So many of us are dreaming of the places we would love to visit. Andrew Fraknoi asks us to imagine the top tourist destinations in our solar system that our great-grandchildren will be visiting.

Using spectacular images from space probes and the world’s largest telescopes, we will explore the most intriguing future “tourist destinations” among the planets and moons in our cosmic neighborhood. Our stops will include the 4,000-mile lava channel on Venus, the towering Mount Olympus volcano on Mars (three times the height of Mount Everest), the awesome Verona Cliffs on the moon Miranda (which are the tallest “lover’s leap” in the solar system), the recently discovered salt-water steam geysers on Saturn’s intriguing moon Enceladus (nicknamed “Cold Faithful.”). We’ll finish with the latest images of the eerie vistas on Pluto. 

Andrew Fraknoi retired in 2017 as the Chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College, and now teaches non-credit astronomy courses for older adults at The Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco and the OLLI program at SF State.  Fraknoi has appeared regularly on local and national radio, explaining astronomical developments in everyday language, and was the California Professor of the Year in 2007. He is the lead author on a college astronomy textbook and a children's book When the Sun Goes Dark. He also writes science fiction and has published three stories in the last few years. The International Astronomical Union has named Asteroid 4859 Asteroid Fraknoi to honor his contributions to the public understanding of science. 

Rooted in real science with a hopeful view of the future, we hope you enjoy this tour of the stars.