ASTRONOMY

Starts movement in the southern sky (I.Blanco)If you have not seen the southern skies at night, you do not know how amazing the heavens above are. The clear and crisp skies of the Andes have no competitors and it is possible to observe the most beautiful astronomic features.

Even Though stars are seen from any place on earth the sky could look different and may surprise you when you see it from a new location.

The Andes cover a great extension on earth, both on the Northern and the southern hemispheres, and offer in the south some of the best places for amateur and professional astronomers to do observation, astrophotography, and even research.

Altitude above the sea level, dry atmosphere, high rate of clear nights/year, and little light pollution, are only some of the reasons in favour of choosing a site in The Andes to place a Telescope, or a pair of binoculars and enjoy the magnificent southern sky.


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Solar eclipse (I.Blanco)The Bolivian high plateau and Lake Titicaca areas, offer altitudes close to 4,000m (13,120ft). There are amateur astronomers who have chosen these areas to open private observatories (16 inch Dobsonian), others who freely camp at almost any place away from village lights and people, for their observations. There is also the possibility of always be close to a good and comfortable hotel if the night gets too cold.

Tarija, at 1,924m (6,310ft) above sea level in Bolivia, is also another destination for amateur astronomers; Open to visitors, is the National observatory of Santa Ana, some of their first instruments are now obsolete but they still work; there is also found a 20 inch refractor considered the biggest telescope in Bolivia. Tarija also offers good opportunities for palaeontology and wine tasting.