From time to time I get asked about the prettiest places where I have lived. I am lucky that way because I have lived–not just visited or passed through–some pretty interesting places, including Rio de Janeiro, Southern Arizona, South and West Florida, Monterey, California, Washington DC, Chicago, Boston, San Diego, Lisbon, Athens, Singapore, Buenos Aires and the indomitable Auckland West Coast. I have been lucky to travel and visit many other beautiful places as well. Among the conversations about pretty places I get asked about which have the best skies, both for sunrises and sunsets as well as for stargazing. My answer is always the same. As much as the skies over the Waitakere Ranges and Tasman Sea are a great place to watch sunrises, sunsets and the trajectory of the stars, the single place where my eyes have been “filled” the most is the Sonoran Desert. It is particularly spectacular during the summer monsoon season, currently taking place. This is one reason why: