Take trip that’s out of this world

It’s time for a stellar getaway.

No, I’m not talking about interstellar space travel. That’s a few years off.

What I suggest is that you stay on spaceship Earth and take a trip dedicated to star watching.

If you live in the countryside far from the big city and already have super dark night skies to begin with, you may not feel the need to travel for stargazing as much as people who live in light pollution plagued cities and suburbs.

Even if you’re a super rural resident, it’s still wonderful to have a stellar getaway to escape the distractions at home and really get to know and appreciate all the night sky has to offer.

A long weekend of three or four nights under the stars will do you good and help step up your stargazing abilities. You don’t need a telescope, but bringing one along will really get you more familiar with it and will make your stellar getaway even more worthwhile.

Also, don’t restrict your trip to the summer months. That’s actually a disadvantage because of the later sunsets and shorter nights, along with those pesky mosquitoes.

If you have good boots, a super warm coat and other cold weather gear, winter stargazing can be tremendous.

Most importantly, pick a place where you can have fun during the day and also have “plan B” activities ready to go just in case it’s cloudy.

Speaking of winter stargazing, a great place to go if you want to really get away is southern Arizona. I’ve been going there every winter for the last eight years or so and I love it.

There are all kinds of great activities you can do during the daytime. At night, the starry skies in the desert away from the big cities like Tucson and Phoenix will blow you away.

I have to warn you though, it can get really chilly in the desert at night. The low humidity keeps the skies super transparent, but also makes the temperature drop like a rock shortly after sunset.

I have three specific suggestions for you in southern Arizona. The first is Kitt Peak National Observatory. It’s just a little more than an hour southwest of Tucson and it is outstanding.

In addition to touring the facility they have tremendous daytime and nighttime education programs for all different ages and levels, from beginners to advanced. Not only is there education, but you’ll also have a hands-on and eyes-on experience with large telescopes. It will be a night you won’t forget. I have a good friend who just attended an advanced level program and is still raving about it.

Another suggestion I have is the San Pedro Valley Observatory just outside of the small town of Benson, Ariz., about 40 miles east of Tucson. It’s the facility I attended when I first started going down to Arizona for stargazing back in 2008.

Like Kitt Peak, they have an array of educational programs for all levels and abilities, with hands-on experiences with telescopes.

The big difference is that you get a lot more individual attention. No more than four people are permitted to a group. The programs cost a little more money, but I think it’s worth it. I love that place.

Now if you really want to go hard core, check out Sky Village in extreme southeastern Arizona, near the tiny town of Portal.

Sky Village is a community of homes built by astronomers and amateur astronomers. You are truly in the desert under super dark skies and you’re on your own.

There’s a small cafe in Portal and a bar-restaurant in the tiny town of Rodeo, N.M., about 15 miles away. Make sure there’s plenty of gas in your car because the nearest gas station is more than 50 miles away.

There are no formal educational facilities, but you can rent houses there for a few days to a few weeks at a time.

The house I rent every year is called Greenwich House. It’s about $100 a night. The house is wonderful and can sleep up to seven people, and it has Wi-Fi and satellite TV.

It also has a great open top observatory outside that you can put your telescope in. What’s really nice is that you’re free to use one of their telescopes as well.

What I also love about Sky Village is that it’s literally at the foot of the gorgeous Chiricahua Mountains. During the day there’s much you can explore and so many great hiking trails. It’s also one of the best winter bird watching places in North America.

I’ve been going to Sky Village for about a week every winter since 2010. I drive down there with one of my large reflector telescopes and my astrophotography telescope and gear.

Astrophotography can be a real challenge, but I think especially this year I really stepped up my game, if you’ll permit me to brag a little.

No matter what kind of astronomy/stargazing getaway you plan, it can be really educational, a lot of fun and I can tell you that it’s good for the soul.

Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis/Paul and is author of the book, “Stars, a Month by Month Tour of the Constellations” published by Adventure Publications and available at bookstores and at www.adventurepublications.net.