From Córdoba… to heaven!
It is night. Open field. The sky is clear. Zero light pollution. Y endless stars invites us to live a unique and transformative show that relocates and relocates us. It makes us tiny and reminds us that “we are the fleeting ones”.
Starts the season of stars which reaches its peak during the Perseids or Tears of San Lorenzo in August, and in Cordova, with Sierra Morena and Los Pedroches As a standard, the experiences to enjoy the constellations and the planets throughout the territory are innumerable.
It is night. Open field. The sky is clear. Zero light pollution
In fact, as noted in the Astronomical Guide of Starlight Reserves of Córdoba, this destiny “was always one of the great centers of worship of the sciences, epicenter in its time of the most refined and prestigious scientific advances, cradle of names that, like that of Averroes or Azarquiel, They have gone down in history for their contributions to astronomy.”
Today Córdoba continues to be one of the nerve centers of this practice. “Very few provinces in the Iberian Peninsula can say that they have believed so much in preserving the darkness of their skies that They have two territories certified as Starlight Reserves.”
SIERRA MORENA, INFINITE SPOTS FOR STAR HUNTERS
In the year 2013, the Sierra Morena from Córdoba together with that of Jaén, Seville and Huelva opted to create the largest Starlight Reserve in the world, with more than 320 kilometers from the border with Portugal to the limits of Sierra Morena, and in 2016 it joined the region of Los Pedroches and its 17 municipalities. And since these two territories also border each other, a huge reserve has been created in Córdoba.
But where to escape if we want to enjoy the stars at our leisure? let's start with Montoro. In this beautiful town, just 10 km to the east (38°02'29.1"N4°18'29.0"W), the place Molino de la Nava It is well known by astronomical tourism companies in the province. It is accessed by the A-3102 road, in the direction of the farmhouse of Molino de la Nava, and is well signposted.
Endless stars invite us to live a unique and transforming show that relocates and relocates us
In Adamuz, where in 2012 a curious phenomenon was recorded, the airglow in the communal mountains –a kind of faint aurora borealis, which cannot be seen with the naked eye– the observation point is precisely these mountains (38°09’53.3”N4°34’12.4”W), about 20 km from the town. is reached by the A-421 road heading north from Adamuz.
In Obejo, the hermitage of San Benito, Just over 2 km from the town, it is another of those top places with starry skies (38°08'05.6"N4°46'59.3"W). You have to call and ask for permission from the Town Hall so that they open the door for us and we can access it with the car.
Another fantastic place to get carried away by the mysteries of the cosmos is Villaharta. In the picnic area, less than 2 km from the town (38°08'56.5"N4°54'32.5"W), which we reached by the CO-6410 road towards Pozoblanco, It is a unique spot to enjoy the spectacle of the starry nights throughout the year.
Another of the most distant and isolated places in the Sierra Morena, in Hornachuelos, the hermitage of San Calixto, It is one of the places with less light pollution. It is 31 km from the town (38°01'07.1"N5°23'14.7"W), by the A-3151.
In Air Port, Villaviciosa (38°02'30.1"N4°56'03.2"W) very close to Córdoba, or in Espiel train station (38°12’09.7”N5°00’34.6”W) are very spacious places with parking nearby. Perfect to meet up to enjoy the stars with a group of friends. And also in Las Erillas, in Villanueva del Rey (38°08'37.3"N5°13'41.6"W), another of the darkest corners of Sierra Morena, surrounded by 12,000 ha of Mediterranean forest, and 12 km from the town.
The star season that peaks during the Perseids in August
LOS PEDROCHES, THE BEST SKIES IN LA DEHESA
Parks, hermitages and old mines…. dot this territory with dehesas in which there are dozens of charming rural accommodations to practice astrotourism at nightfall. One of the most desired places is Cherry tree village, in Cardeña (38°15'18.8"N4°15'08.1"W), although also about 30 km away, in another landscape of dehesa and mountain, in Conquest, the hermitage of San Gregorio (38°26’18.8”N4°30’41.8”W) is another great place to set up your telescope or just sit back and watch the skies.
In Villanueva –As far as you can get with the AVE from Madrid in just under two hours– the Virgin of the Moon hermitage (38°08'56.5"N4°54'32.5"W) is located in an environment that not even in dreams would you have imagined skies like these. In fact, this area is one of the places where the School of Astronomy organizes workshops for children and adults (more information in the town hall of Villanueva de Córdoba).
Also next to a hermitage, the picturesque Hermitage Virgen de las Cruces, in El Guijo (38°32'20.7"N4°44'56.7"W) there is an interpretation center behind which there is a perfect esplanade for star hunting. But if we talk about hermitages – places that are usually far from the locality – many of them today are, in practice, star observation centers of great beauty: Piedrasantas hermitage, in Pedroche; the hermitage of the Virgen de Luna, in Pozoblanco; that of San Isidro in Dos Torres; that of Santo Domingo in Fuente Lancha…; or also the abandoned mines like the Soldier mines, in Villanueva del Duque; parks like La Zarza Fountain, in Hinojosa del Duque; or places of great beauty such as Mount Malagón, in Belalcázar.
The experiences to enjoy the constellations and the planets throughout the territory are innumerable
A WALK IN THE EVENING, STARS AND… A GUITAR
If, on the other hand, you are looking for a mixed experience –stars, walks, music, snacks…–, there are also numerous options in the province. One of the most attractive is The Sound of the Stars who organizes TNT Adventure.
Until the end of September, Wednesdays and Saturdays –from October you have to make a prior reservation– the Club de Campo de Córdoba is the perfect spot for lovers of the night skies. For just over two hours, on this walk at dusk you will discover how the stars slowly appear in the sky, and then enjoy a moment of relaxation, lying on the grass, while you watch the sky with the specialized guides. A moment of reconnection that is accompanied by live music from the Alberto Lucena National Guitar Award, and ends with a small cocktail of Cordovan products.
TASTING SOME WINES AND CHUNTING FOR STARS IN THE SIERRA!
If what you are looking for is to learn how to take night photos, while having fun –you don't need to have the slightest notion to embark on the adventure of hunting stars with your camera–, G-Astronomical Countryside It is a round plan that organizes We Love Montilla Moriles and that has an award-winning night photography teacher, Antonio Obero.
For the workshop you only need to have a camera with manual controls and a tripod, ah! and all afternoon-night ahead. The chosen date is the one from August 7 to 8, when the Perseids, or Tears of San Lorenzo, begin to make their stellar appearance in the night skies. The place to catch them with your camera is a bucolic spot surrounded by vineyards in the heart of the Sierra de Montilla, It is known as Winery Cañada Navarro, because wines are also made here.
There, after learning the basics and tasting the new wines from the tinaja de The Fools of La Antehojuela, you will go out on the ground with the batteries put until well into the morning. And, above all, you will put into practice what you have learned with the advice of the teacher at all times. After this, your nightly outings to hunt stars on your own will have leveled up.