June 17 to 28 Night visits to the astronomical observatory of Puerto Lumbreras

Observe the night sky over the mountains of south-west Murcia in this extremely popular visit

The municipality of Puerto Lumbreras in the south-west of the Region of Murcia features a variety of contrasting landscapes, and one of the most attractive is to be found in the mountains which stand to the north-west of the town itself.

The highest point in this sierra is the Cabezo de la Jara, which reaches 1,242 metres above sea level, but at around 800 metres is a group of buildings including a youth hostel, a nature interpretation centre and an astronomical observatory which is open to visits from members of the public. During the summer regular night-time guided visits are held, and in 2023 these begin in the second half of June on Wednesday and Saturday evenings.

The first part of the visit is an introductory presentation related to the science of astronomy and some of the legends and interesting facts associated with the subject, and there is then a session of naked eye observation. The “main course” is the use of the principal telescope of the observatory and other instruments to examine some of the most important heavenly bodies in the night sky. 

In previous years these visits have proven extremely popular, and as a result two tours are being given on each date (June 17, 21, 24 and 28) starting at 22.00 and 23.00. 

Registration is available online here and costs just 2.50 euros per person (under 10s free of charge, no groups of over 9 people are accepted to avoid block bookings). Bookings must be confirmed by prompt payment into bank account ES12 3058 0204 15 2732000020 (Ayuntamiento de Puerto Lumbreras) at least two days prior to the event.

While travelling to Puerto de Lumbreras visitors are also recommended to visit the Medina Nogalte castle and cave houses, and those arriving early at the observatory will enjoy the easy 1.8-kilometre “Astronomical Path” walk, which recreates the distances between planets in the solar system on a downscaled model. The path also features two sundials and one lunar dial.

Please bring a torch and warm clothing: even in summer the evenings can be chilly in the mountains!

For more upcoming events in the Region of Murcia go to the What’s on section of Murcia Today.