This residency includes giving public presentations, developing and/or executing projects related to the Grand Canyon and its amazingly dark skies. I have just finished his 3rd week and everything has gone by so fast so far he has given 22 presentations to groups of 2 to 200 people, South Kaibab and Bright made remarkable progress on his project to reshoot locations along the Angel Trail. Apollo astronaut trained in his 1960s.

The purpose of this training was to teach astronauts how to read the big picture of geology and the story of rocks laid out in layers like the pages of a book. Certain rocks in the canyon aren’t what astronauts find on the moon, but this wasn’t really that important. Miles of rock outcroppings in the canyon allowed astronauts to learn basic geological principles, which they then honed in more mission-specific training. Moreover, the canyon provided a sense of awe and wonder, and was a place that inspired astronauts to learn and explore.

It is this very inspiration that drives the stay, and a month living here at the edge of the canyon can’t help but be inspired. There, you will really experience the surreal connection between the rocks below and the sky above. In both cases we are looking back into the past. For example, in the constellation Coma there is a barred spiral galaxy about 270 million light years away. This means that the light emanating from it as we see it today began reaching us around the time the Kaibab Limestone, the top and youngest layer of the Grand Canyon, formed.

Rock and sky also share a kind of dichotomy. On the one hand, there is stability and uniformity. It is the consistency of the rocks built up layer by layer over time, and the patterns of the rising sun and stars in the sky each day. On the other hand, a closer look reveals signs of confusion and betrayal. Vishnu’s subterranean rocks in the canyon are formed under extreme conditions of intense pressure, rocks whose layers and bands are distorted and twisted, and sun-like stars driven by the phenomenal forces of thermonuclear fusion. Proven by

And there is also recognition that the canyon has served as an observatory of sorts for centuries. Sky-watching is a popular activity here, from early indigenous peoples to modern travelers, thanks to the surprisingly dark skies. We continue today a tradition that began thousands of years ago. We carry torches as sky caretakers. And this legacy will continue, thanks to the efforts of people like the Dark Sky Ranger Radar Lane, which spearheaded efforts to limit artificial light in Grand Canyon National Park. This effort led to the name Dark Sky Park in 2019.

I only have a week left of my stay, but like the millions of daily visitors who come to the Grand Canyon each year, this experience will forever be in my heart, giving me a new perspective on the world and universe around us. It will take shape. .

*The Grand Canyon Conservation Society is currently accepting applications for the 2024 Astronomer Residence Program. For more information, see . https://www.grandcanyon.org/our-work/astronomer-in-residence/