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Dark Ranger Telescope Tours
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We'll travel anywhere in the world if invited to promote astronomy literacy and dark sky advocacy!  In fact, if you have the transportation, Ask about our off-world travel Discounts.

Yes! We CAN Come To You!

Whether you're planning an astronomy festival, wedding reception, family reunion, company retreat, or a fundraiser, we will thrill your guests with the beauty of astronomy and broaden  their perspectives with an enhanced understanding of the Universe.

The Dark Rangers enjoy traveling , but our BIG telescopes are not so eager.   Disassembling, transporting, and setting up these precision instruments, requires a lot of extra time and muscle, -- an expense that we must pass on to you the consumer.  Finally, unlike our telescopes, the farther we travel, the more food and accommodations we require. See extra costs in travel distance-based add-ons.

Review your options below and if you decide it's easier and/or less expensive for us to come to you, we might!

Not sure if your intended location is a "Luxury Locale"? We follow GSA's determination and price accordingly:
https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates

Is it a Dark Sky Locale?  Ask us! We can help! Email or text us: an address or coordinates.
Pro tip: The Luxury Tourism Industry is often most egregious purveyor of light pollution in rural and scenic areas. Where Hotel prices are high, the night sky has usually been ruined, by those same hotels. 


All pricing below, for our 3 types of Road Shows and their corresponding add-ons, include Utah Sales tax (7.35%), credit card transaction fees (3%), xola.com, our booking service's booking fees (3%).

1-Night "Road Show":
Dark Sky Locale

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Hiding between 2 of Utah's biggest light pollution domes, is East Canyon State Park. Northern Utah's dark location accessible by paved road.
Our favorite Dark Sky Locales to work are those where we can help concerned citizens protect their natural darkness by heighten awareness to the tourist who impact those local economies.

Your private guests will be treated to a 2-3 hr. evening featuring:

  • A 20 to 30-minute artful and entertaining presentation about some combination of astronomy, space exploration, and of course night sky conservation. Different Dark Rangers research and present different shows Review choices here. *

  • 5 to 10-minute Laser Constellation Tour *

  • Expert and engaging telescope operator(s).  Each Dark Ranger staffing 2 BIG telescopes.

Pricing:

$450 per Dark Ranger. The benefit of booking teams of 2 is that you'll can save on mileage charges as 2 Dark Rangers and 4 telescopes can travel in the same vehicle.


 Travel Expenses and other Add-ons:

- IRS Business rate $0.67 / mile, charged in 1-way, 10-mile increments (makes math easier) of $13.40

- Meals and Lodging  expenses, per Dark Ranger, as measured from Dark Ranger Observatory or alternatively Salt Lake City (where we also have Dark Rangers stationed) whichever is less:
                                                        
0 - 71 miles        = $0
80 - 200 miles    = $212

201 - 500 miles  = $390
> 500 miles         = TBD: may involve airfare

- Short Notice <14 days = $100


* No show add-on: AKA "Skip presentation: We don't want to learn anything" = $100. If you are NOT going to let us do what makes us the #1 ranked telescope experience on Earth, it's going to cost you more money.

1-Night Road Show:
Dark Sky Locale
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Torrey, Utah has a lighting ordinance that many residences and businesses respect. Sadly no public observatory. Yet Dark Rangers can bring our BIG telescopes to this location.

1-Night "Road Show":
Luxury (i.e. Light Polluted) Locale:

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Once great night sky of Moab, UT now ruined by light pollution.
One of the most disappointing things about the luxury tourism industry is that it mistakenly thinks rich folks value outdoor lights, so bright they can almost see the bones through their hands, as much as they do high thread-count bedding. Until these elite consumers push back against that false assumption of the industry they patronize, booking Dark Rangers for these locales will be more expensive. That extra revenue helps fund our efforts to educate everyone about making healthier lifestyle and ecological choices.

Your private guests will be treated to a 2-3 hr. evening featuring:

  • A 20 to 30-minute artful and entertaining presentation about some combination of astronomy, space exploration, and of course night sky conservation. Different Dark Rangers research and present different shows. Review choices here. *

  • 5 to 10-minute Laser Constellation Tour *

  • Expert and engaging telescope operator(s).  Each Dark Ranger staffing 2 BIG telescopes.

Pricing:

$500 per Dark Ranger. The benefit of booking teams of 2 is that you'll can save on mileage charges as 2 Dark Rangers and 4 telescopes can travel in the same vehicle.


 Travel Expenses and other Add-ons:

- IRS Business rate $0.67 / mile, charged in 1-way, 10-mile increments (makes math easier) of $13.40

- Meals and Lodging expenses, per Dark Ranger, as measured from Dark Ranger Observatory or alternatively Salt Lake City (where we also have Dark Rangers stationed (whichever is less):
                                                        
0 - 71 miles        = $0
80 - 200 miles   = $339

201 - 500 miles = $635
> 500 miles        = TBD: may involve airfare

- Short Notice <14 days = $100


* No show add-on: AKA "Skip presentation: We don't want to learn anything" = $100. While we may agree to be merely "enchancements" for your event, realize this is like booking the Rolling Stones but telling them to play softly in the corner, instead of giving them your main stage.

If you are NOT going to let us do what makes us the #1 ranked telescope experience on Earth, it's going to cost you more money. Because instead of helping us gain exposure to future customers, you are trivializing what we do, and making us look boring.

1-Night Road Show
Luxury Locale
 
For either type of locale, a 25% deposit is required at time of booking.


Read more about our Road Show Cancellation Policy at the bottom of this page.

2-Day/Night (or longer) Astronomy Festival

...Where We Will Provide:

Kevin "The Dark Ranger" Poe pioneered the growing tradition of the day & night Astronomy / Night Sky Festivals during the 14 years he led  Bryce Canyon National Park's astronomers.  Now the Dark Rangers support several such annual events around the country.      We can help kick-off one of these popular festivals in your community or enhance what you have already started.         

- 2-6 Dark Ranger at $1000 each, each with telescopes
         
- Plus Lodging & Meals expenses, per Dark Ranger, as measured from Dark Ranger Observatory

0 - 71 miles          = $0
0 - 500 miles        = $568

500 - 1000 miles = $924
>1000 miles         = TBD: may involve airfare

- Mileage (IRS rate) as described above

Your public attendees will have access to 3 days and 3 nights where you can chose among the following activities (you will be prompted via a questionnaire after booking):

Night
  • Sensational multimedia shows (day and/or night) specifically tailored to your event/organization
  • Expert and engaging telescope operator(s) with BIG scopes
  • Laser Constellation Tours
Day
  • Model rocketry workshop(s): build and launch solid fuel rockets over 1000 ft.
    NOTE: If you request this activity and help coordinate it (permissions & advertising) we will offer for FREE.
  • Planet Walk: 1-mile guided hikes  on a portable  1:10 Billion Scale model of the Solar System
  • Stomp Rockets Craft Activity:   make air powered rockets that fly nearly 100 ft!
  • Solar viewing: safely study our Sun thru filtered telescopes
  • Astronomy Games:  
And More
  • Special event planning assistance (ICS trained and experienced)
  • Training and management of event staff, volunteers and/or amateur telescope operators
  • Advertising assistance including: graphic design and social media promotion
 A 42%  deposit is required at time of booking.

Read more about our Road Show Cancellation Policy at the bottom of this page.

Road Show Considerations

  • We offer 42% discounts (inquire about this coupon code when entering credit card info) for the following organizations:
    • Science-supporting Non-profits
    • Public Schools / Scouting
    • Conservation Government Organizations

  • What about gratuity? If you are booking for yourself or for clients who are friends and/or family you might prefer (or trust them) to decide in the moment. But if you are booking for an event or otherwise where individuals working out gratuity might be inconvenient, we ask that you consider our add-on for prepaid gratuity of 15%. It's similar to policy most restaurants have for large tables.

  • For "short notice" requests (<14 days notice) we charge an extra $100 ($200 for 2-day Astronomy Festival). Most of us have day jobs that we can't easily get away from.

  • For long distance travel we are happy to fly anywhere, though you'll either need to provide high-quality telescopes upon our arrival or pay over-sized luggage rates for our telescopes (Express Shipping with high-$ insurance is another option).

  • We might be able to further reduce our travel expenses if there's local/regional Dark Ranger talent nearby. Over the years, we have trained and sworn-in (literally), 150+ Dark Rangers around the USA. Many of them have become trusted colleagues and we will minimize travel costs by supplementing our Utah staff with them.

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Zaphod, the double-headed telescope, is Kevin "The Dark Ranger" Poe's "little" travel scope. It has wowed people from the remote chasms of the Colorado River to the urban canyons of Philadelphia.

Tell us more...

At some point, either before or after booking, please email us at [email protected] and include in your invitation the following information:

  • Location including specifics regarding venue and ideally a dark-sky site

  • Why your organization / location is good place for astronomy outreach / night sky advocacy.

And Yes, We can also teach Astronomy while "on the road"

We can also help prepare your organization and staff for hosting such events with a Dark Ranger Workshop which includes interactive, hands-on instructional sessions including: public speaking, telescope operation, basic astronomy and/or scotiobiology, navigating the night sky, handling hecklers, and MS Powerpoint skills.
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Kevin "The Dark Ranger" Poe teaching 1-week of Public Speaking for Tour Guides for the American Battle Monuments Commission in Nancy, France
Example Training Video

"Road Show" Tour Cancellation Policy

Because financial institutions are allowed to do volume based pricing, they put small businesses at a disadvantage. Credit Card companies charge us 3% and our booking service another 3%. To cover their expenses the booking service charges us another $1.90 per booking. This mean we only get ~92% of the money you see on your bank statement.

If booking cancellation request is made (text or email is preferred) more than 14 days in advance, 92% is refunded. Obviously we can't refund more money than we receive, so a 92% refund is where we barely break even.

Rescheduling, or store credit is always an option,  but there can be no  refunds after the 14-day refund window closes.  

If Dark Ranger Telescope Tours cancels for reasons other than cloudy sky we will provide 100% refund,  and by way of apology, we will also provide a 11% discount for rescheduling at a later date.


WEATHER CANCELLATIONS:
Few places in North America have as many clear nights as our  Dark Ranger Observatory -- 300 clear nights per year. Therefore Road Shows can create an opportunity cost  for us when we send our Dark Rangers to locations where the chance of clear sky might be less than if they stayed home.

We can only offer a 50% refund for Road Show Telescope Tours when the sky is too cloudy to use telescopes. Your guests will be entertained by a live multimedia presentation as a substitute for not being able to use the telescopes. However, if a mutual decision to cancel happens before we have packed up telescopes and departed for your venue,  we will provide an 85% refund.
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According to TripAdvisor We Are Among the Top-Ranked Telescope Experiences on Earth.
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