Astronomy magazine Editor David J. Eicher filed this report from his trip to Arizona Sky Village: Friday opened up great adventures on our journey to the Arizona Sky Village (ASV). Senior Editor Michael Bakich and I continued our stay at Rancho Hidalgo, the newest development of ASV creator Gene Turner and his associates. The ranch lies just across the New Mexico border from ASV near the little town of Animas. Gene and his girlfriend, Loy Guzman,...

“The skies on our first night did not disappoint. Armed with the group’s 30-inch f/4.4 Starmaster Dobsonian reflector and a computer-controlled database, we went after dozens of deep-sky objects.” After flying from Milwaukee to Denver to Tucson, Senior Editor Michael Bakich and I arrived at the eastern arm of the Arizona Sky Village (ASV) yesterday and immediately began an on-the-spot star party with a group of ASV owners. Instead of going to the...

Later today I’m heading west, along with Senior Editor Michael Bakich , to a desolate area southeast of Tucson, Arizona, to visit the Arizona Sky Village (ASV). Michael and I will spend the next few days observing, observing, and observing. We’ll be fortunate enough to be guests of Gene Turner, founder of the ASV. The Arizona Sky Village is a development project near Portal, Arizona, tucked at the base of the Chiricahua Mountains, and it offers a...

From July 18 through August 2, 2008, Astronomy magazine had the pleasure of hosting a total eclipse expedition — along with MWT Associates — to visit Russia and witness the August 1 total solar eclipse . It was great fun, made so largely by the fantastic organization and energy of Melita Thorpe, president of MWT. I accompanied Senior Editor Rich Talcott , our readers, and travelers from Chicago's Adler Planetarium and the Astronomical Society...

It’s funny who you get to know on an eclipse trip . I’ve met corporate executives, small-business owners, professional photographers, and lots of others. On our recent trip to Siberia to view the August 1 total solar eclipse , we met Ed Piwowarski , a guy who paints movie sets. My wife and I are both big movie fans, so we asked him what movies he had worked on. He mentioned several box-office hits, some independent films, and others not so well known...

Twilight ringed the horizon above the Ob Sea during the August 1 total solar eclipse. Rich Talcott photo The weather forecast for August 1 in Novosibirsk, Russia , didn’t look promising. On the evening of July 31, the most favorable prediction called for partly cloudy skies, while the more pessimistic predicted a 70 percent chance of rain. Fortunately for Astronomy Editor Dave Eicher and me — and more than 150 fellow eclipse chasers with our MWT Associates...

The Space Place's Jim Lattis as he showed us around the facility. David J. Eicher Tucked away in a strip mall in Madison, Wisconsin, lies one of the nicest astronomy education and outreach facilities that I’ve ever seen. The Space Place , located at 2300 South Park Street in Wisconsin’s capital, is a cavernous wonderland that entertains students with the wonders of the heavens. Senior Editor Michael E. Bakich and I were treated to a private tour...