A Space Calendar that’ll Make You Love the Universe Even More…

Alright so I normally don’t review products or calendars but this is one calendar I cannot stop being so excited about! Let me also preface this with the fact that this was sent over to me by Steve Caridi over at Year in Space. I should also note that I do not make any money off this and everything written here is my honest opinion.

I will also be giving away one FREE wall calendar to my fans. Just leave me a comment about what fact about astronomy fascinates you the most and I’ll reach out to you via email. (Make sure to fill out the email part in the commenting section)

Okay without further adieu let’s jump into my 3 reasons why this calendar is awesome!

1) Gorgeous High Resolution Images

Okay I know that may be a cop out for listing it as one of my favorite reasons but seriously the images in this calendar are SPECTACULAR. I’ve seen many space calendars that have some decent images but none with as much detail as Year in Space. As you can see we are starting off the new year with the lovely Carina Nebula (a little more information about this nebula in my blog post here). Looking more closely we can see the gorgeous gas clouds intertwining and thousands upon thousands of stars forming here. I promise you that when you look at each month you’ll be staring for at least a few minutes getting lost in each beautiful image and picking out intricate details.

2) Stuffed with TONS of Exciting Facts to Keep Your Head Floating Way Above Lower Earth Orbit

One thing that really peaked my interest is the amount of really good information presented in this calendar. It’s geared towards anyone with beginner to intermediate knowledge of the cosmos. For example it can give you the meat and potatoes of what you want to know like this:

This is a great example of telling you what you want to know at a glance and even adding my favorite bits like solar masses and last time it erupted. I found this was also great for my fellow office workers who were strolling by and were immediately stopped in their tracks. It helps teach them about what they’re looking at and dive into even more juicy details by looking at other pieces of information located around the image. A really cool example for maybe someone who is more in the intermediate side of astronomy is this:

I really enjoyed reading this area. Even for intermediate astronomers these types of details can be hard to discover without some serious guidance or research. It also makes you want to look more closely at other nebulae to see if you can discover similar traits. Honestly, I did not expect anything to this caliber to be found in a calendar. Yes let’s not forget this is a CALENDAR here, not an astronomy textbook… a calendar.

3) Highlighting the Unsung Heroes of Astronomy Each Month to Gain a Little Appreciation

One really cool thing Year in Space included was highlighting a different scientist each month. We’re not talking about the Neil deGrasse Tyson’s or Brian Cox’s of the world but the unsung heroes. These scientists really do help progress humanity, whether it’s deciding on where to land a rover, investigate the best timing for a beautiful image to share with the public, or running experiments in the lab. You may not be able to remember all the scientists names but you will gain a new sense of appreciation of the types of different responsibilities each one has to contribute to a much larger picture. This is a really cool feature in this calendar and also makes it well worth the $14. 

Here’s the main image to give you a little more context about what else is going on that particular month:

Just beautiful image of Mars and of course loaded with really cool information that will make your water-cooler talk even more exciting.

Summary: What We’ve Learned

1. The calendar has GORGEOUS images that will keep your eyes busy and full of astro-envy.
2. It’s loaded with tons of information that will most likely teach you something new for each month.
3. Highlights a scientist each month to ensure the unsung heroes have their time in the Sun. (Don’t glaze over this one – you will gain a much deeper appreciation).

Where can I buy one and what are the specs?

• You can buy the wall calendar here (a.k.a what I just reviewed here)
• Size is 11″ x 16″ (a typical calendar is 12″ x 12″)
• Cost $13.95 w/ free shipping to the U.S
• Also available in a compact desktop calendar here
• Offers Money Back Guarantee (which means little risk on your end!)