Costa Rica English News Blog Stargazing Options in Costa Rica
When you have not been outside of urban areas for quite a time, going to the wild for the first time at night and seeing how many stars are there up in the sky can overwhelm you. I personally have experienced this one day during a trip to the countryside. Millions and millions of stars--beyond anything that I could count!--filled the skies as I was enveloped by the darkness of the evening. It was in one of the wilder sides of the country, where civilization has yet to reach and where the lights are not yet flooded with light pollution. Unfortunately, much of the developed world may already be considered to be polluted by lights during the evening. For instance, there are very few habitable places in the US that are still enveloped in pure darkness. According to the Italy-based Light Pollution Science & Technology Institute, the last truly dark areas in the mainland US will be gone in 2025. Fortunately, there are still these truly dark areas elsewhere, including much of Costa Rica. Surprisingly, a notoriously smoggy city like Los Angeles is well-known as a mecca for astronomy buffs because of the Griffith Observatory, which allows astronomy buffs to see past through the light pollution in the city. In Costa Rica, however, you do not need any powerful telescope to appreciate the night skies. Costa Rica is one of the few places located above the equator where the Magellanic Clouds are visible. The Magellanic Clouds are two galaxies that have been first identified by Ferdinand Magellan in the early 16th century. The best time of the year to enjoy these galaxies is during the dry season, between December and April. Simply going to some place far away from San Jose and other major metropolitan areas should be good enough. However, for pure stargazing bliss, being in a place where the environment is equally appealing is advisable. Locations such as the area surrounding Arenal Volcano, as well as the Peninsula de Osa region in southern Costa Rica. To see further into the night skies, you will need a telescope. However, for the uninitiated who only seeks to appreciate the evening, the skies above Costa Rica is more than enough for the naked eye.
Tags: • peninsula de osa • magellanic clouds • astronomy • stargazing • arenal volcano • san jose • night skies • light pollution •
Related articles:| Social sharing because it feels good:
| |
Stargazing Options in Costa Rica
Costa Rica English News Blog
| 
