ONLINE – General Meeting – June 2021

6:30 – 8:00 pm:  Open to everyone (via Facebook Live)                              Approximately 8:00 pm:  Members Only (via Zoom)

TAAA’s next general member meeting will be held on Friday, June 4, 2021, and available online. The Main Presentation starts at 6:30 P.M and is open to the public. A Members Only Meeting will follow. Non-members may attend the Main Presentation via Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/. Members should attend the meeting via Zoom.

6:30 pm – Main Presentation

Title:  Ivory Towers in Backyards

Presentation: Many astronomers dream of their own personal observatory in their backyard.  What are some of the options out there for individuals to have a small observatory only feet away from family and a soft, warm bed? Joseph Wright uses anecdotes and a lifetime of talking to a wide variety of audiences, including youth, to inspire people to become involved or more involved in astronomy.

Presenter: Joseph Wright’s  interest in astronomy started when he was a teen Boy Scout working on the astronomy Merit Badge at the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation in Osceola, MO, Joe continued his interest as a member of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City, and by studying Architecture and Architectural Engineering at the University of Kansas. He has created construction for several small observatories. He is now employed by UA and Steward Observatory as an Instructional Specialist, as well as a high school teacher in Architectural Design, CAD/Drafting and Robotics. The winner of many honors and awards in his field, Joe is Solar System Ambassador with Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), an Airborne Astronomy Ambassador with The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) and the Sofia aircraft. And still more! He’s president of the National Sharing The Sky Foundation, and in his 17th year as Operations Manager of the Warkoczewski Observatory at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He resides near Excelsior, MO, and considers Tucson his second home.