>> I THINK IT WAS MY MOM THAT FIRST BROUGHT UP THE NEBRASKA STAR PARTY ITSELF.

IT'S JUST A WEEK-LONG EVENT WHERE A BUNCH OF AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS, PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE STATES, COME AND LOOK AT THE STARS.

I'VE ALWAYS HAD A LOVE OF ASTRONOMY AND JUST LOOKING UP AT THE STARS, AND TO HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN OUR HOME STATE IS PRETTY ASTONISHING.

I NEVER KNEW THAT YOU COULD DRIVE JUST A FEW HOURS OUT OF OMAHA AND SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

I JUST FEEL LIKE YOU ARE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING WHEN YOU CAN LOOK UP AT THE STARS AND KNOW THAT EVERY SINGLE DOT OUT THERE IS SOME OTHER SOLAR SYSTEM, POSSIBLY WITH ANOTHER SET OF LIFE FORMS AND PLANETS.

IT JUST HELPS YOU KIND OF PUT EVERYTHING IN PERSPECTIVE AND GROUNDS YOU OUT.

>> I SAW THE DEEP FIELD IMAGE FROM HUBBLE ABOUT THE 10,000 GALAXIES.

AND I LOOKED AT IT AND IT WAS A COGNITIVE DISSONANCE MOMENT.

I WAS LIKE, "THOSE ARE ALL GALAXIES."

I WAS LIKE, "WOW, THAT'S JUST SO INSANE."

AND THAT JUST INSPIRED ME.

I KNEW THAT'S WHAT I HAD TO DO.

I KNEW I WAS MEANT FOR ASTRONOMY.

>> THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS PLACE IS OBVIOUSLY THE DARK SKIES.

SO ON THE BORTLE SCALE, IT'S NUMBER ONE.

THEORETICALLY THE DARKEST SKIES YOU CAN GET.

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A COMPLETELY BLACK SKY.

>> WE'RE ALL FROM NORTHEAST ILLINOIS.

>> THE SUBURBS OF CHICAGO.

>> YEAH, I'M FROM PLAINFIELD.

YOU LIVE IN BOURBONNAIS.

>> EVERGREEN PARK.

>> EVERGREEN PARK.

>> HOW'S THE STARGAZING GAZING THERE?

>> YOU CAN SEE MAYBE THREE STARS FROM WHERE I LIVE.

>> THE STARGAZING THERE IS WHY WE'RE HERE.

>> IF IT WAS GOOD THERE, WE'D HAVE STAYED AT HOME.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

IT'S TERRIBLE.

THE DIMMEST STAR WE CAN SEE ON A TYPICAL NIGHT IN CHICAGO IS THIRD MAGNITUDE.

SO IF YOU CAN COME OUT HERE AND SEE A SEVENTH MAGNITUDE, WHICH IS ROUTINE, THEN IT'S FOUR MAGNITUDES DARKER.

THAT'S TWO AND A HALF TIMES TWO AND A HALF TIMES TWO... IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S 40 TIMES DARKER OUT HERE.

AND WHEN YOU GET 40 TIMES DARKER, YOU CAN SEE MORE THAN 40 TIMES AS MANY STARS.

IT'S OVERWHELMING.

♪ ♪ >> WHAT'S THE BEST THING YOU FOUND LAST NIGHT?

>> PROBABLY REVISITING MARKARIAN 205.

THAT'S A QUASAR ROUGHLY A BILLION LIGHT YEARS AWAY, IF I'M REMEMBERING CORRECTLY AND THE OUTPUT'S THE LIGHT EQUIVALENT OF 1.3 BILLION SUNS.

>> 1.3 BILLION SUNS?

>> YES.

>> IT MUST BE AN ENORMOUS OBJECT.

>> IT PROBABLY IS.

IT'S HEAVY, THAT'S FOR SURE.

MOST OF THOSE ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE MASSIVE BLACK HOLES IN THE MIDDLE OF THEM.

>> LAST NIGHT WAS PROBABLY THE BEST ASTRONOMY NIGHT I'VE EVER HAD.

AND I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FIVE YEARS.

>> ONCE THE SUN WENT DOWN, THE WIND DROPPED, THE CLOUDS DISAPPEARED AND EVERY STAR WAS CLEAR.

AND THAT'S A MILLION MORE STARS YOU CAN SEE THAN ANY CITY AROUND HERE.

>> THE MILKY WAY WENT FROM ONE HORIZON TO THE OTHER.

IT WAS LIKE A RAINBOW AT NIGHT.

IT WAS JUST MESMERIZING.

I FELT TRANSPORTED.

IT WAS THE DARKEST SKY I'VE EVER SEEN.

♪ >> WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.

♪ ♪ ♪ >> AS A HUMAN, YOU SHOULD CARE WHERE YOUR ORIGIN IS FROM.

AND WE'RE ALL PRETTY MUCH STARDUST.

THERE'S NOT MUCH OF A DEFINING LINE.

>> THE CALCIUM IN OUR BONES AND THE IRON IN OUR BLOOD CAME FROM A STAR.

IF THAT'S NOT A DIRECT CONNECTION, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS.

>> THE MORE WE KNOW ABOUT OURSELVES AND THAT WE CAN EXPAND TO EACH OTHER, THE MORE LOVE AND THE MORE ENERGY WE HAVE, AND THE CLOSER WE WILL BECOME TO JUST PURE ENLIGHTENMENT.

♪ >> WE ARE A TEASPOON OF STARDUST.

♪ ♪ WE ARE A MILLION YEARS OLD.

♪ ♪ WE ARE A TEASPOON OF STARDUST.

♪ ♪ WE ARE A MILLION YEARS OLD.

♪ ♪ ♪