Night Sky Tourist Blog
Non-Starry Objects in the Night Sky
I was recently hired to give a stargazing and telescope experience at a private dinner party, and the group became fascinated with non-starry objects in the sky. There are so many interesting things to see besides stars, but most people don’t know the difference...
Build a Backyard Compass
For thousands of years, people around the world have tracked the sun and created ways of marking the solstices and equinoxes in stone. Literally. Stonehenge, Chaco Canyon, Chichen Itza, and many places like them around the world contain man-made structures and natural...
Mother’s Day Gift Guide 2023
Give Mom the gift of the night sky this year. SOLAR SYSTEM BRACELET A celestial link bracelet that celebrates our Solar System. A beautiful antique silver or antique bronze tone bracelet featuring the planets. CLICK HERE ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY A beautiful piece of...
Valentine’s Day Stargazing Gift Guide
Romantics have turned to stargazing for over a thousand years. Shakespeare is credited with 128 references to the stars. Our language is filled with themes of the stars: I love you to the stars and beyond. I love you to the moon and back. They are star-crossed lovers....
Light, Darkness, and the Human Eye: How Far Can We See?
The human eye is astonishingly powerful when it comes to seeing long distances. Even people who don't have great eyesight can see farther than they realize. During daylight hours, your eyesight reaches impressive distances. HALF A MILE The tallest...
Holiday Gift Giving Guide for Stargazers
Give your friends and family the gift of the night sky this holiday season. Give them a reason to put down their devices and connect with nature. TACTICAL GREEN LASER POINTER It’s a pretty cool gadget for any stargazer. The powerful laser beam helps you point...
What the Heck is a Blood Moon?
When a Full Moon travels completely into Earth's shadow, we get a total lunar eclipse. Astronomers call it a Blood Moon. It may sound creepy, but it will be beautiful! WHAT IS A BLOOD MOON? What makes it a Blood Moon? On that night, there will also be a total lunar...
The Little-Known Link between Holidays and Cross Quarter Days
Cross Quarter Days once held the most important holidays of the year for the ancient Celts and other nearby cultures. Today, most of us have never heard of a Cross Quarter Day. Yet, we still celebrate holidays that are remnants of those distant times. WHAT THE...
Twilight Activity for the Whole Family (or on your own)
Twilight happens twice a day when the sun is just below the horizon, and the sky is filled with a soft glow of light. As the light changes, so does our eye’s ability to see color. The retina of your eye has rods and cones. The cones allow us to see color during...
Surprising Night Sky Experiences in Phoenix
Phoenix might not be a place that pops into your head when you’re thinking about night sky experiences. But it should. It’s true that you shouldn't expect to see a star-filled night sky in Phoenix. The vast number of lights and careless lighting practices by...
4 Sources of Campground Light Pollution
One of the great benefits of camping is taking a break from all the bright lights at night. We usually seek out a place that’s far from town, which also means less light pollution and more starlight. Putting distance between us and glaring lights is one of the...
Melatonin and Sleep: Too Little and Too Much Light
In the Arizona desert, the doves are the first to announce that night is coming to an end. I heard them this morning while the sky was still dark, and it made me wonder if this sound triggers the onset of cortisol that is supposed to wake me up each morning. Our...
7 Tips for Stargazing with Grandparents
Not many people have the privilege of growing up with great-grandparents in their lives as I did. I had four of them living nearby until the end of my teen years, plus my grandparents. My Grandma Joyce stayed with me until I was 40 and loved my kids into their teen...
Father’s Day Gift Guide 2022
Give dad the gift of the night sky this Father’s Day. And before you think of what you can buy him, think about where you can take him to enjoy an evening of stargazing. Observatories and planetariums offer great experiences, too. But if you’re looking for a gift that...
Mother’s Day Gift Guide 2022
Give your mom the gift of the night sky this Mother's Day. And before you think of what you can buy her, think about where you can take her to enjoy an evening of stargazing. Observatories and planetariums offer great experiences, too. But if you're looking for a gift...
Why Earth Wobbles with a Drunken Stagger
The story of Polaris, the North Star, is far more fascinating than you might suspect. You may think of it as the star in the Northern Hemisphere that doesn't move at night and the star that guides travelers and orients us on our landscape. Those are valid assumptions...
4 Etiquette Tips for Superb Stargazing
You know what it’s like to show up to a new kind of event and not know what to expect or what the “rules” are. You’re planning to enter a dance studio for the very first time. Will you have to remove your shoes? You’re visiting a public sauna for the first time. Are...
5 Inexpensive Tools for Better Stargazing
Stargazing is a free experience for any person who can look up and see the sky. You can take a quick glance at the stars before you get in your car to drive home in the evening. Catch a glimpse when you let your dogs out at night. Or take in a wide span of starlight...
Have You Seen the Beautiful Belt of Venus?
I'm sure I saw the Belt of Venus numerous times throughout my life. But not only did I not notice it, but I also wouldn't have known what I was looking at if I had. Once I learned what it was, it became my favorite part of sunsets and sunrises. Don't get me wrong! I...
Casadastraphobia and Other Fears of the Dark
I’ll never forget Lesa’s confession of her biggest phobia. I was teaching naked-eye astronomy to a group of about twenty homeschooled students. Several parents chose to take the class with their kids so they could share stargazing experiences as a family. Lesa had...