Did You Know? Sky & Telescope Runs Astronomy Tours

Most AAS members are familiar with Sky & Telescope (S&T), which the Society now owns and publishes — heck, you probably grew up reading the magazine. You likely know that we also publish a website, www.skyandtelescope.com, focusing on astronomy news, observing tips, and the like. You might even know that we produce products such as sky atlases and globes. But did you know that we also run astronomy-themed tours worldwide? 

To get a quick taste of what’s currently on offer, go to www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-travel. 

As you’ll see on that page, tours range from a northern lights expedition in Iceland to an observatories tour in Australia, and from a stargazing safari in Botswana to a total solar eclipse experience in Patagonia. Tours range in length from a single day — which is how long our chartered flight to view the 2019 total solar eclipse off Chile lasted — to more than three weeks long, as our total solar eclipse cruise along the coasts of South America and Antarctica in December 2020 will be. Costs typically range, exclusive of airfare, from a few thousand dollars to more than $10,000 based on double occupancy.

For each tour we work with a tour partner who handles all logistics, bookings, deposits, and other aspects typical of a high-end travel agency. Current tour partners include Insight Cruises, Royal Adventures, and Dark Sky Traveller, among others. S&T, for its part, helps design the itinerary, including any stargazing or other astronomy components, and recruits guests through ads in the magazine and on the website. A Sky & Telescope editor participates in every tour as astronomy expert. 

We hope to see you on an S&T tour soon!