Stargazing in the Maldives: a heavenly experience

One night, while working by the light of stars in the Maldives and noticing how many constellations there were to see beyond our world, Outrigger Maldives Maafushivaru Resort’s director of rooms Ibrahim Mubaarak, or ‘Ibbe’, as friends call him, decided that stargazing would make for an interesting activity. He began hosting stargazing activities on beaches in the Maldives where guests can enjoy gazing into limitless horizons without any city lights disrupting their experience—a true rarity these days!

Ibbe started working at resorts located on the picturesque coral islands in the Maldives. One of his first jobs was to get the water sports equipment at night, ready for the next day’s guests. He often spent time after dark on beaches and in the water, admiring all of the constellations above him—endless worlds beyond our own that were visible because there was no light pollution from any urban areas nearby.

The Maldives’ location near the Equator is optimal for stargazers as they can view constellations in both the northern and southern hemispheres.

How Ibbe fell in love with stargazing in the Maldives

One night, Ibbe was chatting with an English couple on the beach. They were knowledgeable about astronomy and shared information that captivated his imagination. On a return visit, they brought him a telescope. Ibbe’s journey as an amateur astronomer took off in earnest from there.

Along his journey, Ibbe learned from a former NASA astronomer who was hired at a Maldivian resort to promote stargazing for guests. This left quite an impression on Ibbe, who then took the plunge in 2012 and invested most of his savings in a Schmidt Cassegrain C8 XLT telescope.

“Astronomy is a hobby where you have choices,” says Ibbe. “You can spend very little, or a lot, almost all your wealth….I don’t really spend that much money on astronomy. I’m doing it on a, er, sustainable basis,” he laughs.

The trick, he says, is to look after your equipment. “You don’t need to have a lot of money. It’s more about dedication.”

Ibbe always loved astronomy, but it wasn’t until he got his own decent telescope that his passion for the stars really grew. He continued working at resorts and did well as a manager, eventually rising to work in room divisions.

Outrigger’s current general manager, John Allanson, encouraged Ibbe’s after-hours devotion to astronomy and the resort even formalized Ibbe’s hobby into an evening activity for guests.

“Most of the guests smile and go ‘Wow’,” says Ibbe, when they look through the telescope and see the rings and moons around Saturn and the cloud belts of Jupiter.

“It’s a jaw-dropping experience for them. Some of the guests don’t believe me. They say, ‘You’ve put a slide in there!’ They have no idea that there are things in the sky that can surprise them like that.”

The wonders of the night sky: Conversations with Ibbe

Ibbe tells guests stories of how ancient civilizations on Earth such as the Mayans and Egyptians built pyramids aligned to star patterns. Until the Enlightenment, humans believed in astrology, star signs and the power of the moon. It wasn’t until the Dutch developed telescopes in the early 17th century and the advent of philosopher-scientists such as Copernicus, Galileo and more recently, Einstein, that astronomy revealed wonders and ideas even more mind-boggling than ancient astrologers imagined.

Having a conversation with Ibbe while star gazing is like exploring the universe—there are no bounds. You may find yourself discussing the origins of life, the definition of what ‘life’ is, the Big Bang Theory, or the expanding universe. No topic is off-limits, and you’re sure to learn something new along the way.

“It makes you feel you are a very small part of the universe,” says Ibbe. “It makes you put everything into perspective once you learn about astronomy.”

On Maafushivaru island, Ibbe would also like to spend more time sun gazing during the day by using solar telescopes. There is zero risk of eye damage and you can see flares, waves, dark spot magnetic fields and “prominences” with solar telescopes. Flares sometimes shoot high into the atmosphere around the sun only to be pulled back by gravity.

“It’s really a phenomenal thing. For the nighttime astronomer, it’s a completely different experience,” says Ibbe.

Back on Earth, he found that sometimes stars and fate collide.

Ibbe met his Japanese partner when they were on a stargazing date. They are now married and have a one-year-old daughter called Juna.

Maybe it was written in the stars. Who knows?

In any case, Ibbe’s stargazing activities in the Maldives have helped him form lifelong bonds with others who share his passion for astronomy and the night sky. It makes him happy to share his knowledge with people, and see their faces light up.

If you want to stargaze with Ibbe on your next Maldives vacation, simply ask the concierge at Outrigger Maldives Maafushivaru Resort and they will be happy to arrange it for you. All you need is clear weather and a sense of wonder.

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All images: credit to Outrigger Maldives Maafushivaru Resort