One thing I noticed when I moved back to Winslow was how clearly you can see the stars at night. It was something I had always taken for granted while growing up here but leaving for college and returning after not seeing any stars under the Phoenix smog and bright lights opened my eyes to what I had missed.
We’re lucky in our communities. Lucky to live in a place where the sky hasn’t been drowned out by light or air pollution. Just down the road, Flagstaff became the world’s first International Dark Sky City, setting the gold standard for what thoughtful lighting and community pride can do for the night. Because it’s not just about beauty. It’s about inspiring wonder.
The universe has captured the curiosity of humans for millenniums and continues to this day. Space can be a great introduction to science to children. A visit to Lowell Observatory, just an hour or so west, can be the start of something lifelong. Where else can a child stand where Pluto was discovered and imagine what else is out there waiting?
Inspiring the next generation doesn’t take a rocket. It takes intention. It takes field trips and science nights, music programs and storytelling. The stars are part of the arts as much as the sciences — they’ve guided our songs, our stories, our paintings and our mythologies. And in our communities, where the desert sky still gives us a front-row seat to the cosmos, we have the chance to connect to all of that — past and future — for our kids and ourselves.
If it’s been a while since you’ve taken a gander at the great unknown, let this be your excuse to change that. Summer is a great time for stargazing and there are great events like the star parties at Homolovi State Park that allow you not only to enjoy the act of stargazing but learn from real astronomers about our place in the universe. The stars are still there, waiting, all you have to do is look up.
