Night Sky Tourist

Bettymaya Foott from the International Dark Sky Association joins us to talk about the upcoming International Dark Sky Week on April 5-12, 2021. Bettymaya shares about growing up under the pristine dark skies of Moab, Utah and how she learned about light pollution for the first time. She also gives some great tips for anyone who wants something really easy to do to help protect the night skies, be...

Our Spring Equinox Special brings to you 8 great spring celebrations and traditions from around the world, both ancient and modern. While each culture has its unique rituals and ways of viewing the Spring Equinox, there are often similarities between them, too. Visit NightSkyTourist.com/10 for more information about this episode. LINKS IN THIS EPISODE “Losing the Dark” mini-documentary: https://ww...

Our amazing guest, Dr. Anthony Aveni, talks with us about Mayan archaeoastronomy, a field of study that he founded and teaches about as a university professor. We also discuss Mayan timekeeping and their apocalyptic worldview. Visit NightSkyTourist.com/9 for more information about this episode. LINKS IN THIS EPISODE Dr. Anthony Aveni: https://www.anthonyfaveni.com “Star Stories: Constellations and...

Meet Dudley Edmondson, a nature advocate, author, photographer, and public speaker. We discuss the importance for getting kids outdoors and the impact that time in nature can have in their lives. We also tackle the subject of inequity of access to nature for urban youth and children of color. Visit NightSkyTourist.com/8 for more information about this episode. LINKS IN THIS EPISODE Dudley Edomonds...

On this episode, we take a trip to Flagstaff, Arizona, the world’s first International Dark Sky Community. It is home of Lowell Observatory where Pluto was discovered in 1930. This is our introduction to AstroTourism. Visit NightSkyTourist.com/ 7 for more information about this episode. LINKS IN THIS EPISODE Flagstaff Dark Sky Coalition: http://www.flagstaffdarkskies.org Lowell Observatory: https:...

Our guest in this episode is Julie Wilder, founder and owner of Spiral Spectrum. Julie creates unique cosmic calendars unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. She has combined her intense interest of the night sky with her incredible artistic talent to produce a calendar of the night sky for all 365 days. Visit NightSkyTourist.com/6 for more information about this episode. LINKS IN THIS EPISODE S...

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? Where can you find it? Luke is also an Emergency Room nurse, so we say THANK YOU for working on the front lines during this pandemic. W...

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 appearances on morning news shows around Phoenix, Arizona. In this episode, we tackle issues related to the impact of light pollution...

In this special Winter Solstice episode, members of the Fountain Hills Dark Sky Association in Arizona share ancient cultural tales of this significant seasonal observance. They will take you on a journey around the world to times long ago up to the present day. Click here for more information about this episode: https://nightskytourist.com/3/ LINKS IN THIS EPISODE Fountain Hills Dark Sky Associat...

GUEST INFO Marsha Diane Arnold 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 through a picture book. Marsha shares her experiences with the night sky and what spared the idea for writing this book. Learn more at https://nightskytourist.com/2/  LINKS...

Ted Blank, a NASA Solar System Ambassador, shares how he got involved with astronomy and dark sky preservation and encourages young people to chase after the stars, whether in their backyard or as a career. Ted will be featured in our Q&A segments in future episodes and I wanted everyone to get to know him right from the beginning. SHOW NOTES: Here are some things that were mentioned in this e...