Nights in the Maldives Will Never Be the Same

The location of the Maldives, very close to the imaginary equator line, makes the stars from both hemispheres visible at the same time, which, along with the minimal light pollution, makes it a perfect place to observe the starry sky on clear nights. This is known at the Anantara Kihavah, a luxury resort located 6 km from Kendhoo Island, accessible by seaplane from Malé, the capital of the Maldives.

Composed of private villas, both floating and on land, Anantara Kihavah has just redefined the word luxury with the opening of its Sky Bar and the observatory that has been installed on its roof. The Sky Bar is situated above a crystalline blue lagoon from where the marine horizon can be seen from any point. It features a large terrace where guests can relax on hammocks while enjoying a snack accompanied by soft music.

On its roof, Anantara Kihavah has established the only observatory in the Maldives. The dome is a custom-made Ash Dome housing a Meade LX200 telescope mounted on a supergigant tripod. This telescope can be remotely controlled and offers 360-degree movements.

To better understand the sky, Maldivian astronomer Ali Shameen will share his love for the firmament with anyone who wishes to learn. Trained in Pune (India), Ali Shameen has spent the last decade observing the stars as a professional astronomer. His passion has been with him since childhood, as growing up on an island without artificial light fosters creating maps of constellations and adoring the night sky.

Among Ali Shameen's mentors are notable figures in global astronomy such as Dr. Giovanni Benjamin from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Padua, and Dr. Massimo Tarenghi, who led the ALMA Observatory in Chile since its inception. In fact, Shameem himself visited ALMA last year to be part of the largest astronomical project in the world.

Visitors to Anantara Kihavah will enjoy the experience of the astronomer, who will eagerly showcase some of the most spectacular secrets of the sky, such as the rings of Saturn, the belts of Jupiter, or the over 300,000 stars that make up the Hercules Cluster, as well as the millions of stars from Omega Centauri, 'the most beautiful thing you will ever see,' according to Ali Shameen.