Southern Africa is renowned for spectacular stargazing, with numerous lodges throughout the region focusing on astronomy this exciting activity can be enjoyed by professional astronomers and novices alike.  Various lodges in the southern African region facilitate Stargazing activities and supply guests with  the necessary equipment.

Our favourite stargazing spot in Namibia is Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge which is situated in the Namib Naukluft region in Namibia.  The Lodge  has a  private observatory, boasting the most powerful electronic telescope in Namibia apart from the National Observatory. They also have a resident astronomer who will ensure that you receive an unforgettable cosmic experience.

Special African Night Sky event not to miss...

Lunar Rainbows or “Moonbows” at Victoria Falls:

Moonbows are seen when conditions are right; a Lunar Rainbow forms when a full moon is bright enough to have its light refracted by raindrops just as is the case for the sun. Moonlight is much fainter, of course, so the lunar rainbow is not nearly as bright as one produced by sunlight. Moonbows are beautiful but not in the colourful way that day light rainbows are. They are a delicate white with no "colours of the rainbow" and they appear to be eerie and ghost-like.

Victoria Falls and Livingstone Island are the perfect places to experience this rare and awesome natural phenomenon. When the moon is full, the sky is relatively clear and the Victoria Falls are at their peak flow - the months of March, April, May, June and July; huge rainbows appear at night through the mist  that rise up from the base of Victoria Falls.  This unique event, is visible the day before, the day of and the day after the full moon. At the rising of the full moon the park stays open late on both sides of the falls and special tours are offered.

Lunar Moon Calendar for Southern Africa:
(Full Moon)

Southern Hemisphere:

The dry winter months are particularly good, this is primarily because there are no clouds and the crisp winter air makes for clear viewing.

Some of the star constellations that can be seen in the Southern African night skies during the summer months:
•  Great Square
•  Orion
•  Leo

Some of the star constellations that can be seen in the Southern African night skies during the winter months:
•  Southern Cross
•  Scorpio

Some of the planets that can be seen during the year in the Southern African night skies.
•  Venus
•  Mars
•  Jupiter
•  Saturn

Our Solar System:

The Sun
The Sun is a star that lives at the centre of the Solar System. Its huge gravity holds the planets in place.

Planets
The planets all revolve around the Sun. There are 9 planets in our solar system - Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

Moons
Moons rotate around their parent planet. Earth has one moon, but some planets have over 30. Only Mercury and Venus do not have any moons.

Asteroids
Asteroids are rocky bits of debris up to 1,000km (620 miles) across. Most live in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. They are the remnants from early planets that collided and were torn apart.

Comets
Comets are dirty snowballs of ice and dust that revolve around the Sun in long orbits. When they approach the Sun they heat up, leaving a trail of gas behind them, which looks like a tail.

Recent comets to fly-by the Sun include Halley, Hale-Bopp and Ikeya-Zhang.

More about our planets...
Unlike the Sun and the other stars, planets do not produce their own light they shine because they are reflecting the Sun's light.

The 4 planets closest to the Sun are:
•  Mercury
•  Venus
•  Earth
•  Mars
These are called the 'rocky' or 'terrestrial' planets. They are small by planetary standards and made of similar materials to the Earth.

The next 4 planets are:
•  Jupiter
•  Saturn
•  Uranus
•  Neptune
They are known as the 'gas giants'. They all have rings and lots of moons. The gas giants are made up mostly of hydrogen, helium, frozen water, ammonia, methane, and carbon monoxide.

Planet or comet?
Pluto is a tiny rocky body at the edge of the Solar System. Some people think it's a giant comet rather than a planet. Its composition is similar to a comet (ice and rock). But its orbit is different from the other comets and planets.

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