If you want to witness one of the greatest light shows around, just toss your head back and watch the night sky for a while. But since light pollution has made naked-eye star gazing in the urban areas a bit difficult, you have to head to the hinterlands (and by that, we mean Tahoe) to get a better look.
One great place is Northstar California resort, just outside Truckee, where a slew of star-gazing tours will take place on a weekly basis through the end of the summer.
Poet and amateur astronomer Tony Berendsen, the president of the Northern Nevada Science Coalition, will act as host and tour guide for the 2 1/2-hour sessions. The Star Tours begin with a ride up the Highlands gondola and a short walk to the ski resort day lodge. With guests seated next to a fire pit, Berendsen, using poetry, a laser pointer and computerized Celestron telescopes as his tools, will take them on a trip through the cosmos.
Tours will take place most Friday and Saturday nights, beginning June 22, and cost $30 for adults and $15 for star gazers 12 and under. There will be three special Star Tours on June 30, July 21 and August 18, during which Accent Nevada, a Reno-based string quartet, will supply background music; cost for these tours are $65 for adults and $30 for youths 18 and under. For more info go to here.
