Stargazing in the Atacama Desert

Covering 1,000km along the Pacific coast of Chile the Atacama Desert is the world’s driest desert. It’s roughly 105,000km2 is made up of the infamous salt lakes alongside, sand, lava and stony outcrops. High above the coast it reaches 4,000m above sea level at its highest point. At this altitude, there can be a real chill and many feel the effects. But it’s this altitude, the lack of light pollution and clear skies that making stargazing in the Atacama Desert unlike anyway else.

Top Tip: Plan a few days to acclimate to the thinner air and take it easy.

The Atacama desert is so dry because of:

• The Humbolt ocean current. This brings cold water from the depths of the ocean towards the surface, keeping the surface cool too.
• A strong anticyclone from the Pacific that circulates the winds.

Together the current and the winds form a thermal inversion. This means there’s cold air at the surface of the sea and warmer, fair weather circling high above. This causes fog and clouds to collect but no rain to fall. And so we have a very dry desert with very little rainfall.

Rich in mineral resources the desert was Chile’s main source of wealth up until World War I. It’s also been a point of conflict over the years between the neighbouring countries of Chile, Bolivia and Peru.

San Pedro de Atacama: the gateway to the desert

Standing 2,407 metres above sea level there’s little escape from the altitude of the region. But the quaint little town of San Pedro de Atacama is the perfect place to relax, absorb the atmosphere and take it easy while you settle in. When you’re ready, there are plenty of activities: excursions to the salt flats, Valle de la Luna, geysers and volcanoes. This little town is your gateway to the desert and some of the natural world’s most striking phenomena.

It tends to be warmer here than out in the heart of the desert due to the slightly lower altitude and lack of shelter. There aren’t many trees or mountains to provide any shady cover. Instead, much of San Pedro is open to the elements. To avoid heatstroke wear a hat, drink plenty of water and be sensible in the sun.

Inside San Pedro de Atacama

The Plaza de San Pedro, the town’s main square, is home to a few cafes, shops and markets. The only respite from the harsh desert sun is under dappled trees or in the shade of a wall here or there. These sacred spots seem permanently occupied. So if you need a break from the sun pop into a market or take a break in one of the cafes.

There are some lovely cafe’s right on the square. And not only are they great for relaxing, reading and writing. They’re fab for watching the comings and goings of the locals in this little town. It’s a place unlike anywhere I’d been before — surrounded by heat and desert for miles and miles.

The Plaza de San Pedro is also home to the towns’ unusual Church made from a type of clay called adobe. The walls appear to have been plastered in a reddish-brown colour. The church is then enclosed by a similar style fence — very geometric and angular in shape. Originally built in the 17th century the church has been modified several times over the following years. Until in 1951, it was declared a national monument. Some even believe this is the second oldest Church in Chile.

Inside, the simple style is reflected with wooden benches and plain statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. It’s a church for praying and believing not for showing opulence or wealth.

Around the plaza, you’ll find plenty of shops. And though touristy there are some lovely things. You’ll find lapis lazuli jewellery, a bright blue stone naturally found in Chile and Afghanistan, beautiful clothes and handbags. It’s not hard to be seduced by the markets of San Pedro de Atacama.

Stargazing in the Atacama Desert

Stargazing trips are a unique way to spend an evening in the desert. Starting late (9pm), you can cram the whole day with excursions or relax in the charming San Pedro de Atacama, and still have time to indulge in the stars.

Meeting in the centre of town stargazing groups of about 12 head off into the still desert night in search of a stargazing spectacle. The stars over the Atacama Desert feel totally new, as if the heavens only shine over this small little town. In reality, it’s just the lack of light pollution, the altitude and the crisp air that makes this place perfect for stargazing.

After a short drive, my group found ourselves taken to a nearby stargazing field. Here we were set up with a small tent and projector and 6 telescopes in the outdoor area. Surrounded by a few fairy light style lamps to guide your way the place had a magical feel. It only added to my excitement and intrigue ahead of the nights events.

Stargazing in the Atacama Desert — unlike anything else

Even with the naked eye, the view of the stars was incredible. There were just so many twinkling lights piercing through the smooth, velvet darkness of the sky. The Milky Way was visible and tore through the night sky in a gleaming banner of speckled light.

I remember learning about the Milky Way in school — how our galaxy fits into the enormity of the Universe. But until that night, stargazing in the Atacama Desert, I don’t remember ever having seen it.

Seeing the sheer expanse of what’s beyond our world, I felt like a big kid. I felt my jaw drop as I understood our relationship to the wider universe. It’s one thing to read about it or be taught in school with foam diagrams of the solar system. It’s another to see it for yourself. It was the kind of moment that sends shivers down your spine. Words don’t do it justice and a photo can never emulate that kind of experience.

Top Tip: If you want to take photographs you’ll need to come prepared. Bring a camera and a camera with a decent nighttime photography mode!

An introduction to stars, the universe and beyond

I was torn away from my wonderment of the dark skies and ushered inside to a large, warm tent. The temperature in the desert can plummet when the suns gone in so we were provided with blankets to cosy up.

First on the agenda was a short talk from our astrophysicist guide. With a projector and slides for aid he described:

• The theory of the universe, commonly known as the Big Bang
• How stars are born: atoms undergo so much gravitational pressure that they simply burst and fusion takes place
• Where the Earth and our solar system fit within the universe as a whole
• Open and closed star clusters: groups of hundreds or thousands of stars
• Nebulas: a star nursery — clouds of dust or gas where stars are born
• Other elements of the night sky we might be lucky enough to see

With the basics under our belt, we were ready for stage two. This was a specialised piece of software that would allow us to look at the realtime night sky on the projector. The guide was able to look at each constellation one by one. He’d zoom in and rotate the view to reorient it the ‘right way up’. Then our guide would explain what type of formations or constellations we were looking at.

This part of the talk was designed to help us recognise the features of the night sky we were about to see with our own telescope. The guide made sure to highlight points of interest and how to find them in relation to one another. I wish I’d been taking better notes instead of being bright-eyed in amazement at it all.

First sighting of Orion’s Nebula

Leaving the safety of the warm tent we all filed outside in fervoured anticipation. In pairs, we were assigned to telescopes and given a quick how-to.

Tentatively turning the telescope as instructed we struggled to see anything out of the telescope. Clearly we weren’t naturals, neither of us scientists in our day job. Once we’d got over the first hurdle and could see the night sky, we moved onto the first task of the evening. Our astrophysicist guide had asked us to find the nebula below Orion’s Belt.

Carefully turning the telescope and awkwardly peering through the viewfinder we could see a myriad of stars not visible with the naked eye. But we just couldn’t find this elusive nebula. Our guide would come over and check our progress every so often and helped try and direct us to our goal. He seemed so at ease with the telescope — adjusting this bit here or there to line up the telescope with the nebula. One by one we peered through.

My view was awash with pinks and purples in contrast to the inky black. The nebula was like mist reaching through the darkness, spreading light in an explosion of swirling colour. Like a window to another world.

Orion’s Nebula, a star nursery, sit’s beneath the constellation of Orion’s Belt. You can see it with the naked eye at the right time of year. Look for Orion’s Belt (the three bright stars in a row). Then find Orion’s sword, a line of stars reaching down on the left side. Nestled in the sword you’ll find the nebula. Grab a pair of binoculars if you have some for a better view.

From star clusters to planets — all in an evening’s activity in Atacama

Our next task was on the opposite side of the sky, not far from the so-called ‘Southern Cross’ (four bright stars that join to form a cross). Our challenge was to find a set of double stars. As with Orion’s Nebula, we weren’t able to find it ourselves but this one proved trickier for the whole group. Luckily our guide was prepared. He’d arrived at our stargazing field several hours earlier to calibrate the telescopes. All he had to do was press a button and let the telescope orient itself. Then it took a few minor adjustments and we were able to see this double star.

After anxiously waiting my turn I gazed into the telescope and was treated to a view of thousands of stars exploding from one small spot. This was a closed star cluster. To the naked eye, all I could see was a distant glimmer, not too dissimilar from the rest of the night sky. But through our powerful telescope, everything was different. It was stunning to appreciate what modern technology has allowed us to do.

With a few more adjustments technology allowed us to spot Jupiter and three of its moons in orbit. This was an amazing sight. You could see the large two-toned incandescent circle of the planet. Its three moons appearing as three small dots around it in a perfect horizontal line from the planet’s centre. Two moons to the right and one on the left. Unfortunately the fourth moon was obscured from view. Seeing Jupiter firsthand was absolutely the highlight of my Atacama stargazing experience.

A final goodnight

To end our evening we shared our stargazing experience over mugs of hot chocolate and biscuits. The group was live with chatter, excitement and sheer wonder at the natural world.

Originally posted on Sage Adventures travel & wellness lifestyle blog: www.sageadventres.co.uk.