Starry, Starry Night

With theMeerKATand SKA telescope projects bringing the heavens ever closer, opening our imaginations to exciting new scientific career paths, how about taking the kids for a weekend to a place with a clear night sky and inspiring them to reach for the stars?

- Glynis Horning

NORTHERN CAPE STERLAND

WHERE: Sutherland in the Karoo, about four-and-a-half hours from Cape Town.

WHAT: Guest accommodation in five charming houses run by Jurg and Rita Wagener, linked to a private stargazing operation on their farm just outside the village. Stay in the likes of a natural stone cottage (Doekvoet) or a quaint Victorian house (Le Pari Pari, Malaysian for ‘fairy’). Most of the houses sleep between two and six people, and have kitchens for self-catering, but a hearty Karoo breakfast, served at a restaurant in the village, is included.

STARGAZING: The elevation, clear air and absence of city lights make this the perfect place to survey the skies, which is why Sutherland is home to the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO). Its Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) was the biggest single optical telescope in the southern hemisphere until the advent of MeerKAT and the SKA project at Carnarvon, which has no stargazing facilities for visitors yet. SALT is so sensitive it could pick up the light of a candle on the moon! The SAAO is open for day visits to see this telescope, and for 90-minute tours of the night sky, led by an astronomer using two smaller visitors’ telescopes (355mm and 406mm), on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Jurg offers a more personal two-hour stargazing experience at Sterland most nights, with six 180mm telescopes, each operated by someone knowledgeable who talks you through your viewing.

INFO: B&B accommodation from R395 per person sharing (half-price for children under 12)*, Sterland night tours R120 per person; call 023 571 1481 or 082 556 9589, or visit www.sutherlandinfo.co.za. SAAO day tours R80 and night tours R100 per person; call 023 571 2436 or visit tours.saao.ac.za.

KWAZULU-NATAL