Being in Phoenix, AZ last week we were able to do some fun things such as stargazing. That area has about 85% of sunshine which also comes close of 85% of cloud cover-free sky, making it possible for stargazing most of the time. Stargazing was made possible by the Arizona group called Stargazing for Everyone, LLC. These people brought 4 sets of big telescopes and set them on the parking lot of the resort where we stayed. They shut off the street lights and the show began. It was spectacular.
One of the telescope owners (Vicki) helped me to take this picture of Saturn using their 11 inch telescope. The result was these 2 Saturn pictures taken with my camera. Below you can also see the picture of the telescope we used and their owners.
Here is another, darker image of Saturn taken with a slight different settings. Click on the images to see larger version.
Saturn is an amazing planet. You can see a clear Saturn picture taken by NASA below, which is a little better quality than mine 
. Also the next photo shows how big Earth is compared to Saturn.
I have always enjoyed watching the night sky but now I am psyched about it even more!
Jim, Vicki and their telescope.
That is totally awesome! I loved astronomy in college, but haven’t been into it for quite some time. You took beautiful pictures of Saturn. Earth is so tiny compared to Saturn - amazing! So glad you enjoyed your trip - sorry you had some trouble returning home, but it is so great how you make everything an adventure - that is my attitude as well. Whatever comes our way in life should be an exciting adventure that we use to glorify God. Have a great day!
Cassandra
Merek,
Thank you for your kind words about our stargazing program at the Cibola Vista Resort in Peoria, Arizona. Your pictures came out great. We hope to see you at the resort again sometime in the future.
Thank you,
Tony LaConte