Atacama Sky: Where to See the Stars in the Chilean Desert

Su atmosphere clean, free of light pollution, and the height above sea level ="font-size:16px;font-family: Metropolis-Regular">are stable features of all this extension, which keeps another climatic peculiarity: -style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; inherit; line-height: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; vertical-align: initial; box-sizing: border-box">for 300 nights of the year, the sky shines clear.

In this artí ass we're going to review two unique places to see stars in the Atacama Desert ">. They are not areas chosen at random, but from an idea of tradition shared by locals of this commune of Antofagasta and specialists who study it: the complete experience of spending the night under this sky is inseparable from the cultural and territorial dimension of its inhabitants.

. And to better understand this relationship it is important to know what its los ayllus. These are the indigenous Andean communities that have inhabited the desert for millennia and, to this day, maintain a special relationship with the sky in San Pedro de Atacama.

catorce . Located 2,400 meters above sea level, its local population and infrastructure preserve ancestral traditions, but also unique conditions for stargazing. It is that culture attacks me, also known as Metropolis-Regular : inherit; line-height: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: initial box-sizing: border-box">, has a deep connection with the stars, which goes back centuries observation.

astronomical observation as part of heritage cultural de Chile. The reading and meaning of traditions, legends and myths through scientific investigation can potentially explain the climatic and geological conditions that arise in this desert a unique place to observe it sky.

Por esta razón, el Ayllu de Coyo is one of the unmissable places at the time of landing a astronomical tour in San Pedro de Atacama, now you are there to contemplate the stars, experiment with telescopes, take photographs or get in touch with researchers.

In addition, it is located less than 10 kilometers from the urban center of San Pedro de Atacama, making it convenient and accessible for those who they stay in the search area. This encourages learning about the ancient customs of the community through contemporary scholars of this community, always search easté mediated through local guías and in the respect of its traditions and environmental surroundings.

Pasaje entre el Río San Pedro y el Valle de la Muerte

El Valle de la Muerte, also known as Valle de Marte, is another of the unmissable places to contemplate the stars in the San Pedro desert. The passage that connects it with the Río San Pedro is repleto de views and views with telescopes/span>.

For many nocturnal tours starting from the urban center in this sector, where you can see them They are identified puntos clave para la observe views, celestial movements and other curiosities of the starry sky of the Atacama.

In this sense, anticipating the foreseen astronomy events can serve to provide better time de estadía. For example, with a simple internet background you can review the lunar calendar, y así favor the phases of the new moon and the dying moon. Another good idea is to confirm it , to know you have the possibility of seeing it meteor showers.

You prefer the surprise and enjoy what appears on the night of your viewing , it is also a good option. This is true: in any case, checking the quality and quality of the service and the experience of the guide is important, not only for the reasons of the security. No one can drive tour vans along the paths of the cordillera.

As one of its popular names indicates, the Valle de Marte is linked to an extraterrestrial landscape. Rolled dunes of relief paper and geometric shapes between horizons of volcanoes strong> componen a scenario of science ficción en la real life. At night, with the sky converted into a theater of lights, it is not easy to compare that this spectacle forms part of the Earth.

The enormous value of the valley as the seat for the nocturnal viewing complements the beauty of your atardeceres y amaneceres. The movements of the Sun produce hip contrasts as you pass through the mountains of the Andes mountain range, and the colors vary until the light disappears.

The same as the mayor of the icónicos of the Atacama desert , el Valle de la Muerte look ecos de las precolombinas cultures. One of the stories that try to explain their names close to the rest of a mountain that could otherwise be found in one of the extremes of the valley. Following the story, an ancestral community enfrent ah the attacks of various colonizers who attempted to kill him and did not escape. Después de una de las batallas, cuentan los pobladores locales, 200 cuerpos de los foráneos fueron exhibidos como símbolo de resistencia.

Recomendaciones para ver estrellas en San Pedro de Atacama

Si todavía no elegiste dónde ver las estrellas en tu visita a San Pedro de Atacama, estas dos locaciones pueden servir como referencia para empezar a planificar. 

De cualquier modo, hay algunas recomendaciones clave para una mejor experiencia de avistaje nocturno en estos y otros lugares del desierto atacameño:

• Abrigo: las temperaturas del desierto pueden descender bruscamente durante la noche, sobre todo en invierno. Por esta razón, es importante contar con vestimenta apta para abrigarse en capas.
• Ciclo lunar: como sugerimos antes, las noches de luna nueva son las mejores para ver estrellas en San Pedro, dado que la oscuridad del cielo es total, mejorando la visibilidad de los cuerpos lumínicos y la Vía Láctea.
• Hidratación: muchos tours y recorridos implican cambios de altura de un lugar a otro, oscilando entre los 2500 a los 4500 metros sobre el nivel del mar.La hidratación es una de las claves para hacer frente al mal de altura, al igual que la aclimatación al llegar.