Latest news with #Tucson-area
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bullets strike staffer's car at Daniel Hernandez's campaign office
Daniel Hernandez in 2023. Photo by Gage Skidmore | Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0 A shooting outside the campaign headquarters of longtime gun safety advocate and congressional candidate Daniel Hernandez left his family and staffers shaken Thursday afternoon. At around 5:15 p.m., according to a statement from the Tucson Police Department, officers responded to a call about vandalism and possible vehicle damage at the Hernandez family home, which doubles as his campaign headquarters. A staffer's car was struck by a bullet, and shell casings were found at the scene. No one was harmed. The investigation remains ongoing and no arrests have yet been made. Hernandez, a Democrat who is running in the special election to represent Arizona's 7th Congressional district, lamented the 'deeply unsettling' danger his family and team were in and denounced what he said was another in a long string of threats against his political career. 'As a gun violence survivor, I know this fear all too well — and over the years, my family and I have endured repeated death threats,' he said in a written statement. 'Our family, our staff, and our supporters deserve to feel safe. Violence and intimidation have no place in our politics. We will not be deterred, and we will share more information as it becomes available.' Hernandez has served in public office since 2017, when he was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives. Along with his younger sisters, current state Reps. Alma Hernandez and Consuelo Hernandez, the trio has established a progressive brand that emphasizes LGBTQ rights, immigrant rights and gun safety. The race to represent Arizona's 7th Congressional district is just a week away. The registration deadline to vote in the special primary election is June 16, and early voting begins on June 18. Hernandez faces a crowded field to win the Democratic nomination in the heavily Democratic district. The percentage of voters in the district who cast their ballots for Democratic candidates is more than twice that of those for Republicans. Leading the pack are Hernandez and Adelita Grijalva, a veteran of Tucson-area politics who has netted endorsements from high-profile figures like U.S. Senators Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly. Grijalva is seeking to continue the legacy of her father, U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva, who represented the district for more than two decades until his death from cancer in April. In a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Adelita Grijalva expressed her opposition to gun violence and her relief that no one was hurt. 'My thoughts are with the Hernandez family and campaign team tonight,' she wrote. 'I'm relieved to learn that everyone is safe. We deserve safe communities free from gun violence.' Concern over gun violence is a key part of Hernandez's political platform. In 2011, he interned for U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords and was credited with helping save her life when she was shot in 2011. That experience informed his commitment to gun safety advocacy, and he later became the state director for Everytown for Gun Safety, heading the organization's efforts to enshrine stricter regulations in Arizona law from 2012 through 2014. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trans advocacy group endorses Grijalva as progressive frontrunner in special election
Adelita Grijalva on on Sept. 19, 2023. Photo by Michael MicKisson | Arizona Luminaria Adelita Grijalva has won the endorsement of the country's first organization dedicated to championing pro-trans candidates in her bid to win a special congressional election in southern Arizona, strengthening her ties to trans rights advocacy amid worsening hostility from the federal government — even as some in the Democratic Party move to the right on the issue. Grijalva is campaigning for a chance to represent Arizona's 7th congressional district, a seat held for over two decades by her father, progressive giant Raúl Grijalva, until his death last month at 77 following a long battle with lung cancer. The younger Grijalva, a veteran of Tucson-area politics who currently sits on the Pima County Board of Supervisors, faces a crowded field in July's Democratic primary. But she has quickly emerged as the frontrunner, gathering the required number of signatures to qualify for the ballot within hours of her announcement to run and nabbing endorsements from prominent political figures, including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego. The Christopher Street Project, a national trans electoral advocacy organization established to counter the GOP's anti-trans focus, announced Wednesday it was backing Grijalva. The group's support cements her progressive bonafides and signals to voters that she hasn't joined the faction of the Democratic Party that is willing to compromise trans rights for electoral appeal. During last year's election, as Republicans and President Donald Trump poured millions into campaign ads attacking trans people, Democratic congressional candidates in red states and battleground states adopted anti-trans talking points of their own. And in January, two Texas Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives sided with Republicans to vote for legislation that would have prohibited trans girls in public schools from joining sports teams that best align with their gender identity. In a written statement, Grijalva celebrated the endorsement from the Christopher Street Project and called the anti-trans attacks from Republicans 'hateful, dangerous and shameful.' She vowed to push back on legislation targeting trans people and to keep fellow party members on track. 'In Congress, I'll fight alongside (the Christopher Street Project) to defend our trans communities, hold Democrats accountable to their promises, and push back against every effort to strip away our rights,' Grijalva said. 'Our message is clear: trans people belong, and we won't back down.' Tyler Hack, the 19-year-old founder of the Christopher Street Project, which is named after the New York City street where the Stonewall Inn is located, said that Grijalva was the perfect choice for the organization's first ever political endorsement, given her history of consistent allyship. She has spent two decades on the Tucson Unified School District's governing board and has spent four years on the board of supervisors, where she was often involved with local LGBTQ and Pride month events. 'Adelita Grijalva is a proven champion for trans rights, and in the midst of this unprecedented, state-sponsored attack on trans people, we need her voice in Congress,' Hack said in a written statement. Trump has issued multiple executive orders intended to make it impossible for trans people to live as themselves, including by erasing the federal recognition of trans people's existence, prohibiting pronoun use in federal agencies, threatening to cut federal funding from health care organizations that offer gender affirming care, laying the groundwork to ban trans people from the military and reinterpreting federal protections in a way that excludes gender identity so as to bar trans girls from joining school sports teams that best reflect who they are. The Republican-controlled Congress is in lockstep with Trump's anti-trans vision, proposing bills that discriminate against trans people in athletics, public facilities, housing, school and government identification documents. Hack said the only way to ensure a bulwark against that tide of attacks is by electing Democrats that are serious about protecting trans people. 'The Democratic Party needs to hold up its responsibility to all marginalized peoples, and that includes trans people,' they said. 'Democratic voters aren't happy with the abdication to Trump and to MAGA Republicans. We need fighters who will step up and support trans people in every way that they can.' Along with pushing back on the anti-trans agenda at the federal level, Hack said a pro-trans candidate is needed to help ensure local resources for trans people, which are increasingly under attack from the Trump administration, remain available. That's because the threats from Trump and Republicans in Congress have resulted in state-based organizations complying in advance with discriminatory directives to avoid future consequences — even at the expense of trans people. Shortly after the Arizona branch of Planned Parenthood received a letter from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services instructing it not to use Medicaid funding to pay for gender-affirming care, the organization voluntarily froze its trans health care services out of an 'abundance of caution.' Following public backlash, those services were restored. That, Hack said, is a clear example of a time when a trans-friendly advocate, like Grijalva, can be critical for trans Arizonans. 'Having someone who we can call and who can actually push an organization or a group to stand up for trans people and to not abdicate to Trump's attacks is crucial,' they said. The Christopher Street Project's vote of confidence is also a boost for Grijalva's status as an advocate for LGBTQ rights, helping level the playing field against her most high-profile opponent, former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez. He was one of Arizona's few openly gay state lawmakers, was a founding member of the legislature's LGBTQ Caucus and spent years supporting working to enshrine LGBTQ rights into state statute and speaking out against discriminatory legislation. Hack said the organization is working to mobilize volunteers in Arizona on behalf of Grijalva's bid and pointed out that the election for the congressional district's seat will be one of the first to take place since Trump took office in January. That, they said, gives the organization and trans advocates across the state an opportunity to flex their political muscles. 'This is the first special election in a safe blue or competitive district since Trump took office this year,' Hack said. 'There hasn't been an opportunity to demonstrate trans political power yet, and we're so excited to bring that to Arizona (CD) 7.' The district, which spans much of southern Arizona, leans Democratic, with the percentage of votes cast for Democratic candidates more than doubling those cast for Republicans. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New astronomy trail debuts in Tucson, a city protective of its dark skies
Nine people are crammed in a tiny room with no ceiling on the grounds of Kitt Peak National Observatory. It's cold. It's dark. Each person awaits a turn at the eyepiece of a 20-inch telescope trained on an object. A marbled sphere, swirled in colors of maroon, rust, and cream. It's Jupiter, a fellow planet in our solar system, fifth from the sun. 'Look at that black speck that kinda looks like dirt on the lens,' says guide James Schweder. 'That's Io, one of Jupiter's moons, casting its shadow on the planet.' He puts the show in perspective. 'You're basically watching a solar eclipse from more than 417 million miles away.' With a surfeit of blockbuster attractions as the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Monument Valley and the Hoover Dam in the state, travelers to Arizona can be forgiven for overlooking the fact that its second largest city, Tucson, is a world capital of astronomy. The surrounding mountains host the world's largest concentration of astronomical scopes and spectrographs. The U.S. national observatory is here, and so is the Vatican's (dubbed the 'pope scope'). The world's largest public telescope sits atop Mt. Lemmon. The only facility to manufacture the world's largest mirrors for telescopes is located under the east side bleachers of the University of Arizona's football stadium (no, really). There are six Dark Sky parks and communities in the area, including a desert park recently named the world's ninth Urban Night Sky Place. And Tucson itself is the headquarters of the movement to protect the world's dark skies and a model city committed to dark sky preservation. The city's new Astro Trail—officially unveiled in January—strings together 11 of the most visitor-friendly stops in a downloadable map. 'It's the weather—clear and dry—plus easily accessible mountains to put telescopes on,' notes Thomas A. Fleming, astronomy professor at the University of Arizona. 'This attracted a cast of characters, especially during the early formation of NASA, and converged to make Tucson a hot place to do astronomy.' In 1967, a high-resolution photographic atlas of the moon used to plan the lunar landing was partly developed at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory using images from the 61-inch telescope on Mount Bigelow in Arizona's Catalina Mountains near Tucson. Today, Tucson-area observatories and research institutions conduct groundbreaking studies on dark energy, exoplanets, and gamma rays, while also creating a detailed 3D map of the universe and capturing the first-ever image of a black hole. (Related: Dark sky tourism is on the rise across the U.S.) As the industry grew, and Tucson's population with it, preventing light pollution became a business necessity. The city's first outdoor lighting ordinances were adopted in 1972. The current code requires shielded lighting and sets limits on the total light produced at night, especially in natural areas and near astronomy sites. In 2019, the city retrofitted nearly 20,000 street lights to adaptive LEDs, saving $2 million of dollars in annual energy costs and resulting in a seven percent reduction in total light emissions from the metro area. 'The prescription for light pollution isn't plunging the world into medieval darkness, or compromising safety,' says Ruskin Hartley, CEO of the nonprofit DarkSky International, which is based in Tucson. 'It's about being wise about the way that we're using it, using it strategically and responsibly.' What's happened over the almost 40 years is a recognition that protecting natural darkness is not only good for astronomy, but also for wildlife and human health. 'There's nothing like being out in the desert or even in downtown Tucson on a moonless night and seeing the Milky Way overhead. That is taken away from us if we blast our lights. So that what started to protect astronomy is actually part of protecting the way of life down here in southern Arizona.' (Related: 10 of the dreamiest stargazing trains in the U.S.) Interest in celestial events and night-sky viewing is at an all-time high. A recent survey showed 62 percent of respondents said they were considering visiting destinations for stargazing. Last year's solar eclipse over North America was one of the most viewed in history, with nearly 20 million people traveling to the path of totality in the United States alone. And dark sky-designated locations have multiplied to more than 200 around the world, with the number of places seeking certification doubling in the past two years. At Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, visitors can peer through the largest dedicated public telescope in the U.S., with a refractor almost three feet across, designed to see solar system planets as well as deep sky objects, such as nebulae. Kitt Peak offers perhaps the closest experience you can have to being an actual astronomer, an overnight program that lets you dine at the same cafeteria as working astronomers, then peer at deep-sky objects from cutting-edge research telescopes for as long as you can stay awake. Not technically astronomy-related, but nevertheless Space Age–y, the Titan Missile Museum displays the only remaining Cold War–era Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile site open to the public. Visitors can also tour Biosphere 2, a failed experiment in the early 1990s in sustaining life in space, now focused on simulating various eco-zones and conducting experiments in astrobiology to answer the question of whether life can exist outside the Earth. (Related: These are the world's best stargazing spots.) Just as professional astronomers come for work, hobbyists come to play, often choosing Tucson as a place to retire. 'Driving around town, it's not unusual to see a home that has an observatory dome connected to the house,' says Fleming. Founded in 1954, the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association has more than 850 members. Volunteers often run the telescopes and point out constellations for school programs and events, including the free Tucson Astronomy Festival, held annually in the spring. At the SkyBar on Fourth Avenue, diners enjoy pizza made in a solar oven, down 'cosmic jello' shots, and peer through one of four telescopes on the patio, guided by a 'star-tender,' one of whom is named Kirk. Full-moon hikes and star parties are held at area parks, including Saguaro National Park, Oracle State Park, and Catalina State Park. Several hotels and inns cater to astrotourists, including Loews Ventana Canyon, which hosts complimentary stargazing three nights a week with a local astronomer. Guests staying at the Cat Mountain Lodge receive a discounted rate on star tours at the privately owned observatory next door. (Related: 10 of the best places for stargazing in the UK.) The highest peak in the Quinlan range, Kitt Peak, at nearly 7,000 feet, is a sacred mountain located within the territory of the Tohono O'odham Nation, a Native American tribe that traces its heritage to the ancient Hohokam people. Not far is another sacred peak where the creator I'itoi, is said to reside. The U.S. national observatory was placed here in 1960 with tribal permission. It's a good spot to ponder the big questions. According to Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan, tribal member and education development liaison at Kitt Peak, the night sky is a gift from I'itoi, impossible to separate from the people without tipping the balance. 'The animals, the plants, the cactus, the mountains, the clouds, the stars—all those are in that same category as humans; they have a living spirit, and we acknowledge them just like we would our parents or our grandparents. They're family, essentially and it is part of our himdag, or way of life, to preserve the balance.' For the majority of its existence, half of humanity's lived experience was after dark. The night sky helped humans mark time, predict weather, signal seasons, and make sense of humanity's place in the cosmos. Yet today, according to DarkSky International, 95 percent of the world's population live under light-polluted skyglow, with many never having seen the Milky Way. (Related: A practical guide to stargazing.) To Vicky Derksen, host of the podcast Night Sky Tourist, we've disconnected from a large part of what makes us human. 'But if people get an opportunity to look at Saturn and they say, 'oh my god, I can see the rings' or they actually see one of Jupiter's moons or glimpse a shooting star from the corner of their eye. Then they walk away feeling like they've had this deep intimate connection with the sky that they didn't know existed.' Scientists who study this feeling of awe and wonder connect it to well-being and happiness. Standing under a gauzy Milky Way, Kathie Zelaya, another of the night guides at Kitt Peak, reminds participants that while it's nice to have the big cameras and the fancy telescopes, you don't necessarily need much equipment. 'On a clear, dark night, there's a lot you can see with binoculars, or even just with the naked eye.' Zelaya demonstrates how to change the settings of a smartphone to capture the natural light show. 'Remember, wherever you are, this is always up there,' she says with a grand sweep of her arm. 'But here you can see it just a little better.' (Related: What's a 'dark sky nation' and why does New Zealand want to become one?) A global astronomy hub, Arizona's second city boasts more than two dozen professional scopes and observatories that look to the skies. The Tucson Astro Trail connects 11 stops within about an hour's drive. It is available as a web app and printed guide, offering visitors a comprehensive journey through the city's space-related sites and activities. There's no cost apart from any admission fee individual sites may charge. Additionally, visitors can sign up for a digital passport to earn points and win prizes. (Related: Big Sky, brighter stars: Why Montana is 2025's ultimate stargazing destination.) Based in Alexandria, Virginia, Norie Quintos is a frequent contributor to National Geographic. Follow her on Instagram.
National Geographic
09-04-2025
- Science
- National Geographic
Why Tucson is one of the best places in the world to see the night sky
Nine people are crammed in a tiny room with no ceiling on the grounds of Kitt Peak National Observatory. It's cold. It's dark. Each person awaits a turn at the eyepiece of a 20-inch telescope trained on an object. A marbled sphere, swirled in colors of maroon, rust, and cream. It's Jupiter, a fellow planet in our solar system, fifth from the sun. 'Look at that black speck that kinda looks like dirt on the lens,' says guide James Schweder. 'That's Io, one of Jupiter's moons, casting its shadow on the planet.' He puts the show in perspective. 'You're basically watching a solar eclipse from more than 417 million miles away.' The ultimate star city With a surfeit of blockbuster attractions as the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Monument Valley and the Hoover Dam in the state, travelers to Arizona can be forgiven for overlooking the fact that its second largest city, Tucson, is a world capital of astronomy. The surrounding mountains host the world's largest concentration of astronomical scopes and spectrographs. The U.S. national observatory is here, and so is the Vatican's (dubbed the 'pope scope'). The world's largest public telescope sits atop Mt. Lemmon. The only facility to manufacture the world's largest mirrors for telescopes is located under the east side bleachers of the University of Arizona's football stadium (no, really). There are six Dark Sky parks and communities in the area, including a desert park recently named the world's ninth Urban Night Sky Place. And Tucson itself is the headquarters of the movement to protect the world's dark skies and a model city committed to dark sky preservation. The city's new Astro Trail—officially unveiled in January—strings together 11 of the most visitor-friendly stops in a downloadable map. 'It's the weather—clear and dry—plus easily accessible mountains to put telescopes on,' notes Thomas A. Fleming, astronomy professor at the University of Arizona. 'This attracted a cast of characters, especially during the early formation of NASA, and converged to make Tucson a hot place to do astronomy.' In 1967, a high-resolution photographic atlas of the moon used to plan the lunar landing was partly developed at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory using images from the 61-inch telescope on Mount Bigelow in Arizona's Catalina Mountains near Tucson. Today, Tucson-area observatories and research institutions conduct groundbreaking studies on dark energy, exoplanets, and gamma rays, while also creating a detailed 3D map of the universe and capturing the first-ever image of a black hole. (Related: Dark sky tourism is on the rise across the U.S.) Protecting natural darkness Part of the Tucson's Astro Trail, the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory— the largest satellite facility of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory—features 13 telescopes and telescope arrays designed to find Earth-like exoplanets. Photograph by Center for Astrophysics/Harvard & Smiths As the industry grew, and Tucson's population with it, preventing light pollution became a business necessity. The city's first outdoor lighting ordinances were adopted in 1972. The current code requires shielded lighting and sets limits on the total light produced at night, especially in natural areas and near astronomy sites. In 2019, the city retrofitted nearly 20,000 street lights to adaptive LEDs, saving $2 million of dollars in annual energy costs and resulting in a seven percent reduction in total light emissions from the metro area. 'The prescription for light pollution isn't plunging the world into medieval darkness, or compromising safety,' says Ruskin Hartley, CEO of the nonprofit DarkSky International, which is based in Tucson. 'It's about being wise about the way that we're using it, using it strategically and responsibly.' What's happened over the almost 40 years is a recognition that protecting natural darkness is not only good for astronomy, but also for wildlife and human health. 'There's nothing like being out in the desert or even in downtown Tucson on a moonless night and seeing the Milky Way overhead. That is taken away from us if we blast our lights. So that what started to protect astronomy is actually part of protecting the way of life down here in southern Arizona.' (Related: 10 of the dreamiest stargazing trains in the U.S.) Astrotourism on the rise in Tucson Interest in celestial events and night-sky viewing is at an all-time high. A recent survey showed 62 percent of respondents said they were considering visiting destinations for stargazing. Last year's solar eclipse over North America was one of the most viewed in history, with nearly 20 million people traveling to the path of totality in the United States alone. And dark sky-designated locations have multiplied to more than 200 around the world, with the number of places seeking certification doubling in the past two years. At Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, visitors can peer through the largest dedicated public telescope in the U.S., with a refractor almost three feet across, designed to see solar system planets as well as deep sky objects, such as nebulae. Kitt Peak offers perhaps the closest experience you can have to being an actual astronomer, an overnight program that lets you dine at the same cafeteria as working astronomers, then peer at deep-sky objects from cutting-edge research telescopes for as long as you can stay awake. Not technically astronomy-related, but nevertheless Space Age–y, the Titan Missile Museum displays the only remaining Cold War–era Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile site open to the public. Visitors can also tour Biosphere 2, a failed experiment in the early 1990s in sustaining life in space, now focused on simulating various eco-zones and conducting experiments in astrobiology to answer the question of whether life can exist outside the Earth. (Related: These are the world's best stargazing spots.) Just as professional astronomers come for work, hobbyists come to play, often choosing Tucson as a place to retire. 'Driving around town, it's not unusual to see a home that has an observatory dome connected to the house,' says Fleming. Founded in 1954, the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association has more than 850 members. Volunteers often run the telescopes and point out constellations for school programs and events, including the free Tucson Astronomy Festival, held annually in the spring. At the SkyBar on Fourth Avenue, diners enjoy pizza made in a solar oven, down 'cosmic jello' shots, and peer through one of four telescopes on the patio, guided by a 'star-tender,' one of whom is named Kirk. Full-moon hikes and star parties are held at area parks, including Saguaro National Park, Oracle State Park, and Catalina State Park. Several hotels and inns cater to astrotourists, including Loews Ventana Canyon, which hosts complimentary stargazing three nights a week with a local astronomer. Guests staying at the Cat Mountain Lodge receive a discounted rate on star tours at the privately owned observatory next door. (Related: 10 of the best places for stargazing in the UK.) View of the Milky Way from a sacred mountain The night sky and the Milky Way above Kitt Peak Observatory. Tucson is on the right, and Phoenix is on the left. The WIYN 0.9 meter telescope is close in the foreground. Photograph by Babak Tafreshi, Nat Geo Image Collection The highest peak in the Quinlan range, Kitt Peak, at nearly 7,000 feet, is a sacred mountain located within the territory of the Tohono O'odham Nation, a Native American tribe that traces its heritage to the ancient Hohokam people. Not far is another sacred peak where the creator I'itoi, is said to reside. The U.S. national observatory was placed here in 1960 with tribal permission. It's a good spot to ponder the big questions. According to Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan, tribal member and education development liaison at Kitt Peak, the night sky is a gift from I'itoi, impossible to separate from the people without tipping the balance. 'The animals, the plants, the cactus, the mountains, the clouds, the stars—all those are in that same category as humans; they have a living spirit, and we acknowledge them just like we would our parents or our grandparents. They're family, essentially and it is part of our himdag, or way of life, to preserve the balance.' For the majority of its existence, half of humanity's lived experience was after dark. The night sky helped humans mark time, predict weather, signal seasons, and make sense of humanity's place in the cosmos. Yet today, according to DarkSky International, 95 percent of the world's population live under light-polluted skyglow, with many never having seen the Milky Way. (Related: A practical guide to stargazing.) To Vicky Derksen, host of the podcast Night Sky Tourist, we've disconnected from a large part of what makes us human. 'But if people get an opportunity to look at Saturn and they say, 'oh my god, I can see the rings' or they actually see one of Jupiter's moons or glimpse a shooting star from the corner of their eye. Then they walk away feeling like they've had this deep intimate connection with the sky that they didn't know existed.' Scientists who study this feeling of awe and wonder connect it to well-being and happiness. Standing under a gauzy Milky Way, Kathie Zelaya, another of the night guides at Kitt Peak, reminds participants that while it's nice to have the big cameras and the fancy telescopes, you don't necessarily need much equipment. 'On a clear, dark night, there's a lot you can see with binoculars, or even just with the naked eye.' Zelaya demonstrates how to change the settings of a smartphone to capture the natural light show. 'Remember, wherever you are, this is always up there,' she says with a grand sweep of her arm. 'But here you can see it just a little better.' (Related: What's a 'dark sky nation' and why does New Zealand want to become one?) What you should know about Tucson's Astro Trail A global astronomy hub, Arizona's second city boasts more than two dozen professional scopes and observatories that look to the skies. The Tucson Astro Trail connects 11 stops within about an hour's drive. It is available as a web app and printed guide, offering visitors a comprehensive journey through the city's space-related sites and activities. There's no cost apart from any admission fee individual sites may charge. Additionally, visitors can sign up for a digital passport to earn points and win prizes. (Related: Big Sky, brighter stars: Why Montana is 2025's ultimate stargazing destination.) Based in Alexandria, Virginia, Norie Quintos is a frequent contributor to National Geographic. Follow her on Instagram.
