Evening Sky Tours
If you’re unfamiliar with western skies at night, you’re in for a treat. Lack of light pollution, combined with haze-free, low-humidity desert skies, makes Sedona a paradise for stargazers. Take the Evening Sky Tours and the heavens drop right in your lap. Evening Sky Tours sets up outside of Sedona where professional astronomers act as guides. They begin by using laser pointers to diagram an overview of the very universe. After this introduction, guests are given time on state-of-the-art telescopes to hone in on comets, planets and galaxies. Suddenly the rings of Saturn seem close enough to slip onto your finger.
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Just because it’s too dark to see the red rocks doesn’t mean there’s nothing to see and do in Sedona at night. How about a tour of the heavens? Evening Sky Tours (tel. 866/701-0398 or 928/203-0006; www.eveningskytours.com) takes advantage of the dark night skies over Sedona to lead people on astronomy tours of the stars and planets. Tours cost $60 for adults and $20 for children.
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A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY
Thanks to strict ordinances on light pollution, the dark skies over Sedona are ideal for stargazing (or U.F.O. spotting). Take a cosmic journey with Evening Sky Tours (866-701-0398; www.eveningskytours.com; $60, $20 ages 6 to 15), which offers professional astronomers who can point out those elusive constellations, as well as an eyeful of spiral galaxies and the rings of Saturn. They’ll meet you at a dark spot or even take a telescope to your hotel.
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Stars over Sedona just got cheaper
Evening Sky Tours provides an incredible night of stargazing guided by professional astronomers. The “Ask for a Discount” offer gives $5 off the normal $60 rate. 928-203-0006, eveningskytours.com.
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Star Attractions!
“Sedona is uniquely situated for astronomers to go skygazing; here’s your guide to a different kind of glitterati”
For as long as humans have inhabited our corner of Arizona, their necks have been craned to the sky, gazing at the stars. Look at the pictographs of animals and hunters at the Palatki Heritage Site southwest of Sedona, and you’ll see an image that many believe to be a star; images of sun- and moon-like objects can be found at rock art sites all around the Verde Valley. To the north, the Hopi, believed to be descendants of the Sinagua people that populated the Verde Valley, tell a story about a boy who creates the Milky Way in order to climb up to the sun.
In Sedona and the surrounding areas today, the fascination with the heavens continues, and our night sky is uniquely suited to stargazing. Want to join the fun? On the following pages, we’ll introduce you to local astronomy clubs and two spots all stargazers should know: Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff and Meteor Crater just east of Flagstaff. And if all the talk about celestial bodies inspires you to plan your own star party, meet the man behind Evening Sky Tours, which will provide the telescopes and the astronomers if you provide the guests. Finally, learn about the International Dark Sky Association, Sedona’s lighting ordinance, and why it’s important to keep outdoor lighting to a minimum. Sedona may be hundreds of miles east of Hollywood but if we preserve our dark skies, we’ll continue to see more stars here than you’ll see in L.A. any night of the week.
