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Valerie Stimac

Travel & Space Tourism Writer

Valerie Stimac

Travel & Space Tourism Writer

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Hello world!

vstimacApril 17, 2019Leave a Comment on Hello world!

I know you’re not supposed to share horizontal p

I know you’re not supposed to share horizontal photos on here, but I just love this photo from @nasa Michoud, where they make rockets.

Say what you will about the cost, delays, scope of the SLS program, but it’s still an engineering feat and the stuff they use to make rockets is really cool. 🚀

I did NOT take this photo, but it was too impressi

I did NOT take this photo, but it was too impressive not to share…

📸: @thespaceperspective

This photo was taken on a test flight on June 18. The company, Space Perspective, made this test flight to mark the anniversary of announcing their company (which I covered for Forbes last year). As part of this year’s test flight, they equipped their spacecraft with cameras and snapped this photo of sunrise (swipe for a video).

They also announced they’re taking reservations for flights to space, which will give you this view. The price? $125k. Not bad, considering how expensive all the other options are. I might even start saving up! 😂

If you’re curious, you can hit the link in my story today to read the full post, or just admire the view.

Would you pay to go to space? How much?

One of my favorite night sky photos I’ve taken:

One of my favorite night sky photos I’ve taken: @whitishj at @undercanvasgrandcanyon during our honeymoon last year. 😍🤩

I just published a guide to visiting the Grand Canyon on my blog, and I always love a good excuse to go back through our old travel photos. It’s definitely bittersweet while we wait to be able to travel again... but I feel so grateful to have had so many travels in my life up to this point.

Anyone else need a gratitude reminder today? Publish what you’re grateful for in the comments and we can all feel the light. 🌟

Want to travel with me? I'm rescheduling my Jordan

Want to travel with me? I'm rescheduling my Jordan tour!

Last March, my first tour – a 10-day trip to Jordan for history, culture, and stargazing – was canceled (for obvious reasons). I'm now re-scheduling it, probably for March 2022.

Here are some of the tour highlights:
✨ A talk on Arabic Astronomy with local Jordanian astronomers
✨ Petra by night
✨ Staying in the Martian Domes in Wadi Rum
✨ Stargazing over the Dead Sea

Let me know in the comments if you want updates about the tour and I'll make sure to share with you when I finalize new dates and prices!

Photo by Sylvain L. via Flickr/Creative Commons

#jordan #petra #petrabynight #night #stargazing #astronomy #arabicastronomy #jordanian #stars #space #astrotourism #spacetourism

The stars over Monument Valley ✨🏜 Want to tak

The stars over Monument Valley ✨🏜 Want to take photos like this?

During our honeymoon, @whitishj and I spent one night in the Navajo Nation. Because he is a wonderful husband, he agreed to leave our cozy hotel and head out for a night of stargazing. I didn't get the best shots, because the moon was particularly bright – that's why the landscape is so bright, because there is basically no light pollution out here.

Here are my top quick astrophotography tips:
📷 Use manual camera settings, a tripod, and remote
📷 Pay attention to the moon phase – a full moon will blow out your photos
📷 Plan to do post-processing; most great night sky photos are edited to help them really ✨shine✨

Have questions about shooting astrophotography? Let me know in the comments and I'll answer with my best advice!

#monumentvalley #navajonation #nightsky #night #stars #space #stargazing #astronomy #astrotourism #spacetourism #nightskyphotography #astrophotography

Would you believe me if I told you it's *kinda* po

Would you believe me if I told you it's *kinda* possible to go stargazing in New York City?

I decided to start sharing my City Stargazing Guides with NYC, because if you can stargaze here, you can stargaze anywhere!

Here are five spots that are better than others for stargazing in NYC:
1️⃣ Carl Schurz Park (Manhattan)
2️⃣ The High Line (Manhattan)
3️⃣ Brooklyn Museum Fountain (Brooklyn)
4️⃣ Alley Pond Environmental Center (Queens)
5️⃣ Woodlawn Cemetery (The Bronx)

Let me be clear that you're still going to be dealing with a LOT of light pollution and won't see a pristine night sky. But if you're in the city and still love the night sky, these places will do!

Which city should I share next? Let me know in the comments.

Photo by Jauher Ali Nasir via Flickr/Creative Commons

#stargazing #nightsky #night #space #spacetourism #astrotourism #astronomy #nyc #newyorkcity #ig_nyc #newyork #newyorkcitylife #newyorkcityphotographers

I can't believe I've never shared these photos!

I can't believe I've never shared these photos!

I took these at the 2017 Solar Eclipse; we viewed it from Salem, Oregon. I was invited as media and allowed to bring camera gear to set up – but I received my notice so late that all the solar filters were sold out, so we had to hack together solar paper and cardboard frames to protect our lenses while shooting the sun and eclipse.

Swipe to see our setup, the best photo from the day, and how I felt about it all – how I STILL feel about it all.

Did you see the 2017 total solar eclipse? Do you ever want to see an eclipse?

#solareclipse #totalsolareclipse #eclipse #astrophotography #astronomy #astrotourism #spacetourism #space #totaleclipse

Is seeing the northern lights on your bucket list?

Is seeing the northern lights on your bucket list? There are other places beyond Alaska where you can potentially see the aurora in the U.S.

Here's a list – swipe through the gallery to see photos from some of them!

1️⃣ Panhandle National Forest, Idaho
2️⃣ @acadianps, Maine
3️⃣ Headlands International Dark Sky Park, Michigan
4️⃣ Cook County, Minnesota
5️⃣ @voyageursnps, Minnesota
6️⃣ @glaciernps, Montana
7️⃣ Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire
8️⃣ @theodorerooseveltnps, North Dakota
9️⃣ @olympic_nps, Washington
🔟 Malletts Bay, Vermont

Save this post so you can remember which one is nearest to you!

Photo credits: (1) Mike Lewinski, (2) Bureau of Land Management, (3) Mike Lewinski, (4) gerrybuckel, (5) Rob Pongsajapan All via Flickr/Creative Commons

#aurora #northernlights #unitedstates #idaho #michigan #headlandsdarkskypark #minnesota #findyourpark #nationalparks #auroraborealis #astrophotography #auroraphotography #nightsky #nightskyphotography #astronomy #astrotourism #auroratourism #spacetourism

Where to Go Stargazing in the San Francisco Bay Ar

Where to Go Stargazing in the San Francisco Bay Area

When I moved to the Bay Area, I knew I had to write a guide to stargazing here – it's a big urban area but there are hills and water on all sides, which help make for some decent stargazing spots.

Here are five to visit if you want to see the stars and live here (or are visiting):
1️⃣ @chabotspace, where this telescope photo was taken!
2️⃣ Land's End
3️⃣ Twin Peaks
4️⃣ Mount Tam
5️⃣ Pigeon Point

You can see the full list at spacetourismguide.com/best-places-stargazing-san-francisco or at the link in my bio. Don't forget that I share night sky guides every month, too!

Which city stargazing guide should I share next?

#sanfrancisco #sfbayarea #sanfran #onlyinsf #stargazing #nightsky #astronomy #astrotourism #sanfranciscobay #sanfranciscoworld #sanfranciscolife

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