Written in the Stars

The neverending night skies are full of wonder and mystery. They’ve implored humanity to gaze upwards and study what we see since we first walked the Earth. Our spirituality, legends, history and hunger for knowledge are all tied up in these celestial bodies.

Words: TERRI DUNBAR-CURRAN

There’s nothing quite like finding yourself deep in the countryside, gazing up into the depths of the inky black skies, your eyes dancing between the flickering pinpricks of light. Marvelling at the gleaming stars and swirling constellations gives you space to pause and reflect. Perhaps you’re struck by your place in an ever-changing galaxy, or maybe your daily life seems insignificantly small compared to the vastness of spacewhatever emotions the night sky stirs in you, they have the potential to alter both your experience of the world, as well as how you view your place in it.

Even if you haven’t spent much time purposefully studying the night skies, you’re probably more familiar with them than you realise. In the northern hemisphere, you’ll likely be accustomed to seeing constellations like Ursa Major, Cassiopeia and Orion wheeling slowly overhead. In the southern hemisphere, you might recognise The Southern Cross, Scorpius and Centaurus. Not only does visiting a different part of the world provide you with the opportunity to explore new places and meet new people, but casting your view upwards can reveal an exciting discovery too.

Mindfulness and spirituality

For some, stargazing is simply a beautiful, fascinating hobby, but for others, it can unlock a deeply spiritual experience. Those interested in astrology will speak of the connection between the positions of celestial objects and our lives here on Earth, and how this can give us a glimpse into the future. But there’s more to appreciating the stars than working out which star sign to look for in a partner. Some of the purported benefits of stargazing include self-reflection, stimulating the imagination and providing a form of escapism - all of which lead to a mindful experience of calm, purpose and inner peace.

In addition to requiring you to head out of the busy cities to areas with little to no light pollution, thus likely finding yourself surrounded by the tranquillity of nature, the practice allows your mind to calm, lowering anxiety and stress levels, even just for a short period. Many enthusiasts believe this freedom easily makes room for increased creativity and happiness.

Be patient, though. It can take up to 40 minutes for your eyes to truly acclimate to the low light and fully appreciate the array of stars above you. Take your time getting comfortable and warm, make sure you have snacks and refreshments and make a night of it.

The night skies as a window into the past

There’s another fascinating layer to appreciating the stars, and that is that we, as humanity, have been gazing into the night skies for millenia. And while the stars we see now will be different from those our ancestors marvelled at, stargazing is a window into the past. Essentially, because of how the speed of light works, you’re actually looking back in time - seeing the stars as they were sometimes up to thousands of years ago. In fact, some of the stars you spot may not even exist anymore because of the length of time it takes for their light to reach Earth. The closest large galaxy to the Milky Way is the Andromeda Galaxy, some 2.25 million light years from us. So we’re seeing its constellations as they were over 2 million years ago, before homo erectus walked the earth. To put that into context, it only takes the sun’s light just over eight minutes to reach us, so we’re always seeing it as it was eight minutes ago.

Myths and legends

Given their significance, it’s no surprise that the stars also play an important role in religion, mythology and stories around the world, and have done so right from ancient cultures to modern times. In Greek mythology, heroes receive a place among the stars and are seen as semi-divine entities that move across the heavens. Aquarius, one of the zodiac constellations, was first recorded in the second century by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy. The name means ‘cupbearer’ and in Greek mythology it represents Ganymede, a young man who served as a cupbearer to the gods on Mount Olympus, and was gifted with eternal youth.

The constellation Cassiopeia was named after the queen from Greek mythology who claimed to be more beautiful than the sea nymphs, angering Poseidon. Out of vengeance, he sent a sea monster to destroy the kingdom. Cassiopeia’s daughter Andromeda was destined to be devoured by the monster, but was rescued by Perseus in return for her hand in marriage. Cassiopeia, along with her husband Cepheus and their daughter were all eventually turned into stars.

Cultural significance

Some early San people in Africa believed that the Milky Way was created when a child threw her campfire ashes into the sky to help her father find his way home from a hunting expedition. Other groups held that the white band of stars represented the bellies of a massive herd of celestial springbok, and in Zulu culture, it is the result of the gods’ vast herd of cattle trekking to and from their feeding grounds.

For Australia’s Aboriginal people, the stars are home to their ancestors and spirits, and they have been carefully observing the skies for thousands of years. The appearance of certain stars mark important events in their cultural calendar, and others herald the start of new seasons.

Science and technology

Enthusiasts who want to take the celestial fascination one step further have a wide array of observatories around the world to discover, some of which are open to visitors. Each has a different field of study, with scientists and astronomers collecting important data which help to unlock the secrets of our universe.

The largest astronomical project in existence, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array ( alma ) gives us insight into the birth of stars and planet formations during the early Stelliferous era. Because the signals from space are absorbed by water vapour in Earth’s atmosphere, it was vital to build alma somewhere high and extremely dry. San Pedro de Atacama in northern Chile is among the driest places on Earth, and therefore perfect for unhampered access to the signals. The scientists at alma study the building blocks of stars, galaxies and planets. The images they capture are of stars and planets being born, as well as distant galaxies as they were some 10 billion years ago.

Night skies around the world

We’ve handpicked some of the best places to observe the night skies and our recommendations of where to stay while there.

Latin America

• Atacama Desert, Chile

The Atacama offers one of the clearest night skies in the world.

Where to stay: Explora Atacama

• The Guanacaste Coast, Costa Rica

The best star gazing is on clear winter nights from September to November.

Where to stay: Rio Perdido

Asia Pacific

• Koh Kood, Thailand

Koh Kood’s state-of-the-art observatory offers 360-degree views of the skies.

Where to stay: Soneva Kiri

• Aoraki Mount Cook, New Zealand

In the heart of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.

Where to stay: Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat

Europe

• Abisko Sky Station, Swedish Lapland

A great viewing spot for constellations and the northern lights.

Where to stay: Icehotel

Africa

• Sossusvlei, Namibia

The NamibRand Nature Reserve, Africa’s only dark sky reserve.

Where to stay: Sossusvlei Desert Lodge