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Visiting
Boyden as an international or local tourist |
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Unique
experience
Boyden Observatory in the Free State Province of South Africa gives
international tourists the chance to experience the region's excellent
climate and appreciate the dark night sky from a unique and quiet
location in the heart of South Africa. |
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The
Observatory has an auspicious history dating back from 1889 in South
America and from 1927 in South Africa. It now serves as an educational
hub for the public and schools in central South Africa. Professional
research is performed on the third largest telescope in South Africa,
as all was robotic telescopes. It boasts century-old astronomical
equipment, with an air of proud historical heritage. |
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The city of Bloemfontein is a hub situated in a vast hinterland
of dry veld. Its crispy clear skies afford darkness unimaginable
from the other large cities in South Africa. Its winter months (May
to July) has almost no cloud coverage - most international tourists
cannot believe the intense blue colour of the sky!
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Boyden
Observatory is situated about 26 km outside the city of Bloemfontein
to the east, near the airport and great accommodation facilities.
The Boyden hill's natural surroundings gives you the feeling of
being in the wild. A vast number of bird and inspect species can
be found as well as indigenous plant life. Many game reserves can
also be found in a 1 hour drive radius around Boyden. |
The hill on which Boyden lies is situated alongside a vacation
resort, (Mazelspoort) with big swimming pools, chalets and other
entertainment facilities. The Modderriver which passes at its
foot provides a breathtaking view of the surrounding area. The
typical Free State plains with the many koppies are also visible
as far as the eye can see.
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Bloemfontein is a tranquil city built on its cultural vibrance and academic institutions
as well as on its centralized administrative function. Light pollution
for Boyden is not a major problem yet and heavy industries are almost
non-existent! The city is situated in the middle of the country
- an easy vantage point for further tours to other parts of South
Africa (1 hour flight from Johannesburg, 2 hours from Cape Town). |
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A
huge quantity of fascinating deep sky objects awaits the international
tourist in the southern skies. The Crux-Vela-Carina area is a treasure
chest of objects, including Eta Carina, the Jewelbox Cluster, NGC
3532 etc. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are also a breathtaking
pair in the nightsky. |
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