Meet AstroTours.org's newest tour guide!

I'd like to welcome Christina to Astro Tours! Christina has been training with me for the last couple months and has already well surpassed where I was when I first started Astro Tours! Christina has been studying astrophysics for some time now. Here's her story in her own words:

Christina aligning telescopes

Hello! My name is Christina and I am an astrophysics major at the University of Colorado. I have always been very passionate about the night sky and particularly sharing the wonderful mythologies and science surrounding our constellations and the objects within.

I am currently involved with a research group at the university that is looking into the effects stellar flares have on exoplanetary atmospheres and what that might mean for the habitability of those planets.

The Crab Nebula (Christina's favorite deep sky object)

My favorite object to talk about is the Crab Nebula! I am fascinated by the astrophysical processes surrounding the life cycles of stars, particularly supernovae, and I enjoy describing the various civilizations that viewed this event when it occurred and the impact it may have had in their lives.

Come learn more about our universe at AstroTours.org/booking

Reviews!

It's been quite sometime since I've updated my reviews page on here so I thought I would share some of my favorite from the last few months. Thank you everyone that has taken the time to write me a review the feedback means a lot to me and it warms my heart to see all the overwhelmingly positive things people have to say about me!

"Soooo much more than five stars!"

Karrie

Jun 12, 2021

This experience was mostly for my teen daughter. She loved it! We really enjoyed seeing the summer night sky (it isn’t often visible where I live). Seeing galaxies in the computerized telescope was the highlight for me.

Laura

Jun 11, 2021

We had a lot of fun on this experience! Luke was able to adapt on the fly due to weather - he let us join the tour a day earlier because the weather wasn’t going to be good for our original scheduled date and he also adapted the show when there was some unexpected clouds. We were able to see and learn about the the universe in a really special and unique way!

Susan

Jun 10, 2021

This experience was even better than I had hoped. Luke was knowledgeable and kind. The stars were magical and I loved hearing coyotes!

Abigail

Jun 8, 2021

Unfortunately the day we scheduled the tour, the weather didn’t cooperate. However, our host made the most of it! She did a wonderful job still giving general astronomy knowledge and answered all our curious questions.

Sara

Jun 7, 2021

This is a MUST for anyone already interested in astronomy or someone who just wants an amazing night under the stars. Luke made this a collaborative experience by making sure to ask the group what we were most interested in learning more about. You could tell that astronomy is his love and he is just excited to share this wonder of the universe with everyone. Getting to pinpoint different constellations & hear multiple cultures stories about them definitely added to the wonderment of just how timeless stars are. Using different telescopes was also a highlight of the night and Luke was quick to answer questions or help adjust the scopes. Next time I’m in Colorado, I would love to do this again!

Lauren

Jun 4, 2021

This was really interesting. Super informative. Luke is incredibly knowledgeable and we really appreciated how much we learned. The telescopes were really neat. it was a very unique experience!

Claire

Jun 4, 2021

Great experience, Luke and the students there were super informative and engaging. Saw some cool constellations, galaxies, and even a few shooting stars!

Marianne

Jun 3, 2021

Wonderful evening stargazing Luke is super knowledgeable and clearly has a passion for the stars He did an amazing job of sharing that with novices like ourselves

Haley

Jun 2, 2021

This was an awesome way to end our time here in Colorado! Luke’s knowledge and enthusiasm are contagious. Can’t recommend this activity more!!

Brad

Jun 2, 2021

What a great experience. Luke was extremely knowledgable and passionate about astronomy, and it really came through in his presentation. Getting to look through his high-powered telescopes was neat too. Our kids were pretty tired so we had to bail before our time was up, but that didn't take away from the experience at all. Five stars, would absolutely do again if we have the chance. Great communication leading up to the event too.

Kate

Jun 1, 2021

The astronomy tour was great! Luke and Christina were incredibly knowledgeable and were great hosts. They had several telescopes pointed at different things and changed them frequently to keep people distanced and engaged. Definitely bring a blanket for chilly nights. Highly recommend!

William

May 28, 2021

Luke and his partner are amazing! Incredibly knowledgeable, was able to answer every question we had. Also supremely quick witted, had many of us laughing for the whole tour. The location is serene and beautiful. Out in the countryside north of boulder, the drive in during sunset is amazing. 11/10

Summer

May 23, 2021

My mind loved the depth of the things Luke spoke on, and all that he taught me. I will be doing this again many times in my future. I found my new hobby.

Haley

May 23, 2021

My friends and I were blown away by the sight of the stars and the moon through his many telescopes. He was very knowledgeable about the science and constellations of the sky which was a very cool portion of the tour that was unexpected. Coming from Austin, we were appreciative and in awe of the beautiful Denver sky. Highly recommend!

Tommy

May 23, 2021

A most delightful starry experience all around. The location was unique and the firmament above made for excellent gazing. And the chorus of nearby coyotes and rare tweaker(?) frogs made it all the more memorable. Thanks again.

Tamara

May 21, 2021

We were able to enjoy nature have a special experience. Learned many new things about Astronomy. Sparked many new interests. Glad we went.

Seth

May 21, 2021

Great social event! Very chill but something you won’t forget!

Haley

May 23, 2021

My friends and I were blown away by the sight of the stars and the moon through his many telescopes. He was very knowledgeable about the science and constellations of the sky which was a very cool portion of the tour that was unexpected. Coming from Austin, we were appreciative and in awe of the beautiful Denver sky. Highly recommend!

Sara

May 20, 2021

Great time with Luke, Very knowledgeable, personable, and educated guide. Glad he is able to follow his interest/dreams through these tours.

Kristen

May 7, 2021

Luke knows a lot about space! Definitely worth checking out, I learned a lot and can’t think of any other time I would have the opportunity to check out stars with his impressive collection of telescopes! So cool!

Salvador

May 1, 2021

Was an awesome time looking up at the stars and all the different constellations. Luke is a very knowledgeable person that truly loves what he does and loves sharing it with people. 10/10 would definitely recommend doing it!!!

Nichole

Apr 30, 2021

This was an awesome and unique experience! We had a wonderful time, Luke was very knowledgeable, and we’d definitely recommend it to others!

Leresa

Apr 30, 2021

Luke put on an excellent presentation as he is very knowledgeable of the subject matter. I highly recommend signing up for this tour. The sky was so beautiful as the sun was setting and once the sun was completely gone the sky was full of stars. We were able to see many different stars, clusters, and even galaxies with the many telescopes Luke had. I recommend bringing a blanket and picking up some hot coco before heading over to the park. Overall, it was a great experience and is definitely a do over. Thank you Luke, keep up the stellar work!

Ainsley

Apr 26, 2021

The experience was so fun & unique, Luke was super friendly and knowledgeable, and we really just had such a great time! Learned so much and got to see some really amazing things.

Maamoon

Apr 9, 2021

My wife and I always wanted to learn more about the stars and astronomy and when we found this tour we found it to be a unique experience. Luke was very informative and knowledgeable about the subject matter. It was an great experience and would definitely do again.

Meghan

Apr 6, 2021

Luke did an amazing job! He tailored his program to our group and his passion for astronomy was contagious! The whole experience was perfect!

Rustom

Apr 2, 2021

A truly magical experience for both Astrology and non-Astrology lovers. A gorgeous location in Boulder with multiple telescopes and expert commentary on stars, Earth's rotation, celestial bodies and locations and more. Highly recommended.

Chelsea

Mar 21, 2021

This was an AMAZING experience. Not only do you get to look at the moon, stars, planets close up but you also get to see where stars are born and some cool fun fact about ehat makes the north star so cool and the constellations. Luke is so so so knowledgeable I highly recommend asking him ALL the questions. Luke as gears the experince to what you want to learn or know about and shows you in the telescopes what you'd like to see in particular. This was an awesome experience and Luke is phenomenal. I highly recommend you adding this to you list of things to do if you are searching. 100/10

Lindsay

Apr 1, 2021

This was a fantastic and magical excursion! Luke tailored the experience to what we were interested in learning and seeing and was so funny as well!

Shashank

Mar 21, 2021

Amazing experience. Highly recommend going for the tour. There are so many pieces of information in the night sky that tell us our place on the planet. You will definitely learn something new here.

Samantha

Mar 2, 2021

I learned SO much on this experience with Luke! He was knowledgeable and answered all my questions. My fav was learning all the folk tales about astrology. The location is stunning and we were even able to see a bit of the Milky Way. Definitely take this tour!

John

Feb 10, 2021

Not only is Luke extremely knowledgable about what's happening out in the universe, he is experienced and put on a great show with a sense of humor, guiding us along, using a laser to show us all around the sky throughout the night. The telescopes were pretty epic. Really grateful for this experience! Thank you so much, Luke!

Maverick

Jan 11, 2021

Luke is immensely knowledgeable and a wonderful storyteller. He obviously loves the stars in our sky and can tell you basically everything about each one of them. Luke is very accommodating and brings so much to light. No one else does a tour like this; you have to see it.

Sanjay

Jan 9, 2021

Absolutely amazing, personable, and magical! . Luke is a class act and amazing story teller, a man who listens and shares the universe to his guests. My wife and i had such a magical experience, these word aren’t enough to describe the emotions that we were feeling. It felt like a magical first date with my wife and we have been married 8 years! He knowledge and pasionfor the universe is absolutely mind blowing. His care and protocol for covid is also extremely thoughtful. Kudos to luke, i will send a-lot of business your way. Too bad its only 5 stars, i would give all the stars we saw!

Erica

Nov 17, 2020

I think anyone could truly enjoy the perspective Luke provided during his Astronomy tour. He provided a number of telescopes to observe planets and stars. He also provided plenty of relatable background about astronomical topics that was very enjoyable, even to a person with a limited science background. Would recommend to anyone looking to take in Boulder’s beautiful night sky!

...and many more find more reviews on: TripAdvisor , AirBnB, and Facebook

See for your self by booking an astronomy tour today!

Check out Mercury tonight!

On May 17th Mercury reached “greatest eastern elongation” meaning Mercury is best viewed just after sunset in the next few days!

To see Mercury look to the west after sunset the main trick here is you want to look a bit after sunset when it’s dark enough that Mercury is visible but if you wait too long Mercury will set. A tad after 9P has been about perfect for me. Mercury will be fairly low on the western horizon at sunset so it is best seen when you have a clear view of the western horizon, which can be difficult from the front range with the mountains directly west of us. I am seeing it where I am in Boulder even with the mountains towering to the west but you will have a better time the further east you go (or even better from a mountain peak, or a beach with the ocean to the west!).

Mercury was named after the fastest god Mercury with wings on his shoes because Mercury (the planet) moves really fast! Watch Mercury over the next few days and you will see why. Just over the next few days you can see Mercury bolt to the horizon and in about a week it’ll be impossible to see!

This is because Mercury is the innermost planet; it's able to race around the sun once every 88 days! so if you missed it this time save the date for September 13, 2021 when you'll be able to see it in the west after sunset again!

This is a fun age calculator that will tell you your age on other planets: https://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/age/ you will always find Mercury to be the largest since it’s the quickest to get around the sun! (Checking that for this post I found this weekend will be my first birthday on Saturn! 🥳)

Diagram showing phases of Mercury (and Venus) and how far from the sun/horizon at sunset they get when viewed from earth.

Because Mercury orbits the sun so close and the earth’s orbit is much further from the sun Mercury never gets more than about 20 degrees from the sun in our sky. Astronomers only really count twilight as being over when the sun is more than 20 degrees below the horizon. Meaning you only really see Mercury during twilight making it one of the hardest planets to spot!

The Main thing to see with Mercury in binoculars/telescopes is its phases. Just like the moon Mercury as phases and they are slightly visible in good binoculars or a telescope. You should beagle to see a little lopsidedness to the dot when looking and if you have a good telescope you might beagle to see what phase it's in.

If you want to see it up close in a big telescope book a tour in the next few days! AstroTours.org/booking