Over thousands of years of human history, we have effectively become an indoor species. Particularly for those of us trapped in the cubicle life, often the only times we regularly step foot outside is for our daily work commute or to run errands. In 2001, a survey sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that, on average, Americans spend 87% of their time indoors and 6% in an enclosed vehicle.

A number of scientific studies emphasize that reveling in the great outdoors promotes human health. Spending time in natural environments has been linked to lower stress levels, improved working memory and feeling more alive, among other positive attributes.

In an effort to combat our indoor epidemic and reap these health benefits, a growing number of people worldwide have turned to stargazing indoors in their own Starscapes F/X® Cosmic Environment Simulator™.

David Yaden, a research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center says "In the natural setting, people are more relaxed and less stressed." His recently published study was about the inspiration and awe of the perceptual vastness experienced by astronauts in space.

• Improves the healthcare experience of patients and they recover quicker. Professor Roger Ulrich study

Prof. Roger Ulrich’s research has quantified the health benefits of viewing nature. Patients with images of nature in their rooms recovered more quickly than those with no images. In an extensive research study, Ulrich and colleagues delineated numerous strategies for improving the healthcare experience for patients and staff. "…Investigators have consistently reported that stress-reducing or restorative benefits of simply viewing nature are manifested as a constellation of positive emotional and physiological changes." The sky is our largest, most universal, and most globally available experience of nature.