Celebrating AstroTours.org’s Feature in Powder Magazine

Hello AstroTours community,

We are absolutely thrilled to share some exciting news with you! Powder Magazine, one of the most respected publications in the outdoor sports world, recently featured AstroTours.org in a fantastic article, "Winter Park’s Astronomer Leads Guests in Searching the Night Sky." (here: https://www.powder.com/region-colorado/winter-parks-astronomer-leads-guests-in-searching-the-night-sky)

Our own astronomer, Luke Huxley, is the star of the piece, and his dedication to our stargazing tours at Winter Park shines throughout. A passionate astrophysicist with a knack for making complex astronomical phenomena accessible and engaging, Luke has been guiding our guests through the Colorado night skies, inspiring curiosity, and sharing his knowledge in a way that truly makes the stars come alive.

The article beautifully captures the essence of our tours, painting a vivid picture of the hands-on experience we offer. From learning about constellations, galaxies, and shooting stars to understanding the complex phenomena of the universe, our guests become part of an ongoing conversation about astronomy. As Luke puts it in the article, we aim to offer something "much better than just watching a TV program" by providing an interactive and captivating journey under the stars.

We are particularly pleased that the article highlights the unique, personal interaction and enthusiasm that we strive to bring to our tours. Here at AstroTours.org, we believe the sky is not just something to gaze upon; it's a storybook filled with tales of celestial objects and phenomena waiting to be explored.

As the article underlines, our Winter Park tours offer an excellent way to appreciate the night sky, regardless of whether you're a seasoned astronomer or a curious novice. Be it observing celestial objects with the naked eye or through the lens of a telescope, the experiences on our tours are truly unforgettable.

We're grateful to Powder Magazine for recognizing our commitment to fostering interest in astronomy, and for bringing our work to a wider audience. We also want to thank all of our guests, whose questions, curiosity, and enthusiasm for exploring the night sky inspire us every day.

To get a taste of what an AstroTours.org stargazing experience entails, we warmly encourage you to read the full article on Powder Magazine's website here. https://www.powder.com/region-colorado/winter-parks-astronomer-leads-guests-in-searching-the-night-sky

Come join us under the stars and let's continue exploring the universe together. As always, keep looking up!

With warm regards,

The AstroTours.org Team

Shifting Our Partnership with Virgin Experience Gifts to Direct Booking

Dear AstroTours Community,

We have an important update to share with you today.

Since our inception, AstroTours has always strived to provide an exceptional experience for our stargazers. We've committed to delivering not just an entertaining tour, but an educational adventure that leaves you with a deeper appreciation for our universe. To achieve this, we've worked with various partners, one of which has been Virgin Experience Gifts.

While Virgin Experience Gifts has been a valuable partner in our journey, we have faced a number of challenges with their booking and payment system. We've found it difficult to ensure a seamless experience for our customers, and it has been causing complications that reflect poorly on our operation.

After much consideration, we have decided to end our partnership with Virgin Experience Gifts.

We believe that this decision will enable us to better control the quality of our service and streamline our booking and payment process. However, we understand that some of you might have purchased or received vouchers from Virgin Experience Gifts for AstroTours. We want to reassure you that we will continue to honor these vouchers. Please reach out to us directly if you have any questions or need assistance.

To make things easier for our customers, we're excited to announce a new, user-friendly gift portal right on our website! If you're looking to gift an unforgettable stargazing experience, you can now do so directly through our website. Check out our gift portal at: https://www.astrotours.org/gift.

We believe that this transition will enhance the overall AstroTours experience and make gifting our tours easier than ever.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all our customers for their continued support. We're looking forward to exploring the stars with you soon.

Clear skies,

The AstroTours Team

Venus Needs Our Help: Support NASA's VERITAS Mission

Hello AstroTours.org community!

We are reaching out to you today with an urgent call to action. Venus, our neighboring planet, holds numerous secrets that can help us understand not only its own evolution, but also the future of our home planet, Earth (learn more about Venus and how to view it tonight in our other blog post here: https://www.astrotours.org/post/the-dance-of-venus-a-stargazer-s-guide). NASA's Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy (VERITAS) mission is a groundbreaking initiative set to unravel these mysteries. Unfortunately, the future of the VERITAS mission is under threat.

Take 2 minuets to visit the planetary society's action page using this link: https://secure.planetary.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=/actioncenter#/35 and voice your support for this crucial mission to your representatives

Artist's concept of the Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy (Veritas) spacecraft.

Initiated in 2021, the VERITAS mission was designed to be the first Venus orbiter led by the U.S. since 1989. Despite being on track and on budget, the mission has been subject to budget cuts in NASA's Fiscal Year 2024 Presidential Budget Request (PBR). This has led to an indefinite postponement of the launch, a decision influenced by cost overruns and workforce issues in unrelated NASA programs.

The importance of the VERITAS mission cannot be overstated. It promises to generate detailed maps of Venus's surface, analyze its geology, and study its volcanic and tectonic activities. This data can significantly enhance our understanding of Venus and contribute to our knowledge about the potential future of Earth's habitability.

The National Academies of Sciences strongly endorses the VERITAS mission. Yet, the indefinite delay to the launch puts all these potential discoveries at risk.

Now, more than ever, Venus needs our help.

The Planetary Society has set up a convenient and easy-to-use platform for U.S. residents to reach out to their representatives, urging them to support the VERITAS mission. We encourage each of you to visit this link: https://secure.planetary.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=/actioncenter#/35 and voice your support for this crucial mission. By expressing your support for a 2029 launch date in NASA's forthcoming authorization bill and the 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) committee report language, you can help secure the future of the VERITAS mission.

We have an opportunity to make a real difference and contribute to the advancement of our understanding of the universe. Your action can help ensure that the VERITAS mission gets back on track, and the secrets of Venus are unveiled.

Thank you for standing with us in support of space exploration and science. Together, we can ensure that the stars - and our neighboring planets - continue to inspire and enlighten us for generations to come.

Sincerely,

The AstroTours.org Team