Instagram story viewer> @astrono_v> Posts

Astrono V

@astrono_v

682

followers

471

following

NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador 🔭 Kitt Peak National Observatory 🪐 Living with joyful persistence 🚀 Let them 💕Arizona 🌅

POSTS STORIES REELS

Grand Canyon Star Party is my favorite event of the year! Please enjoy this compilation of the majestic Milky Way rising over the Grand Canyon. 🤩 Always feels like coming home! Thank you to so many humans for helping make this the best one yet!
.
.
.
.
.
.
#grandcanyonstarparty2024 #taaa #grandcanyon #milkyway #rising #starparty #tucson #ssa #solarsystem #astronomy #volunteer #milkywayphotography #astrophotography #focusastronomy #focusastronomyoutreach by @astrono_v

In Arizona? Visit Kitt Peak National Observatory! #Astronomy #STEM #Space Book: Baby’s Guide To The Night Sky (Sourcebooks) preorder now! by @astrono_v

What a stellar week!!

We hosted an exclusive screening of "Wright of Passage," shared some emotional moments, laughed a lot, and connected with people pushing the boundaries of exploration and human potential.

We also got a private tour of the Kitt Peak Observatory (7,000ft elevation), and got to eat, sleep, and work at Biosphere 2 for a few days.

Grateful for the crew, the conversations, and the reminder that adventure is still very much alive. by @astrono_v

This is what’s at stake. 🌌

Casually saying, “Sure, let’s go stargazing tonight.”
The Milky Way, our home galaxy, stretches across the sky in a way that feels almost impossible to believe. Highly visible despite the encroaching clouds.

The bright stars we know are there shine through. And beyond them, thousands more appear, as the darkness gives them a chance to be seen.

That darkness is what’s at stake.
Not just a beautiful night sky, but the freedom to know that with a short drive, the stars will still be waiting.

The night sky has always been there for us.
We should make sure it stays that way.

#milkyway #astronomy #arizona #galaxy #darkskies by @astrono_v

The Grand Canyon Star Party is truly incredible. Over 36 years strong, it’s a tradition that keeps bringing us back year after year. 💫
A heartfelt thank you to the Grand Canyon Conservancy, Ranger Rader Lane, the incredible park staff and volunteers, the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association, and most of all, the wonderful attendees who make this event so special.
In memory of Dean Ketelsen, a dear friend and a damn good astronomer. You are missed. 🌌
.
.
.
.
.

#GrandCanyonStarParty #GrandCanyon #Astronomy #Stargazing #DarkSkies AmateurAstronomy NightSky TAAA GrandCanyonConservancy DeanKetelsen by @astrono_v

The Grand Canyon Star Party is a beautiful reminder of why we look up. ✨
Grateful for dark skies, endless wonder, and the opportunity to share the universe with others.
I spoke to ✨ so ✨ many ✨folks ✨throughout the week - on the trails, alongside the canyon, and of course, at the starparty!
So thankful for the people who make this outreach possible and for the moments that remind us how lucky we are to simply look up and wonder. 🌌💫
.
.
.
.
.
.
#gcsp2026 #grandcanyon #starparty #milkyway #arizona by @astrono_v

The Milky Way peeking through the pines at our campgrounds after the final night of the Grand Canyon Star Party. As our last conversations quieted with old and new friends, and our telescopes were packed away, the bright core of our galaxy emerged overhead, reminding us that some of the most meaningful moments happen when we pause and look up.
I’m enormously grateful for places like the Grand Canyon, where wonder seems to find us effortlessly. In a world that moves quickly, it is a gift to have opportunities to slow down, acknowledge how extraordinary it all is, and spend a little time looking at our home in the galaxy.
Until next year 💫🌌
.
.
.
.
.
.
#grandcanyon #grandcanyonstarparty2026 #gcsp #milkyway #space by @astrono_v

Gratitude. That’s the word that comes to me every time I see the first signs of the new monsoon season arriving here in Southern Arizona. From the hills of Kitt Peak, we have grand views of towering clouds and enormous downpours that bring new life to our desert. They revive our summer attitudes, lift our spirits, and remind us that renewal often arrives in spectacular ways.
Then comes awe. The kind that stops you in your tracks. The kind that invites you to look a little longer, breathe a little deeper, and remember how small we are in the presence of something so powerful and beautiful. Gratitude for the rain. Awe for the beauty and strength of nature. Together, they make the monsoon season one of the greatest gifts of living in the Sonoran Desert.
.
.
.
.
.
#monsoons #southernarizona #gratitude by @astrono_v

by @astrono_v

It’s been a harsh bit of time here it seems for everyone, but finding time to visit one of my favorite places in Arizona helps! #patagonialakestatepark by @astrono_v

I don’t have that typical story:
I was 31 years old when I became entranced by astronomy. I wanted to know all the stars’ names! Although they never told me directly, I’ve been slowly working on finding out. 🤩
Now, ten years later, I get to work at the National Observatory and help lead a team of the best and most enthusiastic individuals I’ve encountered. We all work together to help interpret the nighttime sky and bring science to all. 🔭 I’m extremely grateful and do not take this honor lightly.
Keep looking up my friends, and continue to work collaboratively and in community. 🪐
Photo credit: K. LeGore 24’
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#astronomy #grandcanyon #milkyway #milkywayphotography #grandcanyonstarparty2024 #volunteer #focusastronomy #laser #starparty #star by @astrono_v

When I think about the rolling beauty here, Tucson overwhelms me 🌙 I’m continually blown away by the beauty the desert embodies, and just how lucky I am to interpret it. 🥰
.
.
.
.
#tucson #lightning #monsoons #desertbeauty #rare #humble #grateful #arizona #letitroll by @astrono_v