Miguel Ángel Pugnaire, co-author of a guide on astrotourism in Spain: “The sky has always been there, it is the oldest heritage on Earth” | The traveler’s guide

As a child, Miguel Ángel Pugnaire (Almería, 36 years old) spent every summer with his family in a small house in Fuente Vaqueros, a town in Granada. Every night he lay on a chaise longue and spent hours looking at the stars. That’s where his passion for astronomy began. Today this family doctor and astronomer, together with the photographer Miguel Gil, has brought together the most impressive Spanish skies in a pioneering guide to astrotourism, 65 The most beautiful skies in Spain (Alhenamedia).

With the naked eye or with the best telescope, this type of tourism invites you to observe the fauna of the sky: the bright planets, the celestial conjunctions, a shower of stars, the Milky Way, the comets… Alone or accompanied, a day in Madrid or a week in Teruel, a summer in Asturias or a winter in the Canary Islands, on foot in Los Pedroches (Córdoba) or on horseback in the Sierra de Grazalema (Cadiz), lying on the beach of Tabarca (Alicante) or at the Astronomical Observatory of Borobia (Soria), astrotourism adapts to the needs of every traveler.

Ask. What is astrotourism?

Answer. It is a form of tourism, developed relatively recently, in which people travel with the aim of seeing the sky of a place, visiting an observatory or some topic related to astronomy. In the end the sky has always been there. It is the oldest heritage on planet Earth, but it seems that much has been lost due to light pollution. Now it is being rediscovered.

Q. That Is it used for astrotourism?

R. You don’t need anything special, just that you like it, precisely because in Spain we have many places where you can enjoy it. Astrotourism is very varied, you can go with binoculars and walk in the mountains, enter a caravan with two telescopes, computer equipment and incredible cameras, or simply stay in a rural accommodation where the owner explains the constellations to you and brings you a telescope on the patio. You can visit an observatory to observe the sky, lie down in the middle of the field or on a beach to observe the stars.

Q. What are the essential places in Spain for this type of tourism?

R. There are several places in Castilla-La Mancha because it is a plain with very dark places that are spectacular to see the sky, for example the Sierra de Gredos. If we move to the other side of the peninsula, there are some very spectacular beaches, such as the Costa da Morte, in Galicia. There is also the Balearic archipelago area and, obviously, the Canary Islands, which are a reference in astronomy.

Q. That What route would you recommend to a beginner?

R. The beauty of astrotourism is that it allows you to do many other things during the day. It doesn’t clash with other activities, making it the perfect complement for visiting the region during the day and enjoying the sky at night. I think it would be interesting to say: “I want to go to the north of Spain, I want to go to Galicia”, very well, because I take the guide and see what places there are in Galicia and what they offer me. Another thing I would check is that in the destination there is at least some enclave linked to astronomy, or some activity that takes place there, be it an observatory, a museum or an astrophysicist who organizes outings.

Q. What is the best season to see clear skies?

R. Another good thing Astrotourism is that it has no seasonality because there are always special things to enjoy. Summer is traditionally the most important period for astrotourism and coincides with holidays in Spain, there are good skies and warm nights. But the winter sky is fascinating. It has a number of hazy objects and the cold weather is nice to see the sky more crystal clear and much more detailed, the planets look much better in this weather.

Q. That What experience do you have after visiting so many skies?

R. The truth is that I was amazed in many places. I was surprised by the amount of things related to the world of astronomy that there are in Spain. Each province was one surprise after another. From a church in Plasencia transformed into an astronomical museum with ceilings painted with stars, to natural parks through the spectacular sites of the Sierra de Gredos. Especially in the most uninhabited areas is where I had the most fun. They are natural areas, with incredible landscapes, and have fascinating skies. Many companies begin to show the sky to everyone who comes and do very interesting things, concerts and truly amazing experiences. We do it, I have an observatory here in Granada, in Gorafe, and I like to see that throughout Spain there are very interesting initiatives and passionate people trying to share astronomy.