My latest drone flyover video:
My free sidewalk astronomy, education outreach, and stories throughout the natural world like these are made possible with your support. Thank you! You can continue supporting my mission with a tip on Venmo or PayPal, or by purchasing…
My 2026 calendar | My sci-fi books (10% off thru 12/31) | My travel photography
After spending winter ’24/’25 and early spring in Florida, I took off west to speak at a series of six STEM conferences in Idaho being held in June. Seven months later, I’ve visiting every single state on the west coast, and about to travel east for the holidays before returning to St. Pete, Florida until March (view tour dates).
What a year it’s been for free sidewalk astronomy. Thank you for being a part of it! Let’s run through some numbers.
2025 Overall
- 237 astronomy sessions with…
- 122 private events (51.4% of total events)
- 35,033 total guests (averaging 148/session)
- 1,200+ hours of astronomy
- 36,000+ miles driven
Since leaving Florida (May 19th)
- 101 astronomy sessions (47% of days on road) with…
- 25 private events (24.7% of total road events)
- 6,824 total guests (averaging 68/session)
- 360+ hours of astronomy
- 28,000+ miles driven
States Visited
I’ve been using the map below to record all the major stops, sleeping places, drive-thru coffee shops, and points of interest I’ve visited ONLY since leaving Florida on May 19th.
I’ve driven about 26,000 miles in this time, about half of which were in my Kia Soul, and the half since July being in my van. I don’t anticipate driving nearly this much in 2026; I’m planning to “sit still” more often, and have a new schedule of tour dates that will keep me from going wild (but I still have plenty of time built in for travel and exploring nature).
We’ll see what this map looks like in 2026! After speaking in Idaho this summer, I used Sedona as a home-base during late summer through most of autumn, so I was very in-and-out to all the surrounding states. The first seven months of 2026, however, look much more linear so far.
I want to thank everyone who has been a part of and supported this journey, particularly this year, what with all its changes, including me officially living out of a van full-time rather than trekking my Kia Soul around the country like in the past. I’m nearing eight years of continuous sidewalk science & astronomy events and want to continue bringing these resources to communities all around the country for years to come.
A reflection: why I provide free sidewalk astronomy
I’ve been hosting free sidewalk astronomy nights for nearly eight years. My science-fiction books guided a lot of my outlook on life and let me reflect on the who I am and the purpose I serve in the world. There’s a whole story behind that (literally eight books and counting), but we can discuss it all later…
On the sidewalk, people often ask why I choose to do astronomy in the places I do. Why this city or that town? The answer, I’ve come to realize, is similar to how I write my books: I have plot points I want to hit, so I fill in the gaps to get there. With sidewalk astronomy, I know the cities I want to visit, so as I travel, I fill the gaps with adventures, create pictures and videos I can share with people as we talk at the telescope. These stories enhance the experience, generating conversations and bringing more of this world to people who may not have had a chance to explore it in the ways I now do, or bring back memories within people who have.
For me, there is no dramatic goal to my work. No giant milestone to achieve, no victory to celebrate. I simply hope that my work helps to democratize scientific resources, critical thinking, and curiosity in our communities on some level, and that through these experiences we can gradually build toward more stable societal justice, tolerance, and unity. My spaces help bring people of all backgrounds together to share a common sight. I often see strangers talking amongst each other, sometimes exchanging numbers and social media. In yet an era where division is heightened and weaponized at the federal levels of the US government, we need spaces at the local levels that are educational and establish positive bonds between communities while acting as barriers against the division and national supremacy being forced from the top.
Providing telescopes and educational materials opens up the sky to everyone who has ever been curious, and gives them someone with which to have a conversation and ask questions. I meet so many people who have never looked through a telescope before; some have no reaction, some gasp, others curse in amazement. At least once a month, someone looks in the telescope for the first time and cries at the sight. It truly is that impactful to some people, and that personal resonance is an absolutely beautiful moment to witness.
Astronomy crafted civilization, but unfamiliarity dominates modern life
The night sky is perhaps the most widely available resource to everyone on the planet. Stargazing fills us with hope, with awe, with wonder, with passion. It is both a form of therapy, and a pillar of education, a series of puzzles to solve. Stargazing is one of the most human experiences we can engage in. We recognize and seek out the stars. We anticipate the Moon and search for the planets. We map out the dots and give them names. We developed agriculture because we learned that certain lights and shapes appearing on the horizon heralded the onset of seasons.
Our modern society now considers stargazing a pastime, hobby, or special interest, but we should remember how it began as a tool that crafted the rise of civilizations.
Accessing the night sky, however, has become increasingly difficult. Reports show there has been a steady 30% increase in light pollution per decade throughout the past three decades. Light pollution has crawled out of urbanized regions and crept into suburban and rural areas, places where locals could marvel at thousands of stars, the Milky Way, and even the Andromeda Galaxy – all are fading from our eyesight, and in turn, our collective knowledge.
Passion guides my art and purpose
It is so important to find beauty in the world and connections in our community.
I struggle financially, loaded with student debt and other loans from past mistakes. It didn’t help that when I lived in Florida, I was paying $1600 for half of a 2-BR rental, plus utilities, coming in at about 60% of my income as a teacher.
On the other hand, I’ve never fit into the general mold of society. I began writing sci-fi books when I was 11 years old, have always been drawn to out-of-the-box jobs, and often put my passions over long-term stability. So when I created Sidewalk Science Center, it was another creative outlet for me, a way to define who I am and the purpose I want to serve in our communities.
Leaving Florida let me erase a $1600+ monthly bill. I still don’t have everything figured out yet, but scrapping that made life that much easier, because I’m spending far less than that in gas as I live in my van. Plus, with as much as I travel, spending that rent money made no sense. Living in a van, especially a smaller Ford Transit, isn’t always easy, but I love it and have learned so much about who I am and what I need in life, and I’ve found that I need three things to stay fulfilled:
- To write my science-fiction books
- To share astronomy with communities
- To document my travels and share stories
14 years of writing sci-fi books paved my path to creating sidewalk science and astronomy experiences. 8 years later, sidewalk astronomy allows me to explore the country, both the remote corners and urban centers.
These three pillars of my life coexist in symbiotic relationship. I get to express my creative passion; I get to meet thousands of people and introduce them to the cosmos; I get to travel and create written and visual stories that I can share with many of the same people I meet.
I’m extremely aware that many people are not in the position I’m in to have these experiences of their own, or live life in a way that frees them from the constraints of society, especially when the current federal regime is expressly targeting groups of people who are more often at a social disadvantage in this country. Me? I failed out of college – twice. I had a horrible income-to-debt ratio. But I had safety rails holding me up at every turn, giving me second and third and fourth chances where other people would have only one. So as I’ve learned to consolidate my life, so too has my desire and ability to provide educational services to communities grown.
We need more investment in opportunities that lift up every member of our communities and solidify the positive social bonds between us all. We need people of privileged statuses to back educators and community leaders working to integrate social, educational, and financial opportunities into the foundation of our societies. We cannot raise up only a few; we must raise up all.
This world is beautiful.
Alex
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, or YouTube
Purchase my photography prints
Support my mission, travel, and outreach with a tip on Venmo or PayPal.
Leave a Reply