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It is the brainchild of the Jackson couple, Gloria and Clive, lovers of
astronomy, who founded CDEPA, the House for Studies of Astronomy in
Sítio do Malhão, a prime location which they filled with telescopes,
planetaria, stone circles and other structures to take advantage of the
darkness of the night sky, almost unique in Europe, that can be enjoyed
from there.
Ten telescopes and a number of planetaria later, the couple now want
to set up a luxury astro-hotel (or astrotel) on the site – with many
stars to do justice to the name – which will finally provide a solution
for the numerous requests for accommodation they get from different
parts of the world.
Well-known as astronomy enthusiasts but also as the owners of unique
facilities for observing the sky and teaching the secrets of the
universe, Gloria and Clive regret the fact that there are currently no
hotel facilities to cater for the requests from different parts of the
world.
Brazilian Gloria Jackson, who came to Portugal with her British
husband 15 years ago, said that at the moment they only had seven rooms
which they managed in a somewhat relaxed way because lodging was not
their main area of activity; at the beginning they got enthusiastic
about astro-tourism but then they diversified their work, but always
with the focus on astronomy.
They have found a partner for the financing and managing of the
astrotel, a Portuguese company whose identity the couple do not yet
wish to disclose, and they are at present awaiting the response from
the Institute of Tourism concerning the request for viability they
presented six months ago, on which the future of the hotel will depend.
Gloria explained that it was a themed area with a hotel and spa,
which could help to reduce the seasonal nature of tourist demand in the
Algarve; she stressed that the new facility, yet to be approved, would
finally enable them to deal with the requests they get from scientists,
astronomy and astrophysics clubs, universities and interested people
from all over the world.
Gloria said that when people arrive there they look at the sky and
fall in love straight away; she does not complain at all about not
having the lights of civilisation near the place she lives, because
artificial light is the enemy of astronomical observation and the
darkness of the starry sky is the main asset of the CDEPA villa.
A digital planetarium with a diameter of 9 metres
The new themed accommodation will have at least 66 beds (in 36
rooms) and a maximum of 180 rooms, a pool, spa and facilities for
learning about astronomy and observation.
At present the two enthusiasts devote much of their time to
receiving school groups, in whom they can sometimes glimpse that shine
in the eyes of people who have discovered something magical, and they
have also other achievements to their names, some of them international.
In the summer of 2005, for example, they hosted the “Space Camp”,
the first Holiday Camp of the European Space Agency, which brought 200
children to Tavira, the children of workers and scientists at the
European Space Agency.
On the theme “From maritime navigation to space navigation”, the
camp brought an astronaut and Minister Mariano Gago to CDEPA, and had
the privilege of putting the telescopes to good use and creating
mini-planetaria all over the site.
By June this year, the Observatory will have its first digital
planetarium, nine metres in diameter, where it will be possible to see
films. A trip through the historical past of Tavira is one of the
planned films, but there will be plenty of space exploration in future
screenings.
Currently stealing the show at the Observatory is the 20 inch
telescope which is housed inside a chamber, and another 12 inch
telescope which is completely automated.
The Jacksons work mainly with organised groups but they accept
reservations for “starry nights”, which can include dinner, and which
promise unforgettable views of the night sky over Tavira, liberally
sprinkled with planets, stars and galaxies.
And also included on the menu are the explanations given by resident astronomer Clive Jackson.
source: http://www.algarveobserver.com
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