Night Sky Tourist Blog
March New Moon 2021
March 13 marks the next New Moon of 2021. Night Sky Tourist has claimed 2021 as our Year of the Moon and we plan to learn all about our nearest celestial neighbor. Here is what is coming from the New Moon in March through the New Moon in April: March 13: New Moon...
Black History Month: Diversity in Astronomy
Astronomy is one of the world’s oldest natural sciences. Nearly all of the early civilizations in recorded history were deeply connected to the night sky. They made methodical observations of the transit of the Sun, Moon, and stars and many of them recorded them in...
Night Sky Tourist Podcast: Flagstaff, Arizona- Episode 7
In this episode, we take a trip to Flagstaff, Arizona, the world’s first International Dark Sky Community. It is the home of Lowell Observatory where Pluto was discovered in 1930. This is our introduction to AstroTourism. Flagstaff also offers great daytime...
February New Moon 2021
February 11th marks the next New Moon of 2021. Night Sky Tourist has claimed 2021 as our Year of the Moon and we plan to learn all about our nearest celestial neighbor. Here is what is coming from the New Moon in February through the New Moon in March February 11: New...
Tonto National Monument: International Dark Sky Park
On May 7, 2019, Tonto National Monument in Arizona was designated an International Dark Sky Park. On January 25, 2020, before the pandemic, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in their Dark Sky Designation Celebration and share about Night Sky Tourist with...
A Year of the Moon in 2021
Here on the Night Sky Tourist website as well as the Night Sky Tourist podcast, we are claiming 2021 as our Year of the Moon. After the Sun, nothing plays as big of a role in our cosmic awareness as the Moon. Whether it serves us on a romantic evening or is a...
January New Moon 2021
January 13th marks the first New Moon of 2021. Night Sky Tourist has claimed 2021 as our Year of the Moon and we plan to learn all about our nearest celestial neighbor. Here is what is coming from the New Moon in January through the New Moon in February. January 13:...
Night Sky Tourist Podcast: Cultural Astronomy with Luke Edens- Episode 5
Our guest in this episode is Luke Edens, the Vice President of the Phoenix Chapter of the International Dark Sky Association. He is also involved in a group called Southwest Cultural Astronomy and he joins us to discuss the topic of cultural astronomy. What is it?...
Night Sky Tourist in 2021
I am filled with anticipation for the future of Night Sky Tourist in 2021. When Night Sky Tourist entered 2020, it was just a couple of months old. My goal was to create a quality website, blog, and newsletter that would inspire people to engage with the night sky. It...
Night Sky Tourist Podcast: Wildlife and Light Pollution with Amy Burnett- Episode 4
Our guest in this episode is Ranger Amy Burnett, a wildlife expert with the Arizona Game and Fish. She is well-loved in her community for rescuing injured and sick wild animals from people’s yards, for her lively presentations that include live animals, and for her...
Winter Solstice: Living Seasonally
What a year it has been. With so many cancelled events and reduced options for social activities for most of the year, my hope is that more people took time to get outside, especially at night so they could see the stars. As crazy as the various events of 2020 have...
Night Sky Tourist Podcast Winter Solstice: Episode 3
In episode 3 of the Night Sky Tourst, members of the Fountain Hills Dark Sky Association in Arizona join us for a Winter Solstice special. They share ancient cultural tales of this significant seasonal observance and will take you on a journey around the world to...
Jupiter and Saturn: The Great Conjunction
Jupiter and Saturn are about to treat stargazers with The Great Conjunction, a rare astronomical event. THE GREAT CONJUNCTION We’ve watched Jupiter and Saturn make their way across our night sky all summer and fall, but before they vanish from sight until next year,...
Night Sky Tourist Podcast Marsha Diane Arnold: Episode 2
In episode 2 of Night Sky Tourist podcast, Marsha Diane Arnold joins us. She is an award-winning children’s book author of more than 20 books. Her most recent book, Lights Out!, introduces the concept of light pollution to young readers in a gentle and beautiful way...
Fountain Hills, Arizona: A Dark Sky Community
Fountain Hills, Arizona is more than an International Dark Sky Community, although it is that. It is also the place I have called home for twenty-three years. The first time I visited Fountain Hills was three years before I moved here. We drove down Shea Boulevard...
Asteroid Headed Toward Earth…Will It Hit?
You might have seen it in the news lately: “Asteroid Headed Toward Earth One Day Before November Election.” Are we in danger of the next mass extinction? Should we sell all we have and run up our credit cards because the end of the world is weeks away? Let’s all take...
“Lights Out”: A Children’s Book Review
At what age can we start teaching our children about light pollution? A brand new children’s book, Lights Out, proves that young picture book readers are the right age. Inside the Book Written by award-winning author Marsha Diane Arnold, Lights Out is a story of...
Astronomy vs Astrology: Are They the Same?
Several years ago, my local newspaper wrote an article about the summer camp at our town’s museum. “Vicky Derksen taught lessons on astrology to the participants,” it said. This was not the first time people wrote about me teaching astrology and I’m sure it won’t be...
Create an Amazing Stargazing Experience When You Can’t Leave Home
Many summer vacations have been derailed this summer by the global pandemic. With Americans restricted from entering many countries, favorite campgrounds closing, and states in varying degrees of closure, vacation plans are uncertain. We have always been resilient and...
Celebrate the Summer Solstice
The longest day of the year and the first day of Summer is on June 20. Most ancient cultures celebrated this day with elaborate rituals to their Sun deities. Whether it was Shemesh for the Canaanites & Hebrews, Sol Invictus for the Romans, Inti for the Inca, or Ra...