Under The Night Sky of Sutherland

Sutherland, Northern Cape

To belong to a time where the solitude of the night and the silence of the stars do not breed loneliness, but rather a greater sense of belonging! ~S Malik

Have you ever wondered how unfamiliar we city dwellers are with the colours of the night sky? Far away from the city lights, fast moving cars, and the noise of the shopping malls, there exists a world that offers peace, and a world that we have forgotten in the fast pace of our lives.

In May 2014, my wife and I decided to visit Sutherland, a small town where you are a stranger only for a few moments. Sutherland lies in the western Roggeveld Mountains in the Karoo, and it has gained its fame over the years because of the South African Astronomical Observatory and, more recently, Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), which is about twenty kilometers outside of the town. Our experience in Sutherland was one to remember. The journey from Cape Town begins with the beautiful Du Toitskloof Mountain series, which you pass right through via the Huguenot Tunnel, and the road then takes you to amazing Hex River Valley, which is fertile and colourful like a scene from a picture-book. R354 is the main turn off N1 towards Sutherland, and it opens the door to the Karoo, a semi-dessert region in South Africa that mesmerizes nature lovers, explorers and adventurers with its natural beauty. The texture and colour of the earth, the rock formations and breathtaking valleys, the vegetation and sweet rivers are worth the visit. Its immense beauty cannot be described through words. It is for the heart to remember and the soul to enjoy.

Beauty Of The Karoo

Although Sutherland is a small town, three nights felt like a short period of time for sky watching. For my wife and I, time spent away from our daily routines was as precious as those stars that we observed in our private stargazing sessions with a local guide, Jurg, who was not only knowledgeable, but also very well equipped with modern telescopes. Prior to the trip, our four year old son, Yusuf, had been reading about the planets and space for over a month with his mom. Because of his patience and unexpected knowledge, coupled with his innate pre-school cuteness, he made several friends, who helped him finding his favourite planets, Jupiter and Saturn, both of which graciously made a stunning appearance that evening, despite the cloudy sky. I clearly remember a young cosmology lecturer who was visiting with a group of colleagues saying to Yusuf, "We are now going to look at a planet which has lots of moons, and it is a gas giant." The little man replied, "I know, it's Jupiter, and it has a big red spot". Needless to say, his proud parents preened to hear him being called a "future astronomer" by those around. I am sure Naseema, my wife, was especially delighted as she had been reading with him before bed-time.

Our son really enjoyed waking up to the sound of the sheep on the farms. This reminds me that when you are there, make sure that you enjoy  the local cuisine,  and dine at Cluster 'd Hote. You will enjoy the pleasant hosts and divine food.

Photography in Sutherland

Loneliness

When the sky bade farewell to the sun on the second day of our stay, it covered itself with a blanket of darkness, into which were woven billions of beautiful stars. I clearly remember staring at the sky for a long period of time while my camera took photos of the night sky, breaking the silence after every 30 seconds by its repetitive click that reassured me that the battery and memory were not yet down. After a while, with all its vastness, the night sky starts looking very familiar, and you also realize how small you are in this grand scheme of the creation. There is a sense of  timelessness while standing beneath the endless vaults of the heavens, an awe in the knowledge that the sky we are seeing is the same unchanged one that the ancients gazed upon. I enjoyed every bit of my photographic adventure in Sutherland. I was lucky to have found accommodation that was not only quaint and comfortable, but had a beautiful structure that provided an excellent foreground for night photography. As per a local guide,  the nights in Sutherland are clear eighty percent of the time despite cloudy days. I experienced a beautiful sunset with lots of beautiful clouds, followed by a clear sky that created an opportunity for star-trail and time-lapse photography. Follow the link to my YouTube video and enjoy the time-lapse video I created from this short trip.

I learnt a lot during my stay in Sutherland, and I definitely want to go back, not only to improve, but also to explore the surroundings of this beautiful land.

Loneliness

Why are you sad in the night's lonelinessAre not the stars your close associates

This elegant dignity of the silent skyThis sleeping earth, this silent world

This moon, wilderness, environment, mountainsNature is a prolific garden of white roses

The colorful pearls, are variegate and beautifulSeem to be the stars of your tears

What do you desire so inordinately, O Heart!Nature is in concord with you, O Heart!