Skies

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.

Telescope

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

As Earth is tilted at 23.5 degrees, we are also lucky to all the time 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. Fantasize 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 paramount Nebulae.

Seen with the naked eye, there's a moving nebulae in Orion's Sword. Orion also has a dark Nebulae gift 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 clump of stars shining in separate 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 identify these stars, planets and constellations? Lucky for you, we have some fantastic lodges situated all over Namibia gift telescopes and guides with a lot of knowledge of our skies to take you on a trip straight through our galaxy.

To name but a few there is Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge, situated in the Namib Desert near to one of Namibia's paramount and most gorgeous 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 straight through his telescope. While the day they can take you on the best hiking trails, passing some of our most spectacular fauna and rock formations, foremost to gorgeous spring pools.

Then there's Rooisand, situated near the Gamsberg pass, 4000 ft above sea level in the middle of 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 house 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.

Be Dazzled By Namibia's African diamond Skies

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