The recent lunar eclipse got me thinking about the evening sky tour my husband and I were "wowed" by in Sedona a week and a half ago. The dark, clear nights in northern Arizona make for excellent star gazing. We booked a tour with an outfit that provides sky tourists with their own professional astronomer who sets up a state-of-the-art telescope at a dark sky site (www.eveningskytours.com).

Here's our guide! With laser pointer in hand, he highlighted planets, galaxies, and nebula. Then we took turns peering through the lens of the telescope to view these objects in detail. The moon was just a crescent that night, which made the constellations easier to find. It really was quite magical. I can see why our sister publication, Astronomy magazine, has such a loyal following (www.astronomy.com).