Feature: Chile unplugged: A stargazer's paradise

Few places on earth can offer as star studded a getaway as northern Chile, where contemplating the night skies is not just a casual pastime, but a protected pursuit.

Earlier this month, the curiously-named International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) announced that a swath of northern Chile's Elqui Valley, a wine-growing region some 400 km north of the Chilean capital Santiago, "has been recognized and designated as the first International Dark Sky Sanctuary in the world."

The designation aims to preserve the area as an example of "how the world appeared before the introduction of electric lighting," according to the Tucson, Arizona-based organization.

While electricity has been a big boon to civilization, it is a nuisance to serious and amateur astronomers alike, who seek remote, barely inhabited corners of the globe, like northern Chile, that are relatively free of light pollution emitted by streetlamps, homes and other lit-up fixtures of urban life.

What northern Chile lacks in human presence, it makes up for in astronomical observatories. More than 40 percent of the world's telescopes are stationed here, and that number is expected to grow to 70 percent by 2018 as ever larger facilities are built to provide a closer look at Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and even the Black Hole at the center of our universe.

The darker the sky, the easier it is to detect the satellites, planets, comets and other celestial bodies shining above. But it's not just the lack of people and their addiction to electricity that makes northern Chile optimal for contemplating the heavens.

"The northern skies of the desert are ideal for observation, because there are nearly 300 clear days a year," says Silvia Lisoni, a professor of history and geography at the Pontifical Catholic University (PUC) of Chile who founded Turismo Sol del Desierto, an agency that provides specialized astronomical tours.

"In addition, Chile has policies in place to encourage astronomy," said Lisoni.

Chile's OPCC, or Office for the Protection of the Quality of the Sky in Northern Chile, for example, works to ensure that outdoor light fixtures focus light downwards, where it is needed and doesn't interfere with the area's pristine viewing conditions.

Chile's Tourism Ministry, meanwhile, promotes astro-tourism via a string of astronomical observatories that cater exclusively to tourists.

Invariably named after the hill they sit atop, such as Mamalluca, Collowara, Paniri Caur and Cruz del Sur, these observatories often differ from the research-oriented ones in only one aspect: you don't have to take notes, unless you want to, of course.

"We do romantic astronomy: looking at the stars through a telescope and enjoying the starry skies on dark nights," said Lisoni, adding that visitors also get to learn about the solar system and Milky Way.

The tourism observatories differ from each other, however, in a number of ways. At the Paniri Caur Observatory -- located in Chiu Chiu, a small town 30 km northeast of Calama, capital of Calama province, in the northern Antofagasta Region -- you can "stargaze like the ancient Andean communities used to," detecting constellations in the shape of llamas and hunters.

The Mamalluca Observatory, 9 km northwest of Vicuna, in the Elqui Valley, is home to a top-tier 12-inch telescope equipped with "CCD detectors for electronic photography," which basically enables visitors to capture images of what they're seeing. The scope was donated by one of Chile's leading scientific research centers, the Association of Universities for Research Astronomy (AURA), whose sprawling grounds garnered the Dark Sky designation.

Nearby, Planetario Natural Alfa Aldea has no iconic domed observatory, just a telescope, but it's still a big hit with visitors, who have rated it the No. 1 attraction in Vicuna, according to TripAdvisor.

"A truly memorable experience," contributor NKC of Fort Myers, Florida, posted in January about his visit to Alfa. "This 'guided tour of the universe' is worth a visit by itself. It is like looking at the stars in the backyard of the home of friends, who happen to be astronomers with some great telescopes."

Alfa's pairing of stargazing with wine and cheese is apparently part of the attraction, as several visitors pointed out. "Wine and cheese and an introductory briefing begin at sunset, and hot soup and blankets are provided at just the right moment," NKC wrote, adding: "If you visit Chile and don't make a side trip to Alfa Aldea, you will miss an experience of a lifetime."

On moonlit nights -- ironically not the best for stargazing, because the moon's deafening brightness can drown out everything else in the sky -- Alfa offers nighttime treks by moonlight. Those in Vicuna who want the astronomical observatory experience can arrange a visit to Pangue, the No. 2 attraction in town.

Those of you who can't make it to northern Chile any time soon can still enjoy the kind of star-filled sights not seen in most parts since the Industrial Revolution, via the Chile Mobile Observatory (CMO). This popular app, downloaded some 50,000 times, features the awe-inspiring images captured by the region's top observatories. Endit