Exploring the milky way from our own Dark-sky Sanctuary
More than just views and roars
We have the big five. We have table mountain, a pretty bit of the Kalahari, beaches, and sunny days (most of the time).
The jury is out and South Africa remains one of the best tourism destinations on the planet.
It’s not just all bright and sunny, we also have a dark side…
The !Ae!Hai Kalahari Heritage Park has been designated as one of only 8 Dark-sky Sanctuaries outside of the continental US.
The historic !Ae!Hai Kalahari Heritage Park land settlement agreement with the government of South Africa saw six farms (totalling around 35 000ha) to the south of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, and nearly 60,000ha of land within the park, restored to the ‡Khomani San and Mier communities in 2002, forming the modern !Ae!Hai Kalahari Heritage Park.
What is a Dark Sky Sanctuary you ask?
The International Dark-sky association, or IDA, certifies Dark Sky Sanctuaries as follows:
“An IDA Dark Sky Sanctuary is public or private land that has an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment that is protected for its scientific, natural, or educational value, its cultural heritage and/or public enjoyment.
According to the IDA website, a sanctuary is different from a normal Dark-sky Reserve, Park or Place due to its location. The idea behind certified Dark-sky sanctuaries is to educate the public about light pollution, and the fact that truly dark places are becoming rarer by the day. Their fragility needs to be protected and celebrated.
Baby turn out the lights…
Due to our passion for bright, electric light, our ever expanding industries that run 24 hours a day, our massive cities that just keep on growing, and even highways that bring streams of light to all kind of remote places, true darkness is disappearing all over the world. (Maybe this is Eskom’s long game…Loadshedding to preserve Dark-sky quality?)
There is an allure in looking up at a night sky flooded with nothing but starlight
Seeing the milky way as those first stargazers saw it. A wide band of bright white diffused starlight, showing us the plains of our galaxy…Where we come from, and where we are going.
Human civilization and our never ending drive for betterment, expansion and industry has given us many wonderful things…No doubt most of us have a much higher quality of life than our ancestors, but have you ever wondered what the ancient romans saw as they looked up at the sky?
What colours and lights once played across the vast expanse of night sky? Humanity can find inspiration in the night sky – if only we take a minute to turn the lights off, and look up.
South Africans should be proud of our Dark-sky sanctuary
It’s a bit of history. A step back into ancient times where starlight was all we had at night. Because, despite Eskom’s best efforts, most other places are just too illuminated to be illuminating.
