In my sort time as guide I have seen a few things.  Most recently was a proposal of marriage in an astonishingly romantic gesture under the light of the Milkyway!  Thankfully for the young lad his partner said yes and how could she not of.  Set against the out of this world back drop of Mount Teide in the national park of Tenerife with a bottle of cava and the twinkling stars overhead, he obviously knew how to pick his moment. The lad had planned it well and even asked us to take extra cava up for the occasion.

Probably the biggest shock to me is the wide range of ages that come on the tour with us.  From small children excited to see so many stars and talk about the planets, to young couples and groups to the more seasoned astronomers and people just looking for something different to do whilst on holiday in Tenerife.  The tour is such a feast on the eyes that even with no knowledge of the stars people can enjoy the specter and hopefully my talks open the mind and leave people in wonderment an awe at the size of the universe and of our own existence (If they haven’t fallen asleep first that is!).

I started with the company back in June and now we have had the Autumn equinox and are starting to tilt away from the sun, we are beginning to notice the changes in weather.  Our new Ford Van had its first test in rain on the drive up the other night, but the weather system soon cleared in time for us to see a spectacular sunset and get some great pictures of the moon.  Listening to Peter talk about ice on his telescope back in March has got me thinking that maybe I should pop back to the UK and grab a big coat for the winter months!!!  I cant wait to be up there on a crisp cold evening though and I am looking forward to seeing our Winter constellations emerge.

Check back next week for more STAR STORIES; tales from the guides of the stars!