[SentraSE-R]

Metrompg,

We show the wonders of the night sky to park visitors through telescopes. The vast majority of them come from light-polluted cities, so just seeing the Milky Way is amazing to them. We show them things like the Andromeda Galaxy, the globular star cluster Messier 13, the Owl or ET Cluster, the Lagoon and Swan Nebulae, and Albireo (a beautiful blue and yellow double star combination). On full moon nights, we show them the Moon and the larger planets (usually Jupiter or Saturn are up). Each object is unique and remarkable in its own way.

It gives me the opportunity to live and view under some of the darkest skies in the country, and I get to do some education every night. If I'm showing them the Andromeda Galaxy, I may tell them it's the farthest object visible to the naked eye, and the light we're seeing started traveling to us 2.5 million years ago, about the time our ape-like ancestor Lucy was walking the earth.

I volunteered in Chaco Culture National Historic Park, Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, and Bryce Canyon NP last year.