A star park in Aigüestortes: this is one of the most beautiful skies in Spain
Immersed in our earthly lives, most of us overlook the show that keeps the night sky . At night, when we close our eyes to sleep, the stage of the universe unfolds its magnificence . It does it in every corner of the sky, at the expense, and despite everything that happens on Earth. Matter, energy, space, galaxies, planets, celestial bodies, stars, satellites, all wealth flourishes as a night spring , every evening.
And there are natural places where this spectacle is more visible, innate and privileged observatories to contemplate so much beauty , cleaner open windows to admire the sky more clearly. The Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park , in the Pyrenees of Lleida It is one of those places. In October 2018 it received the Starlight Reserve certification , for its magnificent night sky conditions for observing the firmament, for the great absence of light pollution . The designation is granted by the Starlight Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Tenerife -created by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the Consultora Corporación 5-, and whose main purpose is the protection of the starry sky and the dissemination of astronomy . It does so by promoting activities and offering training and services related to the theme in certified places.
Aigüestortes Park is a protected natural area with admirable preservation. This year celebrates 65th anniversary of its creation . It has an area of 14,119 hectares and another 26,733 of Peripheral Protection Zone. The area of influence of this protection reaches 10 municipalities and a total space of 145,057 hectares.
One of the most beautiful and clean skies in Spain
The park has three main entrance gates, in the municipalities of Espot, Boí and Val d'Aran . Boí and Espot, have Park Houses, spaces where our welcome will be greater, since they are facilities with space for exhibitions and more information about the park and its area of influence. But from all of us we have a public transport service of taxis, if we do not want to make all our entrance on foot from the entrance.
From the Pallars Jussà region , if it's summer, we have another way to enter the park, interestingly, in the Vall Fosca cable car . Built in 1989 as a transport for the builders of the reversible plant of sallente , will leave us at an altitude of 2,200 meters. During the tour and upon our arrival, we will understand why the valley was erected as an ideal enclave for the production of hydraulic energy. The area preserves about thirty lakes. We will be able to learn in depth the history of the construction of everything necessary to provide light to towns and cities, in the Hydroelectric Museum of Capdella.
In Estany Gento , the point of our arrival by cable car, we will find one of the three information and access points to the park – the others are in the towns of Llessui and Senet -, alternatives to the three doors already named.
To the multiple activities for all audiences that are already organized within the limits of the park and in its area of influence (we will find them on the agenda of its website), new proposals for astronomical observation are now being added. kike blacksmith, physicist and master in astrophysics , is one of the experts in transcribing in the park and its nearby areas the language of all that the sky explains to us. At the age of 13, he fell into his hands with a book about the firmament and the visible stars in each constellation that motivated him to take the his paternal grandfather's binoculars and go out to the field in one of the best places with a dark sky: the Sierra de Albarracin.
Since then, his gaze was credited to heaven. He focused his doctorate on the search for extrasolar planets and works as an astronomer for the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia. He combines his research task with what he likes the most, which is outreach and educational astronomy. He organizes nights out for all audiences . with him and his portable telescopes we can enjoy the experience of discovering the universe in a personalized way.
JOURNEY TO THE COSMOS
We will start the activity right in the first moments of darkness . The explanations always start from a basic level, adapting to whether we are going with children or not. We will begin by discovering the sky with a didactic explanation based on spectacular images, a walk through which the astronomer will reveal the main details of the Universe . Later we will observe the sky recognizing the visible constellations , its mythology and some keys to guide us at night. And then we will get to the most awaited and exciting part: the individual journey through the telescope.
In the hands of specialists like him, the study of the celestial bodies of the universe, including the planets and their satellites, comets and meteoroids, stars and interstellar matter, tries to clarify mysteries in all dimensions, temporal, spatial, even mystical. . He makes it through Celistia Pyrenees , the magnificent bridge that this young man has created for pass on his knowledge to all audiences . An idea that Kike Herrero often repeats is that “the immensity of our sky makes us humble”.
VIEWPOINTS THAT GUIDE
Since the certification of the Pyrenees Park as a Starlight Reserve, a viewpoint has already been set up to facilitate observation of the sky. We will find it at 2,000 meters of altitude, within the winter season -also with activities in summer- of Espot Esquí. We will find an informative panel with the location of the main points to detect in the sky. “Our idea is to create a network of astronomical viewpoints, one in each of the four counties that share territory with the reserve ( Alta Ribagorça, Pallars Jussà, Pallars Sobirà and Vall d'Aran ) to make it easier for companies that guide escorted outings to discover the stars, or for visitors in general. They are strategic places with very good conditions ”, explains Xavier Llimiñana, Technician of the Public Use Unit of the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park.
SLEEP UNDER THE STARS
Another of the charms that we can live under an atmosphere so predisposed to teach us the stellar wealth is sleep in one of the eleven shelters that are in the park or its area of influence . We can also stay in rural tourism establishments in the area. With any of the options, the territory will know how to accompany us very well with its proposals for themed dinners in combination with an astronomical activity. Thus, not only the territory gives us the possibility to focus the stars well , and a magnificent cosmic panorama, but the stars, in turn, will serve to illuminate gastronomic elaborations and artisan products from the area, such as sausages, cookies or liqueurs made in those mountain villages.
Sleeping under the stars of Lleida
We can also combine nocturnal excellence with daytime landscapes , following any of the itineraries offered in the park. One of the best known routes and which is now celebrating its 20th anniversary is the Foc cars , a great proposal crossing paths, peaks and, from refuge to refuge , to consumer taste.
On the way home, those of us who appreciate wood-baked bread have to stop at The Forn of Llesp . We will find it on the road from Boí to The Pont of Luck . The establishment is not wasted, it is one of those endearing places. its owner, Nuria , left Barcelona to go live in the mountains, and recovered her grandfather's desire for the art of good bread, with water and firewood from the Pyrenees.
AIGÜESTORTES, ONE OF THE 13 RESERVES
Worldwide there are 13 certified Starlight Reserves . The recognition of places such as the Aigüestortes National Park is an added value to its natural attractiveness and, therefore, attracts visitors. But at the same time, it obliges those responsible for the park, as well as all the municipalities in its area of influence – in his case, a dozen – to commit to preserving the quality of the sky. Adapt public lighting to certain parameters , to further facilitate the vision of the stars - light pollution in the park is almost non-existent, but it is enhanced in its surroundings -, it is one of the regulations that should have been implemented in a set time.
The objective is to value the night sky of the territory , and that the stars be a charm that links us to the cultural, historical, gastronomic or ethnological values of the place.
Those that comprise and surround the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park are at the height of the stars. A very short distance from one of its main entrances, in the municipality of Vall de Boí, we can visit nine Romanesque churches declared a World Heritage Site . And as we have seen, you can also go skiing very close to the park. Two seasons, Boí-Taüll and Espot , are located next to the main entrance gates of the park. Inside and outside of it, there are numerous and beautiful itineraries for hiking and trekking . And in Caldes de Boí Spa We can make thermalism an experience of relaxation and well-being thanks to the water springs with mineral-medicinal properties in the environment.
Dusk will envelop the silhouette of the Pyrenean mountains . Among them, four peaks stand out that exceed the 3,000 meters , and a dozen more exceed 2,800 meters of altitude.
Above it all, churches, snowy peaks or green valleys, night highlights illuminated sky skyline , the cosmos with intrepid beams of light that give face to a sky full of elements. Like the sea, the sky is always faithful to its comings and goings of clouds and stars, of light and darkness, of auroras that mark astronomical paths.
And suddenly, staring up at the sky, shooting stars, sparks of surprising light that, like Cupid's swift arrows , awaken emotions and the deep feeling of never being alone.
The stellar magic of this corner of Lleida...