The Night Sky Tourist website entered the world nearly a year ago on November 16, 2019. It’s been a tremendous year. I’ve been able to share a lot of great content with readers here on this blog, wrote for other publications, was an invited speaking guest for groups and organizations, and developed relationships with Dark Sky efforts in Arizona, Colorado, and Albania.
ANNOUNCEMENT
For our first anniversary, I am taking things to a new level by launching the Night Sky Tourist podcast!
See below for our podcast launch contest and how to enter.
I’ve been thinking about taking this step for about six months, but wasn’t sure if I had the skills to create a podcast. But I recently appeared as a guest on a friend’s podcast, About You, and realized it was worth the effort to take that big step forward.
THE PODCAST
Each episode will feature a short interview with someone who loves the night sky. In fact, our first four guests are lined up for the remainder of 2020:
TED BLANK: Ted is a NASA Solar System Ambassador, co-founder of the Fountain Hills Astronomy Club, Vice President of the International Dark Sky Discovery Center, and board member of the Fountain Hills Dark Sky Association.
AMY BURNETT: Affectionately known as Ranger Amy in her community, Amy is a desert wildlife expert and discusses the impact of artificial light on nocturnal wildlife.
LUKE EDENS: Luke is the Vice President of the Phoenix Chapter of the International Dark Sky Association. He also loves cultural astronomy (or archaeoastronomy).
MARSHA DIANE ARNOLD: Marsha is an award-winning children’s book author. She recently wrote a book that introduces the concept of light pollution to young readers.
There will be a Q&A segment in each episode that features questions from blog readers and podcast listeners. Ted Blank, our NASA Solar System Ambassador, will be with us each episode to help answer these questions.
The podcast will always end with a tour of the night sky for that week, along with star stories from cultures around the world.
A short introduction podcast will be available on Friday, November 13, 2020 (why not Friday the 13th???)
Episode 1 will air on Saturday, November 14, 2020.
LOOKING AT 2021
Much of my focus in 2021 will be on inspiring parents to get their kids under the stars, to introduce them to the constellations and ancient star stories, and to bring awareness to light pollution and the need to protect the dark skies for future generations. The blog and the podcast will continue to feature great dark sky places to visit, traditions surrounding the seasons and astronomical events, and ways to keep the skies dark.
Night Sky Tourist is also going to have a topical theme for 2021…the Moon! While there will still be a variety of topics all year, the Moon will be featured in fun ways every single month. Stay tuned for a new free downloadable giveaway in 2021 and a downloadable journal, the first item we’ll have in our online store.
PODCAST LAUNCH CONTEST
To celebrate the launch of the new podcast and to spread the word, we are running a contest through midnight on November 13, 2020. Please help us spread the word of the Night Sky Tourist podcast to your friends and family. Word of mouth is the greatest form of advertising. When you share this blog post with others, you’ll be entered in our podcast launch contest.
The contest winner will receive a copy of Marsha Diane Arnold’s beautiful children’s book, Lights Out!
Here’s how to enter:
STEP ONE
Copy the link to this blog article and share it on your social media page. Make sure to tag Night Sky Tourist when you share it.
AND/OR
Copy the link to this article and share it in an email to friends and family.
STEP TWO
Leave a comment at the bottom of this blog post by saying, “I shared this on Facebook”, or “I shared this with my friend R.W.” (initials only).
NOTE: Leave one comment for a social media share and leave one comment for each email share. If you email the blog post link to 8 people, leave 8 separate comments for 8 entries.
Entries will be accepted through midnight on November 13, 2020. All entries will go into a random name selector on November 14, 2020 and a winner will be drawn and announced in the comments and on social media at Noon. The winner will have until Noon on November 15, 2020 to claim the prize by emailing NightSkyTourist@gmail.com with your mailing address. If the prize is not claimed by Noon on November 15, 2020, another winner will be chosen. The prize will be shipped “Media Rate” through the USPS on November 16, 2020.
Thank you for helping to spread the word!
