The best places to see the starry sky in Spain

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Gazing at the stars is one of the most special plans to enjoy in Spain, especially for those urbanites who cannot enjoy them due to light pollution. Fortunately, Spain can boast of sky and head internationally the list of tourist destinations certified for the quality of its night skies.

Why is Spain a leader in astrotourism?

There are several factors that make Spain an ideal country to carry out activities related to astronomy: clear skies, low light pollution in rural areas, good weather that favors clear nights and magnificent facilities specialized in stargazing.

In addition there are also companies dedicated to other activities such as horseback riding or cycling, hiking, wildlife observation and relaxation in rural areas.

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Areas to see starry skies

Canary Islands

According to the Starlight Foundation, more than 200.000 people travel each year to Tenerife and La Palma to observe the stars. Together with Fuerteventura, these two islands monopolize several of the distinctive Starlight Reserve, proving that the Canary Islands is one of the best destinations in the world for astronomical tourism.

The situation of the Canary Islands allows the observation of the entire Northern Celestial Hemisphere and part of the South. The Tefía Observatory (Fuerteventura), the municipality of Granadilla de Abona (Tenerife), the Temisas Observatory (Gran Canaria) or the Roque Saucillo Astronomical Center (Gran Canaria) are some of the best spaces to gaze at the stars in the Canary Islands .

Andalusia

Andalusia, like the Canary Islands, offers astronomical outreach activities. Sierra Morena is the largest Starlight Reserve in the world with a strip of about 4.000 km2 that crosses the north of the provinces of Huelva, Jaén, Córdoba and Seville.

Some of the most appreciated sites for stargazing in Andalusia are the abandoned mines of El Centenillo (Jaén), the Minas de la Sultana- Ermita San Roque (Huelva) or the Monte de La Capitana (Seville) that still preserves the La Capitana astronomical observatory.

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Catalonia

Another place highly appreciated by astronomy fans is located just over an hour north of Lleida, in the Sierra de Montsec. It is the Parc Astronòmic Montsec, an astronomical complex that enjoys little light pollution in this area and excellent weather conditions that have earned it the certification of Tourist Destination and Starlight Reserve.

Aragon

The Sierra Gúdar-Javalambre in Teruel has also strongly opted for astrotourism. In the town of Arcos de las Salinas it is possible to investigate formations in space such as nebulae, galaxies, stars, etc. at the Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory (OAJ).

This observatory is located in the well-known Pico del Buitre de la Sierra de Javalambre in the south of the province of Teruel and is under the ownership of the Centro de Estudios de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón (CEFCA), a foundation that promotes the scientific exploitation of observatory. The essential topics investigated by this organization are Cosmology and the Evolution of Galaxies.

It is currently in the process of being certified as a Starlight Reserve and Destination, after taking a great leap in astrophysics research with the Galactica project.

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Ávila

The north face of the Sierra de Gredos is another privileged site for observing the sky as it meets all the necessary conditions.

Since 2010, the Gredos Norte association (ASENORG) has promoted the "Dark Sky" initiative to protect the conditions that make the Gredos sky a perfect place to contemplate the universe. For this reason, the association requested the StarLight tourist certificate for an area of ​​900 km2 and some thirty municipalities.


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