Anybody and everybody can and should do a little stargazing while they are visiting Namibia. With those unbelievably clear skies, that seem to go on forever and display the Milky Way in their full glory, you can get lost in the beauty of it all.
Of the many things that you can do in Namibia, stargazing is the one thing that you don’t need to set aside a certain time for. You don’t need to drive anywhere special and you don’t need to make a booking. When you are on a Namibia tour, and you are well away from the lights of busy towns and cities, you need to do nothing more than look up when the skies grow dark.
There is no skill involved with star gazing, but it does help to have a few tips at hand so that you can make the most of the experience.
- Use a Chart or a Book of Stars
Being able to identify the various stars, planets and constellations no matter where you are in the world, is one way to bring something extra to your star gazing adventures. It is not enough to simply look up and enjoy the sight, you should at some point want to know the names of the heavenly bodies you are looking at. While you could use the internet to pinpoint the stars, or even a helpful app, there is nothing quite like mapping the stars on a chart or by using a book.
- Look at the patterns
Our ancient ancestors used to be able to find patterns in the ways that the stars are positioned and using their perhaps wild imaginations, they would create patterns and shapes which they would then name. While it is hard to imagine how they could see things like scorpions and bulls in the sky, creating simple patterns of your own is quite the fun pastime. When looking at the skies, try to take note of the lines and curves that stars make when you mentally connect them.
- Be Patient
Some nights you can expect to be treated to an unforgettable show of shooting stars, and then there are nights when you will see nothing. And if you are really unlucky, you will also have those nights when cloud cover blocks out the best events, like eclipses and meteor showers.
When you are doing some night sky gazing it is so important that you stay patient and keep a look out. If you stay faithful to the sky, eventually it will treat to something simply spectacular.
- A Pair of Binoculars or a Telescope
To improve your sightings by giving you a closer look at stars and galaxies, you don’t need the best of the best equipment. You really just need a decent pair of binoculars or a simple telescope. Both should be able to improve your view.
- Simply look up
Life can get incredibly rushed and sometimes you lose focus on the more important stuff. In the rush, you also tend to forget that you are a part of the universe. Just stopping and looking up at night will present you with the best view in the world, for free, and it will remind you that there is a whole other world out there.
Namibia tours are the best way to see Namibia and we take our guests to some of the most out of reach places, giving them the best possible experience. Make sure that you don’t miss out on the opportunity to see Namibia, book a tour today.