LUNAA Journeys seeks to make the island of Saint Lucia the astronomy hub of the Caribbean.
Wherever I am in the world, I always love to seek out local astronomy clubs. I often subscribe to the ‘travel light’ mantra, which also means that I carry very little with me in terms of astronomical gear. This in turn means that while I might be somewhere amazing to observe, I also have little more than binoculars and a smartphone.
Making contact with a local club is a great solution. Not only do they often have access to some serious 'scopes, but they tend to be intimately familiar with the local sky, and might just know where to find those nearby secret dark sky sites.
A recent group I met in Saint Lucia named LUNAA Journeys promises to bring astronomy to a new generation in the Caribbean and beyond.
LUNAA Journeys (St. Lucia National Astronomy Association) is looking to address an all too common problem in the global astronomical community. Too often, participation in astronomy is seen as cost-prohibitive, the sole pursuit of large universities or organizations that can afford to build a large modern observatory, or launch the Hubble Space Telescope. This is unfortunate, as there’s never been an era of more readily accessible information out there in terms of astronomy and skywatching. Also, I always find there’s a huge amount of interest in the subject, wherever I go.
Founded by astronomer and Saint Lucia native Cheyenne Polius, LUNAA Journeys is on a mission to bring astronomy to the masses. Beyond just the usual mission of astronomy outreach and sidewalk stargazing, LUNAA Journeys is looking to host a Stargazing Training Program that will give youth the skills in practical astronomy, something that will allow them to grow into their own careers in the field as they share this ability with others.
LUNAA Journeys' Origin Story
LUNAA Journeys began its life as Saint Lucia’s first national astronomy association in 2018. Developed under the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Office of Astronomy (OAD) program, LUNAA Journeys is much more than your average ‘astronomy club.’
“While we hold a space (pun intended) for astronomy lovers to connect, we are also expanding the Caribbean’s astro-tourism, offering and revolutionizing space education in the region,” Polius says in the group’s mission statement. “Our goal is to cultivate a population with love for the gorgeous skies above us and an appreciation of how space exploration and technology improves life on the ground.”
Cheyenne is a Saint Lucia native, and the National Point of Contact for Saint Lucia in the Space Generation Advisory Council and the founder of LUNAA Journeys. She is an astrophysicist currently studying in London. Her organization is working to bring space and astronomy opportunities to Saint Lucia and the Caribbean. From encouraging skywatching to picking your first telescope, Cheyenne is a tireless promoter of astronomy.
Astronomy outreach and education can be a challenging but rewarding pursuit. Volunteers at star parties are no strangers to fielding questions on everything from life in the Universe to ‘can you really see the U.S. flag on the Moon with that thing? Spoiler: you can’t… but NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in low lunar orbit can.
Training skilled observers can really take things to the next level. To this end, LUNAA Journeys has a new, 4-Week Stargazing Facilitator Training workshop starting this July. This will not only give members hands-on training, but put them in touch with a network of astronomy and skywatching experts.
LUNAA Journeys in action. Credit: LUNAA Journeys.
There’s a genuine public interest in the sky, and a longing to know our connection with our place in time and space. Often, I find that resorts and vacation spots want to have an astronomy program… but don’t quite know how to go about implementing one. Telescopes fall into disrepair, leaving little institutional memory on hand to promote skywatching. What LUNAA Journeys is doing can help to grow a thriving grassroots astronomical community.
I’ve seen this sort of thing take root before, in places like Namibia or the Maldives Islands where astronomy programs thrive and skywatching events are routine as part of a larger, outreach platform dedicated to exploring nature. Build it and they will come, be it seasoned astrophotographers or those who are simply ‘astronomy curious.’
Saint Lucia’s Privileged Location
Areas such as The Landings near Pigeon Island on the north of the island and Ladera to the south near the spectacular Pitons have enviable dark skies overhead. Located at just under 14 degrees north of the equator—about the same latitude as Hawaii, another popular astronomy spot—Saint Lucia has a good view spanning deep into the southern hemisphere.
The Southern Cross rising over the Pitons. Credit: Dave Dickinson
The Southern Cross, Coalsack, Omega Centauri and more are key southern sky highlights, along with the Small Magellanic and Large Magellanic Clouds, which skim the southern horizon in the winter months.
Omega Centauri, shot with a Dwarf3 smartscope from Saint Lucia. Credit: Dave Dickinson
Though the very best skies in Saint Lucia are in the wintertime during dry season, the region hosts lots to see in the sky any time of the year… and the close to the equator locale ensures long, star-filled nights.
Saint Lucia skies also host another unique phenomenon of the modern Space Age as well. Launches off the Florida Space Coast often head to the southeast after liftoff, right over the Caribbean. These are mostly thanks to SpaceX, as they continue adding satellites to their large Starlink mega-constellation. These are now becoming a familiar sight over Caribbean island skies including Saint Lucia as they cross the dawn or dusk skies.
The author with LUNAA Journeys members. Credit: Dave Dickinson
The sky is no longer the limit for LUNAA Journeys, as they put Saint Lucia on the skywatching map. Be sure to follow and check out LUNAA Journeys as they work to promote astronomy and Saint Lucia as the hot spot for Caribbean astronomy.
