Astronomy Cruise

Guests can enjoy a breezy evening aboard the catamaran while learning about the constellations above...

At Puntarenas, you board the catamaran Manta Raya, a big yacht equipped with two cool water Jacuzzis, a fully stocked bar and three floors with panoramic views of the evening sky. One of the country's leading figures in astronomy, University of Costa Rica professor of physics, José Villalobos, fills you in on the stars' appearance and movements.

Led By A Knowledgeable Bilingual Astronomer http://www.geocities.com/astrovilla2000/ Venus was the first to appear, followed by the Seven Sisters, Sirius, Spega, the Big Dipper, Orion, Canis Major... All were accompanied by a chubby full moon draped in tinted shadow. It was April 3rd, the night of the lunar eclipse. "And the moon became red as blood," Villalobos said, quoting the Bible, as he pointed to the eclipse above. The professor explains that the eclipse occurs when the Earth is aligned with the sun and its shadow is cast against the moon. The sun's light (which is a spectrum of colors) is reflected by the Earth's atmosphere, throwing a red hue on the moon. A warehouse of information, Villalobos walks around the ship with a portable microphone inviting people to take a peek through his huge telescope.

The professor, who claims ‘tongue in cheek' that he is ‘moonlighting' from his other job, lists some of the other astronomical highlights, to come - a meteor shower on April 2st and 22nd, a rare opportunity to see Mercury on the 22nd, another lunar eclipse on September 26th and Hale Bop, next spring, which will be 50 percent brighter than the comet Hyakutake.For now, the 40 guests enjoy looking at the cloudy tail of the Hyakutake comet, realizing that it is probably the best opportunity they'll have to see it away from the haze in the Central Valley.

Throughout the trip eighty-nine year old Abuelo meaning ‘grandfather', offers soothing background music as he masterfully strikes his hand-crafted marimba. About an hour later, the yacht makes a landing at Punta Coral, a private nature reserve. During the evening cruises, guests are invited to a gourmet meal usually featuring barbequed mahi mahi and complimentary wine. Afterwards, guests lie in hammocks or view the moon's craters through Villalobos' eight inch telescope.