Frequently Asked Questions for Stargazing Tours in Grand Teton National Park

Question 1

What happens if there is bad weather?

Accepted Answer

In the event of bad stargazing weather, we do our best to re-book your program for another night. Please consider booking your stargazing tour early in your trip so that in the event of a weather issue you have the chance to stargaze another night. If we can't reschedule and we have to cancel your stargazing program because of bad weather there is no charge except for the 6% online booking fee if you booked online.

Question 2

What is your cancellation policy?

Accepted Answer

In the event that we have to cancel the private stargazing tour because of bad weather there is no charge (except for the 6% nonrefundable online booking fee if you booked yourself online). Wyoming Stargazing WILL offer partial refunds if some of the objects that we want to show you get blocked by the clouds. Wyoming Stargazing WILL charge the full amount of the program if the customer decides to cancel within 48 hours of the scheduled start time of the program. Wyoming Stargazing WILL charge a 5% administration fee if the customer decides to cancel or rebook after booking the program.

**Please Note** Only Wyoming Stargazing will determine if the program will be canceled due to weather. Participants are not allowed to cancel “because of the weather” if the program is scheduled to run.

Question 3

Does the Moon negatively affect stargazing?

Accepted Answer

The phase of the Moon changes the overall brightness of the night sky. During the week preceding the Full Moon some of the more distant objects that we look at get washed out by the brightness of the Moon. The Moon is amazing to see through the telescope and it’s an amazing experience stargazing under the Full Moon, but you won’t get to see the arms of the Milky Way Galaxy or much detail in deep space objects if your stargazing program occurs five days before the Full Moon and two days after it.

Question 4

How should I dress for stargazing?

Accepted Answer

The heat of the summer days we have here in Jackson can be deceiving – the temperature can drop down to below 40°F at night. Please remember to dress warmly! In the summer you should wear long pants, a warm jacket, closed toed shoes with thick socks, and a hat. In the winter you should dress like you’re going skiing.

Question 5

Will I be able to reach the eyepiece of the telescope?

Accepted Answer

Our large telescopes require the use of a ladder to observe. Please contact us if you or anyone in your party cannot use a ladder so that we may accommodate your specific needs.

If you have any special needs, such as ending the program early, we strongly recommend that you book a private stargazing tour so that we can accommodate you to the best of our ability.

Question 6

What will I see through the telescope?

Accepted Answer

Avoiding “Hubble Envy”

“Hubble Envy” is the expectation of seeing exquisite, colorful images through our telescopes like those taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Only with 100s of hours of exposure time with sophisticated cameras can astronomers produce the amazing colorful pictures that you see in magazines. One of our Board Members produces those images with his personal observatory. There are also some new telescopes with build in cameras that project colored pictures. Our telescope DON’T do that.

What our telescopes can do is capture enough light from objects thousands to millions of light years away so that you can see those objects. However, because of the immense distances from those objects, they will appear as little white fuzzy spots through the telescope. We think it’s pretty cool to have photons (light particles) from distant galaxies actually hit your eye through the eyepiece of the telescope. Then, after traveling for millions of years, those photos are converted into electrical signals and become part of your brain!

We want to give you that experience. We have made a conscious choice to use telescopes that provide the best views for a wide array of objects including planets, stars, star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, and more. Some other telescopes are better for some of those objects, but our telescopes tow the line on being good at providing views of all of them. You are always welcome to call us 844-996-7827 and chat about the program before signing up online.

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