Starry Starry Night by name, starry starry night by nature. If you are a keen astronomer, astrophotographer or just someone who loves gazing up at the night sky, our Stargazing Calendar may well help you plan your stay.
We didn’t name our eco reserve Starry Starry Night for no reason 🙂 And oh my, what a gorgeously starry sky it is - especially when you catch it on bright moonless, cloudless night. It really rather looks like a De Beers sorting table. Starry Starry Night is located in the Langeberg mountains, away from any town and village lights, making the sky even darker and the stars therefore even brighter. No matter when you come, the sky is always beautiful to look at (yup, even when there are clouds, particularly when they turn), but we would not be surprised if you want to time your visit based on our calendar. Perhaps it is a shimmering starry sky you are after, or perhaps you want to see how the fullmoon sails over the Karoo koppies in the distance. Read on to find out what is happening when.
MAY / JUNE / JULY / AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2021
Super Full Moon: 26 May
Full Moon: 24 June
Full Moon: 24 July
Delta Aquarids meteor shower: 12 July - 23 August
28 - 29 July (at its peak)
Perseids meteor shower: 12 - 13 August
Blue Moon (not actually blue): 22 August
Full Moon: 21 September
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021
Draconids meteor shower: 8 - 9 October
Full Moon: 20 October
Orionid meteor shower: 21 - 22 October (at its peak)
Super New Moon: 4 November
Taurids meteor shower: 4 - 5 November
Leonids meteor shower: 17 - 18 November (at its peak)
Partial Solar Eclipse: 4 December
Geminids meteor shower: 13 - 14 December (at its peak)
JANUARY / FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022
Quadrantids meteor shower: 3 - 4 January
Full Moon: 28 January
Full Moon: 28 March
APRIL / MAY / JUNE 2022
Lyrids meteor shower: 22 - 23 April
Super Full Moon: 27 April
Total Lunar Eclipse: 16 May
Full Moon: 24 June
🌠 28 and 29 July – Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. Could potentially produce up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. Starts on 12 July and ends 23 August, with the peak period falling on 28 and 29 July.
🌠 12 and 13 August – Perseids Meteor Shower. One of the two biggest meteor showers of the year, averaging around 60 meteors per hour at its peak.
🌠 21 and 22 October – Orionids Meteor Shower. Averaging around 20 meteors per hour at its peak, it is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Halley.
🌠 4 and 5 November – Taurids Meteor Shower. A long-running minor meteor shower averaging only 5 to 10 meteors per hour. It’s produced by debris left behind by Comet 2P Encke.
🌠17 and 18 November – Leonids Meteor Shower. Averaging around 15 meteors per hour at its peak and is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Tempel-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1865.
🌠13 and 14 December – Geminids Meteor Shower. One of the best meteor showers, averaging around 120 multicoloured meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by debris left behind by an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon, which was discovered in 1982.
NB : To state the obvious, starry starry nights are a natural phenomenon and don't run on man's schedule. Although we cannot guarantee that you will have a perfect star moongazing weather, we can assure you that one way or the other you will have a magical stay, and we cannot wait to welcome you.