"Thank you so much for the photos and for a lovely and interesting evening viewing the night sky - we had an amazing time!" -- R.Z., Israel
"Thanks again for a quite MAGICAL evening. It really put into perspective the wonders of G-d and reminded us that He is the Master not just of the world, but of the whole universe. It may have been dark out there, but you certainly showed us so much light! You can be sure we will pass on a good word about you to our friends and I hope we’ll meet again some day to spend some more time with the stars." -- A.W., Israel
"I need to give you a hug." -- M.Z., Massachusetts, USA
"Wow! It was amazing. Thank you!" -- M.S., Israel
"I dreamed about the sky all night. You took me to a place I never knew existed." -- A. R., Israel
"...[O]ur 'warmest' thanks for the 'cold' night. ;) We really hadn't expected the night to be that cold, but nonetheless, we had a wonderful time and it was certainly a night to remember for a long time." -- P.I., Finland
"I need to give you a hug." -- M.Z., Massachusetts, USA
"Wow! It was amazing. Thank you!" -- M.S., Israel
"I dreamed about the sky all night. You took me to a place I never knew existed." -- A. R., Israel
"...[O]ur 'warmest' thanks for the 'cold' night. ;) We really hadn't expected the night to be that cold, but nonetheless, we had a wonderful time and it was certainly a night to remember for a long time." -- P.I., Finland
"Thank you Ira, a terrific posting but it does not compare to the real thing. I was describing our experience to one of our friends at temple last Saturday and she asked if that was the highlight of our trip? I asked why and she noted how animated I was telling the story. I guess it had an effect. Truly a memorable outing. Thank you for sharing your experience and enthusiasm with us." -- M.T., Massachusetts, USA
"fantastic! thank you so much ira! what a special time we had together, truly magical. your insights and explanations brought the heavens alive for me. the wind of the maktesh soars within my soul. the depth of the glittering diamond stars, the zodiacal lights, and the swirling rings of saturn lift my spirit. Our time together, under the cold canopy of shifting light and dark, broadened my reality and brought new meaning to boundless infinity." -- D.K.Z., Massachusetts, USA
"Thank you so much for taking us out on the tour! We had a wonderful time and learned so much. You'll make amateur astronomers out of us yet! Truly, it was a wonderful experience..." - K.M., Israel
"Mitzpe Ramon's desert sky makes for a fantastic star gazing night...Machefsky leads the personalized tours in English and points out the constellations, stars and planets with passion." - Time Out Israel, Feb. 1, 2011
"I was so fascinated I forgot to smoke for 20 minutes." -- H.S., a chain smoker, Israel
"Thanks so much for a memorable evening. I am back in NJ, digging out from all the snow, but the memory of our night counting shooting stars will linger... Hope all is well in Mitzpe Ramon and l look forward to meeting you again in the future with other members of our family. I will keep on looking up!!" -- L.W., New Jersey, USA
"I am sure I am not only speaking for myself in saying that we all had an educational and fun time stargazing under your guidance at Mitzpe Ramon. While space telescope pictures are amazing and beautiful in their detail and color, there is nothing like being out on the rugged plain under the majestic night sky and having one's cornea directly impacted by the rays of light of the heavenly bodies-- both directly and through the telescopic devices at your disposal. Hoping to see you two again for one of the anticipated meteor storms in the not too distant future." -- A.R., Israel
"That was the best three hours I have ever spent." - T., Manhattan
"Awesome" (with thumbs up) - 12 year old boy, Manhattan
"Mon Dieu!"
"We have been telling everyone we know about our wonderful evening of star gazing. It was truly a magnificent event and made our trip even more memorable. Thanks so much for your write up in your blog. We will pass it on for others to read. I actually feel famous !!!!" - S.B., Israel
"Thanks again for the great evening under the stars! We learned so much and had an extraordinary experience. We will be back on the first occasion we get!" - N.B., Israel
"Thanks again for a great evening – I would’ve stayed a few more hours, if I could. We will definitely spread the word!" - R.V.E., Tel Aviv, Israel
"You were great and, as expected, the evening sparked quite a bit of interest in how the heavens ‘work’.
We had a great time, please extend our thanks and collective hug to Donny!" - Conduit, Israel
" We're back in New York City with memories that will be with us a long time. We came for the eclipse and experienced so much more. It was a total surprise to us as the light from the moon slid away and the stars shone brightly in the darkened sky. The biggest surprise was your gracious tour of the sky and the fun amongst our party on the ground. Thanks so much. Thomas, Elizabeth and Ben. "
"That was either one of the best night's of my life or THE best night of my life." - 8 1/2 year old Harel, Basel, Switzerland
"I wanted to thank you very much for last night's tour for our guests. They were very impressed with you, your knowledge, expertise as well as how personable and kid friendly you are. We will be delighted to recommend your services." - S.M., Israel
"...the experience of a lifetime...We will definitely spread the word." - G.L., Tel Aviv
"Hello Ira! Thank you for an amazing star tour on Saturday night. We had a great weekend in Mitspe Ramon. All the best and we hope to come back soon :)" - S.F., Israel
"One of the most amazing nights of my entire life. Thank you so much!" - Chris, Maclean, VA
"Just a quick note to thank you for your great tour with my husband and kids. My kids (and husband) are pretty hard to impress, but, they had a phenomenal time! They learned so much and really enjoyed it. As summer vacation comes to a close, your tour sticks out as one of the best experiences they had. I can't wait to schedule a tour with you when my mother is here chanuka time! We'll bring our winter coats and hot cocoa and will be ready to enjoy! Thank you so much again. " - N.S., Israel
"...it was amazing to see the moon, Saturn and Jupiter through Ira’s telescopes and to learn about stars, constellations, and the night sky. ... stargazing with Ira is a definite must-do should you find yourself in the Negev!" - ABC, New Jersey
To understand for the first time what Orion looks like and why he's fighting the bull - That was worth traveling from Hertzliya to Mitzpe. :)
- Noam and Shirley, Hertzilya
I just wanted to tell you how much we all enjoyed the astronomy evening. It was the highlight of our chol hamoed vacation." S. Rubin, NYC
Friends,
I want to share with you an extraordinary experience. Last week I took the Star Tour on the Negev for the first time. It was a two hour night event conducted by the "Star Man of Israel" (Ira Machefsky). The presentation and the expertise of Ira were 100%. I enjoyed every minute. The night sky at Mitzpe Ramon can not be described. It is totally dark (no light pollution), We saw two Meteorites, the North Star, other planets, distant stars and the spectacular moon. We used telescopes, binoculars and naked eyes. The craters on the surface of the moon were breathtaking . I strongly recommend the tour. For additional information see the amazing web site: www.astronomyisrael.com If you are in Israel just call 052 544 9789. If you plan to visit Israel do not miss this great tour. Make your reservation in advance. -- Dr. Abe Gill, Ashdod
"Thanks again for a great evening – I would’ve stayed a few more hours, if I could. We will definitely spread the word!" - R.V.E., Tel Aviv, Israel
"You were great and, as expected, the evening sparked quite a bit of interest in how the heavens ‘work’.
We had a great time, please extend our thanks and collective hug to Donny!" - Conduit, Israel
" We're back in New York City with memories that will be with us a long time. We came for the eclipse and experienced so much more. It was a total surprise to us as the light from the moon slid away and the stars shone brightly in the darkened sky. The biggest surprise was your gracious tour of the sky and the fun amongst our party on the ground. Thanks so much. Thomas, Elizabeth and Ben. "
"That was either one of the best night's of my life or THE best night of my life." - 8 1/2 year old Harel, Basel, Switzerland
" We had an incredible time on our astronomy tour. Thanks so much, particularly for the attention you gave our kids! They really enjoyed the evening." - A.T., New Jersey
"I wanted to thank you very much for last night's tour for our guests. They were very impressed with you, your knowledge, expertise as well as how personable and kid friendly you are. We will be delighted to recommend your services." - S.M., Israel
"...a top 10 life experience..." - R.G., Israel
"I heard last night was AMAZING!!! (Rebecca, Danny's wife) Hi Ira, Danny here, Birthday boy from last week's astronomy experience. I just wanted to say thanks again for a wonderful surprise birthday that you and my wife put together. I've been talking it up to everybody I see.”
"Thanks again for a spectacular evening. We have been telling everyone to be sure to put your tour on their to-do list." - T.K., Israel
"Hatunot", the English speakers guide to weddings in Israel, names Astronomy Israel a top wedding party tour. Thanks for that! http://www.hatunotblog.com/blog-2012-03-26-unique-israel-tours-for-wedding-guests.html
"I've wanted to see Saturn all my life, and you showed it to me. It really is there, just like its pictures. Just beautiful. Thank you." - Ben, age 84, Israel
"A life changing experience" - Max's father, Mexico City
"Ira, thank you so much for the incredible star tour. I will never forget that!" - Viki, Tel Aviv
"One of the most amazing nights of my entire life. Thank you so much!" - Chris, Maclean, VA
"...it was amazing to see the moon, Saturn and Jupiter through Ira’s telescopes and to learn about stars, constellations, and the night sky. ... stargazing with Ira is a definite must-do should you find yourself in the Negev!" - ABC, New Jersey
To understand for the first time what Orion looks like and why he's fighting the bull - That was worth traveling from Hertzliya to Mitzpe. :)
- Noam and Shirley, Hertzilya
" - Tim and Ria, New York
"You are a true rock star! You successfully engaged, entertained and enlightened the five teenagers in my family in the desert night-- an incredible feat! You have a great sense of humor and the "extreme" stargazing tour is a highlight of our trip!" --C. Kahn from NYC
I just wanted to tell you how much we all enjoyed the astronomy evening. It was the highlight of our chol hamoed vacation." S. Rubin, NYC
Friends,
I want to share with you an extraordinary experience. Last week I took the Star Tour on the Negev for the first time. It was a two hour night event conducted by the "Star Man of Israel" (Ira Machefsky). The presentation and the expertise of Ira were 100%. I enjoyed every minute. The night sky at Mitzpe Ramon can not be described. It is totally dark (no light pollution), We saw two Meteorites, the North Star, other planets, distant stars and the spectacular moon. We used telescopes, binoculars and naked eyes. The craters on the surface of the moon were breathtaking . I strongly recommend the tour. For additional information see the amazing web site: www.astronomyisrael.com If you are in Israel just call 052 544 9789. If you plan to visit Israel do not miss this great tour. Make your reservation in advance. -- Dr. Abe Gill, Ashdod
"Much appreciated. The children continue to talk about it. Great time." - D.S., Zurich
"Just wanted to say thank you again for such a fantastic tour. We could have easily stayed much longer and the kids really enjoyed it and learned quite a lot. We will be very happy to recommend your tour in the future!
"Just wanted to say thank you again for such a fantastic tour. We could have easily stayed much longer and the kids really enjoyed it and learned quite a lot. We will be very happy to recommend your tour in the future!
Much hatzlacha and continued success, b'gashmius u'b'ruchnius!" - M.B., Ramat Bet Shemesh
Read an article about the Starman of Mitzpe Ramon and his star tour adventures in the New Jersey Jewish Standard: http://www.jstandard.com/content/item/from_englewood_to_the_stars/29023
Read an article about the couple who got engaged on a star tour!
http://israel21c.org/blog/israel21c-write-up-leads-to-romantic-match-up/
Read an article about the couple who got engaged on a star tour!
http://israel21c.org/blog/israel21c-write-up-leads-to-romantic-match-up/
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