O, thou art fairer than the evening air clad in the beauty of a thousand stars.
—Christopher Marlowe (playwright)
Some locations are leveraging their attractions through building tours that create both context and content; connecting the dots creates a constellation of experiences from which a narrative is born. There is more to engage than just the sense of sight, even as astrotourism is primarily a visual activity. Not unlike a bottle of wine, which tells the people’s story—what grapes are used, the terroir, and the history behind the vineyard, there is a unique story to every place. People who are enthusiasts seek out this information because it enriches the experience of wine drinking. It is the responsibility of an “astro-auteur” to define their presentation style to the guests they will be catering to.
The EU Star Route is an example of a tour created to emphasize the unique diversity of locations and contrasting cultures. Several European countries collaborated to promote astrotourism, or what they refer to as Star Tourism. This alliance established a route that traverses five countries and leads the astrotourist to particular locations to savor the stars and learn of the night sky’s distinctive cultural interpretations. It is an all-encompassing spectrum of adventures, as the tour guides the traveler to the biggest solar observatory in the world and remote natural settings. Following are highlights of EU Star Route1
1. Tenerife, Spain: Volcano and Stars
This distinctive isle has volcanoes and Spain’s highest peaks. The “Summits of Tenerife” were accredited by the Starlight Foundation as a dark sky destination. There is access to professional stargazing equipment showcased at the world’s biggest solar observatory, the Canaries Institute of Astrophysics (est. 1975), where visitors can see the Museum of Science and the Cosmos. Nineteen countries have involvement, as the peaks of the Teide make the most of the area’s ideal atmospheric conditions, which provide optimum stargazing.
2. Valencia, Spain: Inland and Rural
Rural and inland tourism has seen a remarkable increase due to its dark skies. It is one of the region’s most celebrated resources. A feature that stands out is the path of astrotourism between the towns of Alpuente and Aras de Los Olmos, where an observatory is located. The latter has the infrastructure, services, and activities to optimize the dark and clear night skies. There is “astrohiking,” which combines star gazing and the scenery’s grandeur while walking to the astronomical center of the Alto Turia, a UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve. These are defined as “learning places for sustainable development” and where local solutions are implemented to address global challenges.
3. Sardinia, Italy: Stones, Stars, and Paths
This destination has a striking contrast between the ancient and state-of-the-art. There are guided tours for the internationally acclaimed Sardinia Radio Telescope and the Pranu Mutteddu, an ancient site with prehistoric standing stones (menhirs) with anthropomorphic shapes. A number of these menhirs are lined up from east to west, suggesting the probability that early man was tracking the sun’s path. Also nearby is the Barumini, an exceptional bronze age archaeological ruin and UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the other attractions for an astrotourist is the planetarium and museum of astronomy developed by the National Institute for Astrophysics and the Astronomical Observatory of Caligari.
4. Bieszczady Mountains, Poland: Nature and Sky
This stop along the Star Route showcases the deep forests of the Eastern Carpathian Mountains, far away from any human-made lights. The skies are a draw for those who seek out a pristine night in a natural setting. It has a Starry-Sky preserve designation and is on the UNESCO World Cultural and Heritage List.
5. Taxiarchis, Greece: Myths and Astronomy
This tour begins in Thessaloniki, home to the Science Centre and Technology Museum, Noesis. An installation presents the constellations and their myths in exhibits that include a digital planetarium, 3D simulator, 3D IMAX cinema, technology museum, and a permanent exhibition about ancient Greek technology. The tour includes ascending to Taxiarchis, a traditional mountain village located on Mount Holomontas (altitude 670 meters), for a night of stargazing.
An astrotourism destination will not necessarily come into existence due to the presence of an observatory; however, the latter is a determinant of a prerequisite condition—a quality dark sky. Connecting with people under a night sky with inexpensive equipment (or none at all), combined with a good knowledge of the stars and their stories, can deliver a rewarding and memorable evening. The stories are there, the pictures are there, and it is up to the astropreneur to put the pieces together for the guests.
6. EU Star Route Report—Bulgaria
There are no certified dark sky areas in Bulgaria, and activities are concentrated in observatories and planetaria. There are six observatories positioned in Bulgaria’s larger cities, the largest of which is the NAO Rozhen on Rhodopa mountain. Though many smaller towns have a planetarium, the most well equipped and notable is in Smolyan. Telescopes are available for viewing at the astronomical observatories, but there are no stargazing workshops for tourists.2
Chilean Tours
The Atacama Desert, located high in the Andean mountain range, possesses climatological and geographic characteristics that create a unique environment. As mentioned earlier, an indicator of the quality of the skies is the number of observatories erected. In the last decades, Chile has become a leading country in the field of astronomy. It has the most developed astrotourism industry globally, with 21.3 percent of international tourists claiming that their overarching motivation to travel to Chile was for the dark skies and astronomical pursuits. Due to its southern sky exposure, one can observe, among other things, the center of the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds. To service this new market, agencies that offer stargazing trips with sophisticated and upscale optical equipment have opened for business in the municipalities of Santiago, La Serena, San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, and Iquique.3
Unlike tourist observatories, which can be visited at night to make observations through telescopes on site, the observatories staffed by scientists are open to the public only during daytime hours. Tours can be booked to view the facilities and learn about the telescopes and what goes on in the control rooms; however, they may not make observations through the equipment.
In 2015 the Chilean president, Michelle Bachelet, said, “It is estimated that by the year 2020, 70% of global astronomical infrastructure will be concentrated in our country, with the most powerful telescopes ever installed, and an investment close to $6 billion.”4 At this writing, there are 12 observatories in Chile, with plans for four more.
Telescope viewing is available for visitors at these listed observatories.5
Mamalluca Observatory was constructed at an altitude of 1,200 m, becoming the first tourist observatory in Chile. Located near the city of Vicuña, Mamalluca, offers an astronomical program tailored for the general public that consists of a lecture, along with celestial viewing using a medium-sized and a larger principal telescope. Also, there is a diner and souvenir shop located on-site. The tour lasts four hours.
Collowara Observatory is perched on Mt. Cerro Churqui at an altitude of 1,300 m and is one of the newest tourist observation facilities situated near the town of Andacollo. The main observation dome houses a 14-inch Cassigrain Smith telescope ($5,000–$7,000), and there are terraces with two automatic 10-inch Smith Newtonian ($650–$825) telescopes, as well as a 16-inch Dobsonian telescope ($2,000–$3,000 range). Atacama Desert dark sky clarity (Priceless). The tour is about two hours.
Pangue Observatory is situated in a mountainous landscape at 1,478 m, close to the Elqui Valley, and near the little town of Vicuña. It is next to the Tololo, Soar, and Gemini observatories. It offers 25-inch, 16-inch, and 12-inch telescopes with guides who speak Spanish, English, and French. Their standard tours are two hours; however, you can lease the facility by the evening for customized events.
Cruz del Sur Observatory is located at an altitude of 1,100 m on the Combarbalá plain south of the town of La Serena. It consists of four domes, each equipped with 14-inch and 16-inch digital telescopes. The facility was opened in 2009 to boost astronomical tourism in the Andean countryside. This auspicious endeavor changed the city, and it became one of the leading astronomy education centers in the Coquimbo area.
Paniri Caur Observatory is located at an altitude of 2,525 m in the town of Chiu-Chiu. It markets a tour, which includes an audiovisual lecture, observation of classical and indigenous constellations using star charts, a 14-inch telescope, and a planetarium show. The duration of the tour is about three hours.
ALMA Observatory (The Atacama Large Millimeter Array) is akin to the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico, where the movie Contact was filmed. ALMA is a cluster of 66 radio-telescopic antennas situated at an altitude of 5,058 m on the de Chajnantor Plain in the Andes Mountain Range.6 It required a global collaboration to create this one-of-a-kind observatory, which was the first to capture an image of a black hole.7 Its extreme altitude requires a parka, gloves, a hat with ear protection, and wind pants; sunglasses and sunburn protection are encouraged. Altitude sickness is a real concern at this height, and people may experience headache, dizziness, nausea, or rapid heartbeat; they must pass a physical examination to visit.
A correlation may be established between the development of international observatories in Chile and South Africa, where the South African Large Telescope is located, and the growth of local astrotourism. Like planets falling into orbit around a star, local commercial enterprises have launched near and around the observatory. As it relates to observatories and astronomy, the economic emergence occurring in Chile and South Africa may be compared to what occurred in Scotland in 1947.
At the first Edinburgh International Festival, classical performers of music, theatre, opera, and dance were invited from around the world. Eight uninvited local theater groups showed up, calling themselves “Festival Adjuncts,” but the term “Fringe Festival” stuck instead. Eventually, the Fringe grew larger than the original festival, and the concept spread globally. Today, 73 years later, there are 250 Fringe Festivals around the world.
It is plausible that local dark sky economies and astropreneurs will surpass revenues created by the original scientific establishments, create more jobs, and spread to other places across the planet without requiring a costly anchor, such as a multi-million-dollar observatory. The same knowledge necessary to create and run a dark sky destination is not site-specific, and the same tools will be applicable in Africa, Australia, Asia, the Americas, and Europe—anywhere darkness rules the night.
Numerous locations worldwide have sundial tours, and some cities have walking trails that provide the participant with maps to hunt down these shadowy monuments that are an homage to our nearest star. Sundials are known to be etched with short, pithy mottos, which are part of their enduring charm. They remind us of the impermanence of life, and these axioms should be in Latin, a dead language:
Omnes vulnerant, ultima necat
All [hours] wound, the last one kills
The Hautes-Alpes region has a total area of 5,549 km2, boasts over 400 sundials, and is home to the largest number of painted sundials in France. Multiple trails meander through the region, with one circuit that takes the traveler through the locales of the Queyras Valley, Briançonnais, Vallouise, and the Embrunais. The city of Briançon alone has 18 dials with an ancestral tradition that dates from the 18th century. This living heritage is preserved, with contemporary models being fashioned to this day. These magnificent star-tethered instruments decorate the façades of numerous monuments, public buildings, villages, and townhouses. Some dials are simple and modest that feature maxims and religious sayings, while others are elaborate works of art fashioned as frescoes or sculptures.
On the Route des Cadrans Solaires, the traveler will find the Castillon Dam, the world’s largest sundial—95 meters high and 200 meters wide. The dam was built in 1948, but the sundial was inaugurated in 2009 to attract tourists. Rather than the typical gnomon, the dam’s face is etched with lines that mark the hours.8
Lente hora, celeriter anni
An hour passes slowly, but the years go by quickly.
Besançon, France
There are 10 exceptional sundials in the historical center of Besançon. Walking this trail takes approximately 60 to 90 minutes. The dial on the chapel at Lycée Pasteur is unique, as along with telling the time of day, it marks the solstices and equinoxes. It is etched with the Latin inscription that translates
to, “While the sun shines, I speak; without the sun, I am quiet.”9
Paris, France
Cadrans Solaires de Paris (Sundials of Paris) is a book with an inventory of more than 100 of the city’s sundials. The earliest sundials are on churches, where they have long aided travelers to know the time of prayers. The sundials themselves are fascinating, and many are inscribed with such apt reflections on the nature of time that they are worth seeking out for those snippets of truth alone.10 Walking the trail becomes a treasure hunt for sententious bon mots inspired by our neighborhood star’s light and shadow play.
Les heures fuient; La justice reste
The hours flee; justice stays.
In Houston, Texas, there is a one-day excursion that includes seven unusual public sundials that have been adopted into the hearts and minds of the city’s residents. The 99 km long tour takes approximately five hours to complete by automobile. Additional side trips to another seven dials are also available.11 In a city awash with ALAN, the astrotourist has, in at least one way, an opportunity to commune with a star by visiting these silent sentinels to the sun.
In Seattle, Washington, there are 20 sundials, the oldest of which was built in 1909; the latest was installed in 2006. Each dial is distinctive in its style, type, materials used, and artistic interpretation, departing from the mundane horizontal version that uses a skyward aimed gnomon. The route requires transport by car but is possible to circumnavigate by fit cyclists. The total distance is 27 km and may take anywhere from four to 10 hours to complete.12
London, England
London’s most informative sundial is near Tower Hill’s tube station. It stands as a landmark as it tells the history of London and the London transport. In AD 43, using carved illustrations to tell the story, it traces time from when the city was Londinium (its Roman name) up to the Thames Barrier building between 1975 and 1982. London’s greatest selection of sundials can be found in the Horniman Gardens at Forest Hill, where 11 different types of dials have been assembled over the last 25 years.13 Over thousands of years, countries and cultures used sundials to establish daily and seasonal routines by measuring the closest star’s movement. While sundials epigrams may have inspired us to contemplate our mortality, it is upon a starry night where we ponder eternity.
Night Sky Tour
The Messier Marathon goal is to view 110 deep space objects over one evening and an excellent objective for the ardent stellar aficionado. These objects were discovered by the French astronomer Charles Messier (1730–1817), who was looking for comets and stumbled upon these significant celestial objects. This epic jaunt around the universe involves viewing nebulae, globular clusters, open clusters, and distant galaxies, making it extremely popular for amateur astronomers possessing all levels of experience and equipment. The best viewing windows are moonless nights in the spring or fall. A telescope with an 8-inch aperture is necessary to view galaxies beyond our own, and they range from $400 to over $2,000.14