When an organization becomes well established with members who have long tenures, the cultures tens so shorted common items in their experience to abbreviations that are often unintelligiable to those outside the organization. This is meant to serve as help to interpret some of those common phrases hear around TAAA (see – another acronym!)
AFSig – Astronomy Fundamentals Special Interest Group – Meets to discuss basic astronomy topics
AISig – Astro Imaging Special Interest group – Group who meads with an interested in Photography
SMSig – Starry messenger special interest group – volunteer who do hands on outreach activities
Big Boy – The 40 inch Dobsonian telescope in a roll off shed on the deck of the RMO at CAC.
CAC – Chiricahua Astronomy Complex – The TAAA eastern dark site.
Classroom – The Margaret E Mooney building which houses a classroom at the CAC dark site.
The Gila Monster – The roll off shed enclosing the 14” Meade SCT at the TIMPA site
RM0 – The Reynolds Mitchell Observatory – large warm room with deck at CAC
WRO – Wally Rogers Observatory – 12×12 roll off observatory with 14 inch Celestron at CAC
The 16 – The 16” Meade SCT Telescope mounted at the TIMPA site
TAAA – ‘T’ triple ‘A’. Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association Inc.
TIMPA – Tucson International Modelplex Park Association – The model airfield site of TAAA’s western Dark Site
TSA – Tucson Stargazing Adventures – the TAAA volunteer paid star party group.
501(c)3 – The IRS code section that determined TAAA’s charitable status.