The Maldives is my biggest dream come true. Everywhere, when you see “pictures of this paradise,” all you can let out is an oooh, and
Although the island is small, players of the World’s popular Pokémon GO game will find a genuinely bountiful harvest here. Over several years, 12 PokéStops and 5 Pokémon Gyms have been set up in less than 1 km2. These cover almost all places of historical and cultural interest.
You may have asked yourself: Does this island nation even need postage stamps? How do postal services work here? If you’ve ever tried to send a letter or a parcel to the Maldives, you’ll agree that these services are poorly developed here. Even sending a postcard from the Maldives can be an almost superhuman feat – you can buy a postcard, but you can only get a stamp for it from a vendor by chance, and they are perhaps only available in the capital Malé.
Nevertheless, there is a post office in the Maldives and Maldivian stamps have been issued there since 1906!
The fish that inhabit coral reefs are numerous and diverse. Coral reef fish are fish who live among or in close relationship with coral reefs.
The starry sky above the Maldives invites you to look at the Milky Way, captivating star clusters, nebulae, galaxies or even the faint light from the Solar System—the Zodiacal Light (read our previous blog posts). But there are also much brighter objects that can really surprise you with their brilliance. In addition to the well-known cosmic neighbor—the Moon—these are the planets of the Solar System itself. When and where to look for them? Continue reading the fourth part of the series about gems of Maldivian sky, written by Petr Horálek
Although you can see several species of birds on Thoddoo Island, don’t expect the king of the sky to be a representative of the bird kingdom! It is a mammal, the “Indian Flying Fox” (Pteropus giganteus). It is one of the largest aircraft in the world, 0.6-1.6 kg at maturity, measuring only 15-22 cm long, but with a respectable wingspan. It is one of the world’s largest species of flycatcher, weighing about 1.2-1.5 m.
The Indian Flying Fox includes four subspecies: Pteropus giganteus giganteus, Pteropus giganteus leucocephalus, Pteropus giganteus ariel and Pteropus giganteus chinghaiensis
Which one lives in Thoddoo? It appears to be a subspecies of Pteropus giganteus ariel. Pteropus hypomelanus has also been described in the Maldives but is an endangered species in this area.
(Source: Wikipedia)
When you decide to visit the paradise of the Maldives, you probably look forward to the white sandy beaches, the azure blue of the lagoons surrounding the Maldivian Atolls, the charging sunshine and, of course, the water fun. That clearly include snorkeling or diving, which promises a truly varied experience full of encounters with amazing underwater creatures. Mária Kancírová and Petr Horálek, who visited Thoddoo in February and March 2022 (Amazing view guesthouse) created a short clip for you showing the possibility of seeing calm and beautiful sea turtles in their natural habitat right in the lagoon near the beaches of Thoddoo. Thank you Mária and Petr for this a delightful and informative post.
Many people don’t even notice, but the dark skies allow them to see another gem of the visible universe: the Zodiacal Light. An unsharp column of light appears after dust or before dawn in the direction where the sun is located below the horizon. The best locations for Zodiacal Light gazing are around the equator, where the Maldives are also found. This light comes from our Solar System and definitely belongs among the gems of the Maldivian sky. What does it cause and where to see it? Continue reading the third part of the series about gems of Maldivian sky, written by Petr Horálek
Petr Horálek – famous astrophotographer and popularizer of astronomy and one of our special guests in Amazing View offered to prepare for our fans an interesting talk about gems that can be seen in the night sky over the Maldives and to complement it with his own photographs. His first talk was about the Milky Way, today’s one is about the Southern Cross. Also this post is accompanied with his breathtaking original photos.
Have a wonderful experience reading this post and thank you so much for it Petr.
Petr Horálek – famous astrophotographer and popularizer of astronomy, also awarded by NASA – was staying in Amazing view guesthouse at the turn of February and March 2022. Petr specialises in photographing rare night-sky phenomena. His images capture unique moments, which he calls “pearls of astronomy”, that add to the immeasurable beauty of a dark starry sky. Something he thinks that everyone should see at some point in their lives.
Petr offered to prepare for our former, current and future guests an interesting talk about these gems that can be seen in the night sky over the Maldives and to complement it with his own photographs. Thank you very much Petr.
