By Nicole Gleason/Arizona Sonora News A lot of astronomers start out as stargazing children whose curiosity for the cosmos is fueled by a key experience. For Carl Sagan, it was the 1939 New York World’s Fair, where he saw a flashlight shining on a photoelectric cell. For Neil deGrasse Tyson, it happened after he visited…
The former astronomical hot spot of the world is finding itself in a battle to remain relevant. Kitt Peak National Observatory, located about 55 miles southwest of Tucson, was founded in 1958. It is on the Quinlan Mountains on the Tohono O’odham Nation reservation and is at an elevation of roughly 7,000 feet. Director of…
Arizona is one of the best places in the world to see the stars but its stargazing nights might be numbered. Light pollution primarily from Phoenix is degrading the night skies, diminishing the visibility of the heavens that has fueled a multimillion-dollar astronomy industry. Arizona’s clear weather, dry climate and high mountains make the…
Tucson — Commercial space travel may seem like science fiction, but by 2016, lawmakers are hoping that you’ll be able to hitch a ride to the stratosphere right here in Ariz. Space Development Company Paragon based in Tucson is developing a high altitude balloon ride to the edge of space. For $75,000, participants will travel…
