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Stargazing at Night on Jeju Island

Seogwipo Astronomical Science and Culture Center

The first time I drove a car on Jeju Island, I was awed by the darkness at night. While traveling a foggy road without streetlamps, I felt as if the car were up in the dark air. The island's nightly shadow was enough to make a newcomer tense.

For stargazers, however, Jeju's night sky is nothing less than a heavenly present. While gazing at the moon and stars that shyly shine in the distant sky where artificial lights cannot invade, I feel temporarily relieved of life's problems that make my head ache.

While watching the night sky, I put aside such burdens as unobservable trivial movements within the “Pale Blue Dot,” no matter how grave and important they might seem in everyday life. The “Pale Blue Dot” refers to the photograph of planet Earth taken on February 14, 1990, by the Voyager 1 space probe.

Jeju has many sites for watching the stars, and my favorite is the Seogwipo Astronomical Science and Culture Center. At its Astronomical Projection Room, visitors can learn to find the Summer Triangle, the Great Square of Pegasus in fall, and other constellations. How fascinating to practice what I learn by watching the outdoor skies right away. Viewing the prominent ring system of Saturn, Jupiter, and its moons, and the moon's surface through a high-powered astronomical telescope is a joy, as is seeing how the impassive faces of adults change to those of smiling children while looking into the telescope. So when life exhausts you with its daily concerns and chores, try stargazing at night on Jeju Island.

The Pale Blue Dot

Jang Keon Woo
Senior Program Officer, Fellowships Department

Jang Keon WooSeogwipo Astronomical Science and Culture CenterThe Pale Blue Dot