The Two Sisters document their travels to several observatories across Arizona, including the Whipple Observatory near Amado and Kitt Peak National Observatory west of Tucson.

Midge Lemay and Sue Poirier describe the scenery on their travels, the history of the observatories, the exhibits in the visitor centers, and other observatories in Southern Arizona they might add to their list of places to see.

The Kitt Peak National Observatory is on the list of the 25 best observatories to visit in the U.S., compiled by Space Tourism Guide.

Have you been to any of the observatories that Midge and Sue visited?

Share your experiences with the community.

Probably a question for Burley:

If we ever get a clear July/August night sky (don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled when we get rain overnight), what will be present to view or photograph during this period?  I’m looking forward to the Perseid meteor shower in Augus. 

Over the past several months, NABUR member and community specialist Burley Packwood has shared the beautiful astrophotography he takes from his backyard observatory with the community.

I recently had a chance to talk with Burley about how he got interested in the field, how he built his backyard observatory, and how humans have benefited from astrophotography over the years.

So, without any further ado, meet your NABUR Burley Packwood.

With the Milky Way getting higher in the sky each night, now is a great time to view the night sky. For example, above is an image I took several years ago of the Lagoon Nebula (also known as M8) in Sagittarius. It’s a large star-forming emission nebula about 5000 light-years away. It can easily be seen to the southeast with binoculars or a small telescope and, on a dark night, with the naked eye. It’s sufficiently high to see now at 10 PM and will continue to rise and be visible earlier each night.