by Bridgid Isworth
Daily Lobo
A night of romance under the stars will be possible no matter how cloudy it might be in Albuquerque this Valentine's Day.
Couples looking for the perfect Valentine's date will get the opportunity to experience the throb of the Heart Nebula and other star formations Saturday at the Lode Star Astronomy Center's Starry Nights tour in Albuquerque.
"The Heart Nebula is a nursery for stars shaped like a heart," said Mike Trujillo, Lode Star floor supervisor. "It's pretty cool."
The astronomy center is operated by the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and is a UNM project.
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Visitors will be given a 25-minute planetarium show on certain night objects in the center's observatory, Trujillo said. Following the presentation, visitors get the opportunity to look through the large telescopes in the observatory.
"You can spend as much time using the telescopes as you want," Trujillo said.
The center's staff will also be taking pictures of couples together on their Valentine's Day adventure at the center.
The Valentine's Starry Night tour is a first-time event in the Starry Nights series.
"Starry Nights has proved to be very popular, and we are expecting a large crowd of couples this Saturday night," Trujillo said.
Tours run every Saturday night during February, so the romance of Valentine's Day can be experienced for the whole month. Tours begin each half hour from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $3 for children.
So for those lacking some romantic inspiration this Valentine's Day, there's no excuse to miss out on gazing at the stars.
"It's a romantic thing to do, period, even if it's not for Valentine's Day," Trujillo said.
