(Ad)Mirando o céu
(Gazing at the sky)
at Montimerso Skyscape Countryhouse
Observation Guide
Be very welcome!
Now begins a journey through the Alentejo night sky.
We created this observation guide to help you on this journey, we share some preparation tips for observing this show.
Are you prepared?
We suggest that you start by taking a walk through our "Montado Alentejano" so that your eyes can adapt to the dark - they are the main instrument of observation. It takes about 10 minutes for this adaptation to take place.
Then,
go to our stargazing area and find a comfortable place where you feel like you can be in the same position for several minutes.
Now, comfortably installed, we invite you to let yourself be enveloped by this mantle of stars.
* Tip: if it is difficult to see a dim star well, focus your gaze on a point right next to it! *
Here are some tips on celestial elements that you can try to identify:
Look for differences in brightness and color between the various stars
Fun fact: The hotter a star, the bluer and whiter its color will be. In turn, the colder it is, the redder it will be.
Contemplate the moon, recognize your craters as the darkest areas
Curiosity: the moon has a thinner atmosphere than the Earth, a situation that makes it more vulnerable to impacts from meteors, comets and asteroids.
Note the slow movement of the satellites that continuously revolve around the Earth
Curiosity: the moon is considered the natural satellite of planet Earth. There are also artificial satellites with various functions from communication, meteorological and military.
Notice the unexpected visits of some meteors that cross our atmosphere and cause the famous shooting stars
Curiosity: ancient legends tell that the shooting stars represented the passage of the gods through the Earth, so that if a wish was asked of their passage, they could fulfill it.
Be amazed by the band of stars in our galaxy's disk - the Milky Way
Curiosity: The name galaxy comes from the Greek gala meaning milk. It comes from the trail of light you can see on dark nights that the ancient Greeks called the “Way of Milk”.
Admire our nearest giant neighbor, the galaxy of andromeda, about 2.5 million light years from our planet
Curiosity: 1 light-year corresponds to approximately 9460528404879.4 kilometers
The sky is not limited to these elements, it is possible to observe many other celestial bodies.
Currently, there are 88 constellations - imaginary groups of stars that are named after religious, mythological figures, animals or objects, also interpreted as delimiting areas of the celestial sphere.
Did you know that, through the contemplation of Ursa Menor you can identify the north?
Start by identifying the Ursa Maior. Then focus on the first two stars facing each other. Calculate in a straight line to the right five times the distance of these stars. You will find Ursa Menor - the last star in Ursa Menor tail is called Pole Star, always indicates North.
It is even possible to observe some planets in our solar system...depending on the time of year and where we are
It is not easy to locate a planet in the immensity of points of light. However, each planet has specific characteristics that allow us to identify them more easily.
We leave you some tips:
The planet Mercury has a very vivid yellow color that seems to blink;
The planet Venus is large and very shiny, with a silvery color;
The planet Mars shows himself in a red color;
The planet Jupiter reflects white color and is also very bright;
The planet Saturn appears as a smaller dot and colored white and yellow.
For a better experience, we recommend that you download a real-time night observation application to your smartphone that will help you demystify this sea of stars.
SkyTonight | SkyView | Stellarium | star walk 2