I Stargazed With an Astronomer (Fireside with an Organic Tea) and Now I Can’t Go Back

When do you last take a good look at the night sky? Tim spent a beautiful evening exploring the cosmos with Stargazing Beyond.

We Are Explorers acknowledges that this adventure is located on the traditional Country of the Wiradjuri, Gundungurra, and Dharug people, who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Dimitri checks his phone and looks up, ‘I’ve got something special for you guys, in about 15 minutes’, he says.

A quarter of an hour later, there it is. A bright point moves rapidly across the dusk sky, from right to left, just above the tree line. It’s moving away from where the sun has just set, and as it does it slowly fades until the question of a glimmer is all that remains.

‘Woah, was that a satellite?’, I ask.

‘The International Space Station, with people on board’, says Dimitri.

What better way to pull us into space than to watch the people furthest away from earth glide past in a twinkle?

Book Your Spot: Stargaze in the Blue Mountains with a Personal Astronomer

Entering Sanctuary

After cruising over the Blue Mountains in the afternoon, our tyres crunched into the gravel at Maya Sanctuary just before sunset. We wound between low gums in the warm light, revealing an absolutely stunning property, before turning down a little trail toward a clearing.

There Dr Dimitri Douchin greeted us, our astronomer for the evening, who also happens to have a PhD in astrophysics. Next to him were some very serious looking telescopes, very comfy-looking camp chairs, and a fire pit ready to go.

This experience is a collaboration with WAE and Mastercard’s Priceless platform. Priceless unlocks access to unique, passion-led experiences for cardholders. By partnering with WAE, Priceless brings together a shared belief in exploration, connection, and creating memorable moments, by turning everyday adventures into something special.

Finding Our Way Around the Stars

Knowledge is everything. It makes watching sport more enjoyable, it turns exploring the bush into a tapestry of species, and when you’re looking at the night sky, helps you peer out of our galaxy.

We start by discussing what we know and getting our bearings. Even the famous Southern Cross (Crux) is full of fun facts. It can be used to find south and the ‘pointer’ stars that help you find it are Alpha and Beta Centauri, the former is our closest star system at a mere 4.37 light years away.

Dimitri whips out a bright purple laser and directs our eyes through the sky, weaving scientific facts with the deep cultural relevance that many of the constellations hold.

We’re on the edge of the UNESCO World Heritage Blue Mountains, on Wiradjuri, Gundungurra, and Dharug Country, and I feel completely immersed in nature.

Treats Never Hurt

Dimitri is French-Australian and he knows his way around a snack. As we take turns with high-powered binoculars he gets a campfire crackling and opens a pack of organic marshmallows. We talk about life, why he loves the stars so much, and the best way to toast a blend of whipped sugar and gelatin on a stick.

The light’s faded now and the stars are out in force. Red lights hang from the table and telescopes, and Dimitri gets some soft mood music going. Fixed up with an organic tea, we head back to the middle of the clearing.

With our senses honed, we graduate to the telescope where we see the rings of Saturn, the colour difference between different types of stars, and even galaxies.

We’re encouraged to point to things we can see and ask what they are. Dimitri doesn’t have to look anything up, he just knows.

I even learned how to find my favourite star cluster, known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters.

Naming My Own Star

Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to rename Alpha Centauri, but I was allowed to rename V 1307 Ori after my cat Chardonnay. 

The name goes into a register kept by Stargazing Beyond and I even got a certificate afterwards with instructions on how to find it.

Trip the Light Fantastic

If you’ve never gone stargazing with an expert, I highly recommend it. The universe opens up with a bit of knowledge and some high-powered tech – you’ll never look at it the same again.

And even if you have, I don’t reckon you’d have been as comfy as I was on this Priceless Experience. Book your spot on Mastercard’s priceless.com.

Check out our Mastercard Priceless page to explore all of the Priceless Experiences!