Susan and John Ruff, Fantasy Authors

Observatories and planetarium shows have fascinated me all my life. When John and I stopped in Flagstaff, Arizona on a road trip a few years ago, we had the pleasure of visiting the Lowell Observatory on a clear summer night. We got to peer through one of the telescopes and see the exhibits inside. Even though I have viewed the night sky through telescopes many times over the years, I am always amazed at how large and clear the moon and planets appear.

The Lowell Observatory is famous because it was the place where Pluto was first discovered. Although Pluto’s status has changed, when I was young, astronomers still considered it a planet. (I find it amusing that, when I was born, there were only 48 states in the USA, but there were still 9 planets in our solar system.)

Planetarium shows are often a highlight of our travels. Over the years, we have seen planetarium shows at locations as diverse as Hawaii and Sydney, Australia.

As you know, when I write these short travel blogs, I typically choose a location that influenced my fiction writing, either directly or indirectly. Anyone who has read our latest cozy fantasy book Recipes for the Copper Snake can probably guess how all those observatory visits and planetarium shows influenced the story.

But one particular moment in a planetarium show many years ago had a direct influence on the novel. I think I was a teenager at the time (or maybe younger). My mom and I were watching a planetarium show at a local college. The seat backs were down and we were able to see a very realistic picture of the starry sky above us.

Suddenly, images of animals and figures from the Zodiac sprang into view, superimposed over the night sky, with lines connecting the stars to form the constellations.

Their unexpected appearance startled me. I think I even jumped a little in my chair. Although I knew logically that I was still inside a building, I felt as if the strange pictures had appeared outside in the real night sky.

I now know that a depiction of the Zodiac constellations is a common part of planetarium shows. I’ve seen it happen many times since then, but each time I still get a small thrill as the pictures appear amongst the stars.

To avoid spoilers, I won’t describe the scene in Recipes for the Copper Snake that was influenced by my experience. (I suspect that those of you who have read the book can easily guess.)

To end today’s discussion of observatories, here is a photo of a really clever way of raising donations for the Lowell Observatory:

Yes, my donation went into the bucket on the left (“Planet”). I want my ninth planet back! LOL!

-Susan 1/3/2025

p.s. And if you are interested in our new fantasy book, here is the link: Recipes for the Copper Snake.