advocate for dark sky preservation, raising awareness about the importance of reducing light pollution to protect our skies through community engagement and education. We use Orion to locate Aldebaran in the zodiac constellation of Taurus before viewing the open star cluster Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters, Jupiter, and the “heavenly twins” of Gemini: Castor and Pollock. “One thing I didn’t mention was how we get our zodiac,” Aislynn uses her laser to demonstrate. “We can draw a line across our sky — if you imagine where the sun set behind the mountains — up from the sun all the way up to the moon, continue this line up to Jupiter, and then all the way across the sky to where Gemini is over here. And then draw that line down into the horizon underneath the earth and back up to where the sun was and where the moon is. This is called the ‘ecliptic,’ or the plane of our solar system. And that is where we will always find the planets. So that’s how we get to the zodiac signs, because year after year, people were looking up at the sky and seeing these bright objects — the planets — move through the same constellations. That’s why you'll never hear of somebody saying their zodiac is Cassiopeia, because we will never have a planet in this constellation.” Astro Tours believes that connecting celestial objects to their mythological and historical significance makes for a more engaging and enriching experience. Astronomy folklore is a tapestry rich with stories and myths with each constellation holding tales as old as time. Storytelling is also a tool to promote accessible education, as it provides a hands-on learning experience for guests. Their stories dually promote diversity with their tales spanning cultures and continents. We continued spotting more objects through the evening with our viewings dotted with stimulating conversations about the four Galilean moons and planetary rings, rock formations and chemical compositions, UFOs and satellites and space junk, nebulas and galaxies, and even the ongoing debate about Pluto. And it left us feeling like everyone should have this chance to know more about our sky, our planet and our place in the universe. That quote from Carl Sagan, “Even through your hardest days, remember we are all made of stardust,” just really made sense after this experience. Astro Tours gives more than just an educational tour. They create a sense of community and unity. As Luke says, “We want to highlight how small our planet is in the grand scheme of things and how this shared experience can bridge gaps between us. It’s about more than just looking at stars; it’s about recognizing our shared humanity and our collective journey on this Earth.” BOOK YOUR ASTRO TOUR TODAY AVAILABLE IN COLORADO AND NOW ARIZONA: ASTROTOURS.ORG ASTRO TOURS HAS MUTLIPLE TOURS A WEEK, YEARROUND. OUTSIDE WITH NO HIKING REQUIRED. FOR ALL AGES AND ALL PEOPLE.
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