Star gazing at Sierra Morena, a Starlight experience

In Andalusia we have always boasted about having natural spaces for all tastes. From unspoilt white sand beaches, a paradise for sea lovers, to deserted cinematographics with incredible reliefs. From white landscapes with over 100 kilometres of ski slopes, to beautiful green gorges of mountains such as the Sierras of Cadiz, Malaga and Jaén where you can enjoy a nice picnic next to a lake.

The variety is huge and in this article we want to add even more to this variety of nature areas with one that often goes unnoticed; our night skies, which is why we travelled to the Cordovan town of Montoro, in the heart of Sierra Morena, to discover one of the 11 best places in the world for stargazing.

The skies in this area are outstanding and very near there, less than 9 kilometres away, in an old oil mill from the 18th century called "El Molino del Nava”, or "The Windmill of the Plateau" , they wait for you to do some stargazing, something so special that we would like to show some more about it, and we are sure that you will want to try it for yourself.

5 star reception in just the right place for them!

What would think if you arrived at a guest house to be greeted with a roaring fire, candlelight and a glass of champagne…? Well that was how we were received at the Molino. The night couldn't have started any better!

Obviously, night gazing gets better as the night goes on. Curiosity and desire to continue watching the marvels of the firmament finally got the better of us and it was time for bed, and given that we were very curious, we decided to spend the night in the Molino, where rooms like these await you if you choose and which, after a good stargazing session, make going to bed a real treat.

With our things safely in our room and after a nice drink, it was time to get to know the people who would be our astronomical guides that night. Our friends from Dark Sky Advisors, gave us a quick orientation perfect to get an understanding of where we were and then enjoy the wonders such as this.

Can you guess what it is? Exactly! No less than a real meteorite. For many it may be just a stone, but just think for a moment about the millions of kilometres that this tiny stone has travelled and the places it has gone by.

The best possible way to get us going!

As we said before, there are many spectacular places for stargazing in the world, with only 11 having been certified by scientists, and one of those is Sierra Morena, but… how many of them can boast about being able to start your visit by showing you the raw materials?

Remember that Andalusia is famous for its cuisine, so the thought of joining some tapas of fried fish, good cheese, the best cured mountain meat, some wine, and for dessert, one of the best night stargazing sessions in the… sounds attractive at the very least.

Telescopes, cameras and… action!

With our batteries charged, gastronomically speaking, and a much clearer idea of the extraordinary place we were in following our orientation with our friends from Dark Sky Advisors, we headed to the courtyard of the mill to begin our stargazing and after the order to turn off the lights of the mill, a large "ohhh…" was heard as we watched the show.

Questions and answers from the sky of Sierra Morena

Nobody present could wait to start looking through the telescope, and gradually an infinite number of interesting facts began to come from the words of José Jiménez, our astronomical guide that night and one of the members of Dark Sky Advisors, who we interviewed and asked about Sierra Morena and the Starlight project:

Good evening, José. So what's this all about and what is a "Starlight Reserve”?

Starlight reserves are areas in the world, backed by UNESCO, which certifies the quality of the night sky and its suitability for astronomy and stargazing.

Why Sierra Morena? What has this area got that makes it so unique?

Sierra Morena is a huge area that covers 4 provinces, Huelva, Seville, Cordoba and Jaén and the fairly high depopulation of the north of these provinces has meant that today, light pollution is practically null, making it one of the darkest areas on the Iberian Peninsula, which is why Sierra Morena could not miss the chance of being declared a Starlight reserve, making it the largest astronomical reserve in the world, with starlit skies, and an Andalusian legislation that protects it and sends a series of legislations to the townhalls that must be respected when changing lampposts for ones that have the lowest possible light contamination.

What you would say to a traveller wishing to visit tonight's experience?

I would say that what we are aiming for is that the experience of looking at the sky is an experience that should be enjoyed, combining this with other activities that we have done here in the Molino de la Nava, with a short introduction to astronomy, a small display of the local gastronomy and a glass of wine by the fireside. This combination of experiences is difficult to find nowadays.

What is astronomy and how would you describe it to someone who still hasn't experienced it?

Astronomy is a science that studies the celestial bodies that are visible from our planet: comets, planets, nebulas, galaxies, etc. When talking about astronomy we always highlight a phrase that Albert Einstein said: "the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it's comprehensible” and it truly is a phrase that symbolises what we want to show with these experiences.

What would you tell someone to encourage them to do what we have done tonight?

I would invite them to experience the number of sensations you get when looking out of the window, seeing the skies of Sierra Morena and the fact that it is something that arouses your curiosity over and over again.

The fact that being able to see the marvels of the universe through a telescope…, the sensation of satisfying your curiosity by looking at the sky is undoubtedly amazing and it's one of the things that we should do at least once in our life, because when you look up there, its a time when you self-reflect and you admire your position in the world. It's when you realize just how small you are compared to the huge things that surround us. It's a very mortifying experience in this sense, which we recommend to everyone, especially if it's in a place like this with the conditions we have here. There's nothing better!