Geoscope

geoscope

Bringing People to the Dark Sky Land of Fajão

starlight tourism destination certification
pampilhosa da serra is at the epicenter
of this certification, and the village of fajão
is located in its darkest zone.

open map

plan visit bookinxisto

Geoscope – Fajão Astronomical Observatory

Perhaps looking at the sky is a good way to better see our place on Earth. With the creation of the Geoscope in Fajão, our land gains not only a new asset but also a new perspective. A perspective of knowledge, science, territorial development, and sustainable tourism.

A place where we have a 250-degree unobstructed view to the southwest, ideal for both daytime and nighttime observation, framed within the Natura 2000 Network. A place for universities and scientists to conduct their research. A place of attraction for astro-tourism communities who travel the world in search of the clearest skies, like clear seas. A place for our businesses to create tourism products and engaging experiences. A place for our children to ignite their curiosity and imagination. A place for local communities to take pride in the richness of their land and sky. A place with profound symbolism that will certainly shape the landscape of our territory. A vast territory, certified as a dark sky tourism destination.

Kiosk

Located in the center of the village of Fajão, the Kiosk is a reception and welcome space that integrates theoretical and practical content, featuring models and virtual reality to simplify science. It serves as the gateway to the dark sky

experience, where you can obtain information about dark sky observation programs with prior registration. Stay updated on all events HERE.

Visit the Geoscope

Bringing People to the Land of the Dark Sky

The Geoscope is an astronomical observation site designed for experiencing, feeling, and understanding the cosmos. It is a project that rejuvenates planetary consciousness and ecology.

Create a space for learning—a convergence point where everyone can appreciate and benefit from a scientific understanding of our universe and the ecology inherent to planetary awareness.

A Place on Earth to Gaze at the Sky

Astronomy and Tourism

The Aldeias do Xisto discover in astronomy a new dimension of sustainability, territorial development, and innovation.

In recent years, the light of knowledge and the dreams of visionaries have transformed what seemed like an isolated place into a unique opportunity for Fajão. The region’s splendid night sky provides a lens for new imaginations and practices, merging science and technology with culture and local development policies.

Landscape Regeneration

We owe the "regeneration of the landscape" to ourselves.
The natural landscape that surrounds us, the cosmic landscape, and the landscape of our minds are the fields where we sow the essential "vectors" of this proposal.

Our collective determination from the beginning with the project promoters has been to use this place to send a message for the regeneration of both the landscape and the local economy through astronomy, and to create a model to combat the depopulation of the territory.

Bringing people to the land of the dark sky invokes very significant arguments for its conceptual foundation.

Living Lab Fajão

The Geoscope educational project offers engaging didactic solutions for younger audiences, connecting the real and virtual worlds, promoting immersion in knowledge, and challenging reflection on our place in the cosmos and on our planet.

The Living Lab is a democratic and inclusive multidisciplinary core that accelerates the regeneration process. The desired presence of the academic community in the area, and its subsequent integration into the local community, is one of the pillars of this project.

the observatory

“We are all astronauts traveling through space on a spaceship we call Earth.”

inspiration
experience
perception

In 1952, at Cornell University, under the direction of Buckminster Fuller, a seven-meter sphere was constructed for a planetarium called the Geoscope.

By proposing this iconic form of the geodesic dome for this project, we are invoking all the knowledge and positioning of Buckminster Fuller and his idea of the GEOSCOPE project, a place for observation from Earth to the sky, where we invite knowledge and meditation on the spaceship on which we sail without an instruction manual.

The Geoscope project proposed a double meaning: from inside the sphere, it was possible to observe the Moon and the stars, but the ultimate goal of the installation was to look at the Earth itself. All this occurred years before the first photographs of our planet from space.

development lines

The Living Lab is the core and foundation of the initiative. Its operational structure is based on five lines of development.

astronomy and society
discovering
pedagogy + didactics
The Aldeias do Xisto have been bringing a rich cultural heritage—the villages—closer to the night sky, allowing tourists to explore astronomy.
Our attempt to better understand the universe has allowed us to develop other technologies with great practical utility for society.
The work of preserving the night sky, which has been done in the Aldeias do Xisto, recognizing it as a cultural and natural heritage of the region, is very important and must be encouraged, supported, and above all, promoted.
Pedro Russo in Jornal de Fajão
creative economy
create
entrepreneurship
opportunities
Creativity is inexhaustible and invaluable. Everything humans can do depends on it. Without a beginning or end, it results from impulses and nuances of sensitivity that combine knowledge and aspirations with the perception of what needs to be done.
The creative economy stimulates the creative process and summons individual and collective talent to generate ideas capable of creating value from solutions adapted to an increasingly dynamic and changing social, cultural, and environmental reality.
Rui Simão in Jornal de Fajão
space science
art and philosophy
research
scientific outreach center
A growing number of daily activities depend on space assets today. From meteorology and disaster management to communications, navigation, and natural resource management, the significance of space assets in our lives is so relevant that they can be considered essential and strategic infrastructure.
The involvement of national industry and academia in the space sector is a crucial investment for the development of a modern and prosperous society.
Miguel Bergano in Jornal de Fajão
spirit of place
society + territory
community
living
This ancient connection of the earth with the sky will be reinforced through the Geoscope project, a point of convergence of knowledge, and a continuer and creator of the spirit of the place.
The goal is to use astronomy as a transformation tool to implement a regenerative cell, supported by local culture and possessing a set of knowledge capable of driving and anchoring this initiative. Cultivating connections with the spirit of the land through responsible initiatives provides effective moments of transformation.
In the village of Fajão, we will call and promote the spirit of the place, involving the community with the assumptions of a contemporary vision of astronomy.
astronomy + tourism
comfort
meeting point
celebration of well-being
By relating science and pedagogy with immersion in places, the connection between tourism and astronomy promotes territorial development, preserves cultural heritage, and stimulates the creation of inspiring experiences for those seeking to know more about the sky and the universe that surrounds us.