Kota Kinabalu: Sabah’s dark skies and pollution-free atmosphere makes it an exceptional destination for astrotourism, according to Malaysia’s first astrophysicist Tan Sri Dr Mazlan Othman.
“Sabah has many dark sites that are far from polluting light sources. Dark skies enhance the beauty of the night sky as you can observe more objects and you can see them in their wondrous colours,” the Langkawi National Observatory founder told Daily Express. “Additionally, these sites are far from polluting atmospheric sources, like vehicles, making the sky clear and transparent.
“When these two factors are combined, Sabah has much to offer in terms of stargazing destinations and astrotourism,” she said.
She noted, however, that these potential sites will need protection from development while simultaneously being developed sustainably for tourism.
Astrotourism is where people go to places specifically to look at stars and enjoy the night sky.
It usually means visiting remote or countryside areas that do not have much artificial light, so you can clearly see amazing things in space like stars, planets, shooting stars, eclipses and the Milky Way.
