General Meeting – December 2019
2019-12-06 18:30 - 21:00 (America/Phoenix) | Steward Observatory Lecture Hall (Room N210), 933 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85721, United States
6:30 pm – Introductory Presentation
Title: Minor Policy Updates, Review and Training
Speaker: Mae Smith, TAAA President
TAAA President Mae Smith will give a presentation on the group’s Minor Policy updates, review and training. Minor Policy procedures are to be fully enacted throughout TAAA by January 1, 2020. Mae’s talk will include updates on any changes to the policy, reviews of responsibilities of members and leaders, and review of the procedures for TAAA members involved in the different TAAA activities. Attendance at this meeting will count as training in the fundamental minor policy course for TAAA leaders and members and as the required annual review for leaders who previously took the training.
7:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: Remote Observatory Operation, the good, the bad, and the ugly: or what can go wrong with your observatory?
Speaker: Tim Hunter has been an amateur astronomer since 1950, and he is the owner of two observatories, the 3towers Observatory and the Grasslands Observatory (http://www.3towers.com). He also considers himself “a prime example of someone whose hobby has run amok, spending more time and money on it than common sense would dictate.” Tim has been the President of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association, Inc. (TAAA) and a member of the TAAA since 1975. He is the immediate past Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Planetary Science Institute (PSI). For decades, he has been interested in the growing problem of light pollution. In 1987, he and Dr. David Crawford founded the International Dark-Sky Association, Inc. (IDA). IDA is a nonprofit corporation devoted to promoting quality outdoor lighting and combatting the effects of light pollution.
Tim’s talk to TAAA will describe his experience owning and operating the Grasslands Observatory near Sonoita, Arizona. As Tim explains: “The observatory was founded in 1987 and evolved from a mainly visual use facility to three remotely operated telescopes used for astrophotography.” He will illustrate the evolution of the observatory, and discuss remote telescopic operations in general and how his three telescopes—a PlaneWave CDK24 24-inch f/6.5 telescope, an ASA 20-inch f/3.6 telescope, and a Takahashi Epsilon 180 f/2.8 telescope—are remotely operated from Tucson and used for various astrophotographic projects. As Tim explains, “Remote telescope operation is quite possible and offers great convenience with respect to travel and sleeping. It comes with considerable costs including monetary as well as the need for constant attention to maintain the operation. Things can and will go wrong. One must be prepared to respond to the gravest of contingencies at a remote location in the darkest hours of the night. “

Murphy-Wilmot Library Evening Stargazing
2019-12-11 17:30 - 19:30 | Murphy-Wilmot Library, 530 N Wilmot Road, Tucson, AZ, 85711, United States
Join Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association and the Murphy-Wilmot Library for an evening of stargazing.

Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – December 2019
2019-12-12 18:30 - 20:30 | U.S.G.S. Building, 520 North Park Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
Topics to be determined.

Tucson Mountain Park Ironwood Picnic Area Star Party
2019-12-28 18:00 - 20:00 | Ironwood Picnic, 7300 W Hal gras Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85735, United States
Star Party-Tucson Mountain Park Ironwood Picnic Area
Tucson, AZ (West)
Viewing Location: Second Restroom area approximately 3/4 of the way in on Hal Gras Road.
Information: Great dark skies in Western Tucson. Star Party open to the Public. Cost: FREE. Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association will have several telescopes for astronomical viewing. We will observe Planets, Nebulae, Galaxies, Star Clusters and lots more. Great opportunity to look through a variety of telescopes. Weather dependent. For real-time updates, follow this event on the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association Facebook Events Page (https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/).

General Meeting – January 2020
2020-01-03 18:30 - 21:00 | Steward Observatory Lecture Hall (Room N210), 933 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85721, United States
6:30 pm – Introductory Presentation
Title: Seasonal Night Sky Objects
Speaker: Mary Turner, PhD

Mary Turner, TAAA’s appointed Chief Observer, takes us on a tour of the winter night sky. Dr. Turner’s use of astronomical data, images, and mythology will bring seasonal changes in the sky to life, as always in her popular quarterly talks.
7:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: New Technologies to Search for Exoplanets with Space Telescopes Large and Small
Speaker: Ewan Douglas joined the University of Arizona Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory in the Spring of 2019 as an assistant professor. His research focuses on space instrumentation, wavefront sensing and control, and high-contrast imaging of extrasolar planets and debris disks, and small spacecraft such as CubeSats. Dr. Douglas graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelors in Physics in 2008. He worked for a year at the Hanford Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory before attending graduate school at Boston University, where he received a PhD from the Astronomy Department in 2016 followed by a postdoc in the MIT Space, Telecommunications, Astronomy, and Radiation Laboratory.
Dr. Douglas’ talk will focus on his ongoing work in the University of Arizona’s Space Astrophysics Lab (UASAL) to leverage low-cost spacecraft such as CubeSats, sounding rockets, and SmallSats, so that they efficiently and effectively, as well as relatively inexpensively, advance the technologies needed to image Earth-sized planets and asteroid belts around other stars. With Dr. Douglas’ work in cutting edge technologies, and ability to simplify complicated topics, TAAA’s first main presentation of 2020 promises to be interesting to all.

Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – January 2020
2020-01-09 18:30 - 20:30 | Tucson City Council Ward 6, 3202 E. 1st Street, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
Constellation of the Month:
Still To Be Determined
Presenter:

The constellation of the month has not yet been determined.
Main Presentation:
Telescope Maintenance
Presenter: Doug Smith

Doug Smith will be giving the main topic on Telescope Maintenance.

Tucson Mountain Park Ironwood Picnic Stargazing
2020-01-25 18:00 - 20:00, 2020-02-22 18:30 - 20:30 | Ironwood Picnic, 7300 W Hal gras Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85735, United States

Catalina State Park Stargazing
2020-02-01 18:30 - 21:30 | Catalina State Park, 11570 N Oracle Rd, Catalina, AZ, United States
Star Party-Catalina State Park
Tucson, AZ
Viewing Location: Trailhead Picnic area at end of road inside the park.
Information: Great dark skies just north of Tucson at Catalina State Park. Star Party open to the Public. Admission cost for entrance into Catalina State Park. Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association will have 10 telescopes for astronomical viewing. We will observe Planets, Nebulae, Galaxies, Star Clusters and lots more. Great opportunity to look through a wide variety of telescopes. Weather dependent. For real-time updates, follow this event on the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association Facebook Events Page (https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/).

General Meeting – February 2020
2020-02-07 18:30 - 21:00 | Steward Observatory Lecture Hall (Room N210), 933 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85721, United States
6:30 pm – Introductory Presentation
Title: Member Planet Database Update
Speaker: David Rosetter

TAAA member, David Rosetter, in charge of the TAAA Member Planet system, (which manages the TAAA member database), will talk about expanded web benefits for TAAA members and provide information on the web options available. Bring any questions you have on how to best access TAAA information.
7:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: A Tale of Two Galaxies
Speaker: Dr. Knut Olsen is a staff astronomer at the National Science Foundation’s Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory, based in Tucson. Born in Norway, he moved to the U.S. at a young age and quickly developed a fascination for astronomy. He worked on the Magellanic Clouds as part of his Ph.D. thesis, and continued his exploration of them while living and working in La Serena, Chile, where the Clouds are naked eye objects. He moved to Tucson in 2007.
Dr. Olsen will present a personal story of how a chance observing run kicked off more than a decade of exploration of and discovery in the Magellanic Clouds, two of our most prominent neighbor galaxies. The Magellanic Clouds have been key to establishing the extragalactic distance scale, played a seminal role in the discovery of Dark Energy, and are causing us to adjust our view of the Milky Way.

Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – February 2020
2020-02-13 18:30 - 20:30 | Tucson City Council Ward 6, 3202 E. 1st Street, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
Constellation of the Month:
Auriga
Presenter: Gus Gomez

Gus Gomez will be presenting Auriga for the constellation of the month.
Main Presentation:
Discussion on Equipment Modifications
Presenter:

Our main topic will be an open discussion on equipment modifications that members have done to enhance their viewing sessions.

Tucson Star Party
2020-02-15 14:00 - 21:00 | Pima Community College East, 8181 E Irvington Rd, Tucson, AZ, United States
Annual Tucson Star Party co-sponsored with Astronomy Magazine. Solar observing from 2 pm until sunset. Evening observing from sunset to 9 pm. Enjoy some dark sky observing under wonderful Tucson skies. Follow the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association Facebook event for weather and other updates.

Saguaro National Park EAST Monthly Astronomy Event
2020-02-20 19:00 - 21:00, 2020-03-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Saguaro National Park EAST, 3693 S Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZ, 85730, United States
TAAA Support to the Saguaro National Park EAST monthly astronomy event.
Join park naturalists for an introduction to astronomy and a look at the desert night sky. Telescopes and binoculars will be available. Reservations are required. Call the Visitor Center at (520) 733-5153. Accessible Program.
Observing and talk will be at the Visitor Center from 7 – 9 pm.

General Meeting – March 2020
2020-03-06 18:30 - 21:00 | Steward Observatory Lecture Hall (Room N210), 933 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85721, United States
6:30 pm – Introductory Presentation
Title: The Astronomical League and TAAA’s Astronomy Fundamentals Class
Speakers: Doug Smith and JD Metzger

TAAA member Doug Smith talks about The Astronomical League, and TAAA member JD Metzger talks about TAAA’s Astronomy Fundamentals Class.
7:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: Using Light Echoes as Time Machines
Speaker: Jennifer Andrews is an observational astronomer interested in massive stars and the violent explosions that signal the end of their lives. She has been at Steward Observatory for the past few years, and spends a lot of her time observing supernovae and other transients with telescopes in Southern Arizona. Jennifer received her PhD at Louisiana State University, and prior to moving to Tucson she worked as a postdoc at the University of Massachusetts
The great eruption of the massive star Eta Carinae in the mid-1800s was a spectacular astronomical event, when it likely ejected a mass of material 10 – 20 times that of the Sun, and was visible to the naked eye. Until recently the only observations of that eruption were historical visual estimates of Eta Carinae’s brightness and color. Thanks to our evolving ability to use light echoes (LEs) we can now re-examine the event. As some light from Eta Carinae’s eruption traveled directly toward us and was observed in the 1800s, light directed away from us was scattered off dust, and we are finally observing it today as a light echo. Over the past decade we have been obtaining imaging and spectroscopy of these echoes with telescopes in the Southern Hemisphere, enabling us to reconstruct Eta Carinae’s physical state prior to and during the great eruption. Jennifer will discuss these observations and what they reveal about one of the most enigmatic massive stars in the Milky Way

Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – March 2020
2020-03-12 18:30 - 20:30 | Tucson City Council Ward 6, 3202 E. 1st Street, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States

Agua Caliente Park Stargazing
2020-03-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Agua Caliente Park, 12325 E Roger Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85749, United States
Star Party-Agua Caliente Park
Tucson, AZ (Northeast)
Viewing Location: Bus Lanes @ North end of Parking Lot
Information: Great dark skies in Northeast Tucson. Star Party open to the Public. Cost: FREE. Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association will have several telescopes for astronomical viewing. We will observe Planets, Nebulae, Galaxies, Star Clusters and lots more. Great opportunity to look through a variety of telescopes. Park gate may close before event end time, so arrive as close to start time as possible. Weather dependent. For real-time updates, follow this event on the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association Facebook Events Page (https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/).

Oracle State Park Stargazing
2020-03-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Oracle State Park, 3820 E Wildlife Dr., Oracle, AZ, 85623, United States
Star Party-Oracle State Park
Tucson, AZ
Viewing Location: Kannally Ranch House
Information: Great dark skies just north of Tucson at Oracle State Park. Star Party open to the Public. Admission cost for entrance into Oracle State Park may apply. Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association will have several telescopes for astronomical viewing. We will observe Planets, Nebulae, Galaxies, Star Clusters and lots more. Great opportunity to look through a wide variety of telescopes. Weather dependent. For real-time updates, follow this event on the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association Facebook Events Page (https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/). There is generally a talk and other events also taking place. Check the Oracle State Park website for additional information.

VIRTUAL Star Party
2020-04-21 20:00 - 21:30
The nebulosity associated with M45 is not the progenitor of the cluster. Instead, it is a nebula through which M45 is passing.NASA Image, Robert Gendler
TAAA will host our first ever VIRTUAL star party coming to you from Tucson, AZ. We will explore about 12 objects for an hour and a half. This will be a Facebook Live event and is accessible from our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/. The event will be accessible from the Videos section and can be replayed after the event as well. The TAAA Facebook page is a public page and does not require any login to view. If you want any real-time updates, weather advisories, or other information leading up to the event, you can follow the Facebook event.

VIRTUAL Star Party
2020-05-12 20:30 - 22:00
M3 is a spectacular globular, and one of the largest, with 500,000 members. It is located in Canes Venatici. This cluster is nearly as old as the universe itself. Note the young blue stars, Blue Stragglers, embedded in the cluster.NASA image/ Teuwen
TAAA will host a VIRTUAL star party coming to you from Tucson, AZ. We will explore about 12 objects for an hour and a half. This will be a Facebook Live event and is accessible from our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/. The event will be accessible from the Videos section and can be replayed after the event as well. The TAAA Facebook page is a public page and does not require any login to view. If you want any real-time updates, weather advisories, or other information leading up to the event, you can follow the Facebook event. The star party will go from 8:30 – 10 pm Tucson, AZ (Pacific Daylight). Tucson is GMT – 7.

ONLINE - General Meeting – June 2020
2020-06-05 18:30 - 21:00 | ONLINE
The General Meeting will continue online. See Mae’s member emails for information about topics and how to access the meeting.
At the current time, it is available only to members, but that may change in the future.

CANCELLED - Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – June 2020
2020-06-11 18:30 - 20:30 | CANCELLED
The AFSIG is currently NOT having online meetings.

Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party
2020-06-13 18:00 - 2020-06-20 20:30 | ONLINE
VIRTUAL. VIRTUAL. VIRTUAL.
This year’s Grand Canyon Star Party will be Virtual and streamed from the Grand Canyon National Park Facebook page. Here are links to the Grand Canyon News Release and Facebook Page. Follow the Facebook event for any updates:

Schedule/Information 2020 Virtual GCSP

·
TAAA Members: Please attend as many events as possible and help us out
by assisting in answering chat questions of visitors, encouraging their interest
in the sky, and mentioning the 2021 GCSP!
Grand Canyon National Park
https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/newsreleases.htm/
Grand Canyon’s 2020 Star Party will be Hosted Virtually
[A night sky with red lighting in the forefront highlights telescopes looking at the sky. The words “Welcome to the Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party 2020!” are superimposed over the image.]
The 30th annual Grand Canyon Star Party will be held virtually June 13-20, 2020. While the on- site event at Grand Canyon National Park has been cancelled on both rims due to concerns over
COVID-19 this year, the park hopes to bring the wonders of the night sky into the virtual realm
through a series of video premieres on Grand Canyon’s official Facebook account.
https://www.facebook.com/events/252511419184647/
Go to Facebook to participate in event. Or go to Facebook and set up a personal reminder.
JUN 13 AT 6 PM – JUN 20 AT 8:30 PM
Online Event
Public · Hosted by
Grand Canyon National Park
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party 2020
Welcome to the Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party 2020!
Grand Canyon National Park and the Grand Canyon Conservancy invite you to the Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party 2020, June 13-20…

https://www.facebook.com/GrandCanyonNationalPark/
Schedule
Saturday, June 13, 2020
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Dark Skies in Isolation: Why Protecting the Night Sky is More Important Than Ever by Dr. John Barentine
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 1 by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy
Association
Sunday, June 14, 2020
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Lions, Vultures, and a Scorpion, Oh My! A Summer Jaunt through Arabian Skies by Dr.Danielle Adams
7:00PM – 8:30PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 2 by Focus Astronomy
Monday, June 15, 2020
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
A Tour Through the Universe by Dean Regas
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 3 by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy
Association
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Infant Galaxies to Alien Atmospheres: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope by Dr. Amber Straughn
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 4 by Focus Astronomy
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
The Art of Photographing Dark Skies by Shreenivasan Manievannan
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 5 by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy
Association
Thursday, June 18, 2020
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
One Giant Leap: Apollo Astronaut Training in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Schindler
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 6 by Focus Astronomy
Friday, June 19, 2020
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Astrophotography for Beginners by Bettymaya Foott
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 7 by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association
Saturday, June 20, 2020
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Planetary Defense: Surveying the Sky for Killer Asteroids by Professor Vishnu
Reddy
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 8 by Focus Astronomy
Definitely Also SEE Additional Information on NPS Web Page
Including info on 2021 GCSP:
https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/grand-canyon-star-party.htm/

Join Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association and the National Park Service for the 30th annual Star Party. The Star Party will be June 13 – 20, 2020. You will see Solar System planets, Galaxies Far Far Away, Star Clusters — some with several hundred thousand stars, Nebulae, multiple star systems (some with as many as 6 stars), and lots more. The skies are so dark you can clearly see the band of the Milky Way overhead. We start with a talk in the Visitor Center Auditorium about an astronomy topic at 8 pm. Observing at the telescopes goes from sunset (about 8 pm) to 11 pm. This event is free and open to anyone inside the Grand Canyon (park entrance fee required). For additional information, check out our Grand Canyon Star Party Webpage at: http://tucsonastronomy.org/upcoming-events/grand-canyon-star-party/.

Virtual Moon Stories
2020-06-27 14:00 - 15:00 | ONLINE
The Moon Stories activity will be streamed on TAAA Facebook Live starting 2 pm (Arizona/PDT) Saturday June 27. This is a great event for families and students. For additional information or to print out activity documents, go to: http://tucsonastronomy.org/community-services/teachers-corner/.

ONLINE - General Meeting – July 2020
2020-07-03 18:30 - 20:00 | ONLINE
ONLINE: Friday, July 3, 2020
6:30 – 8:00 pm
TAAA is continuing to hold its first Friday Member meetings online. The July 3rd meeting at 6:30 P.M. is open to the general public. To view it live, please go to https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy
6:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: The Latest Cutting-Edge Analysis of Apollo Lunar Samples
Speaker: Jessica Barnes is an Assistant Professor at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona. She completed her undergraduate and Ph.D. training in her native UK, and was a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Jess’s research background is in lunar mineralogy and geochemistry. Her current research centers on the origin and evolution of inner solar system volatiles.
In preparation for future lunar missions in the 2020s and beyond, it is important to maximize the science derived from samples returned by the Apollo Program. By applying cutting-edge analytical techniques to Apollo samples we address both longstanding and new scientific questions. NASA’s Apollo sample collection includes a subset of samples that were specially curated in 1972 and have remained untouched and unstudied since then. The Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis (ANGSA) initiative was designed to examine these pristine samples. Jess will talk about the preliminary examination of a never-before-studied lunar drill core and plans for the analyses of a frozen piece of lava from the Moon.
7:15 pm (Approx) – Second Presentation
Title: Seasonal Night Sky Object
Speaker: Mary Turner
Mary Turner, TAAA’s appointed Chief Observer, takes us on an tour of the summer night sky. As usual in her popular talks, Mary’s use of astronomical data, images, and mythology brings the seasonal changes in the sky to life.

ONLINE - General Meeting – August 2020
2020-08-07 18:30 - 20:00 | ONLINE
ONLINE: Friday, August 7, 2020
6:30 – 8:00 pm
TAAA is continuing to hold its first Friday Member meetings online. The August 7 meeting at 6:30 P.M. is open to the general public. To view it live, please go to https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy
6:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter & Remote Astrophotography
Speakers:
• Vannessa Gressieux is the Program Coordinator for the Mt Lemmon SkyCenter SkyNights program, a NASA / JPL Solar System Ambassador, and an OSIRIS REx Ambassador. She supports a variety of Tucson community-based events at schools and public outreach events, and coordinates tours and outreach for the Richard F Caris Mirror Lab. Originally from the East Coast, Vannessa fell in love with the dark skies of the Western US. sky. She encourages everyone to look up!
• Travis Deyoe began working for the SkyCenter as an undergraduate at the UA studying Astronomy. He graduated in May 2015 and has recently taken on an increased role in leading outreach programs. As a student, he worked for the Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium as a Planetarium Operator, and as a Telescope Operator at Steward Observatory’s 61-inch Kuiper Telescope on top of Mount Bigelow. Travis enjoys imaging the night sky with his DSLR and taking planetary images through SkyCenter telescopes.
Tonight’s presentation will be a light overview of the history of the SkyCenter, with a focus on their Remote program. In 2008, Adam Block and the University of Arizona College of Science launched the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter at Steward Observatory’s Field Station. The mission of the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter is to engage people of all ages in interdisciplinary scientific exploration at research facilities in the Sky Island environment for a deeper understanding of our Earth and our place within the Universe. The SkyCenter’s educational activities include a public evening observing program, summer Sky Island programs, workshops, camps, remote observing, and special educational events. Our presentation will focus on remote astrophotography capabilities of the Schulman Telescope, and weather permitting, include a live demo of the astrophotography possible.
7:15 pm (Approx) – Second Presentation
Title: Election of Officers
Speaker: none
Elections will be held following the presentation. To vote, TAAA members will be requested to register to attend the meeting using a link that will be emailed to them. Following registration approval, you will receive a Zoom link unique to only to you for joining the meeting.

Virtual Star Party
2020-08-15 20:30 - 22:00 | ONLINE
Join Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association for a Virtual tour of the Night Sky. We will explore planets, Nebulae, Star Clusters, Galaxies, and much more. The event will be streamed on our Facebook page as a Facebook Premiere (TAAA Facebook). It will also air on our YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com). Search Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association.

ONLINE - General Meeting – September 2020
2020-09-04 18:30 - 20:00 | ONLINE
TAAA’s next monthly meeting will be held online. We will have a 6:30 P.M. presentation open to the general public. This will be followed at approximately 7:15 P.M. by some activities for TAAA members only. To view the meeting, please visit https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy
6:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: Using Stars to Understand Saturn’s Atmosphere
Speaker: Zarah Brown is a 4th year graduate student at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. She studies Saturn’s upper atmosphere using Cassini data with her adviser, Tommi Koskinen, and did her undergraduate research on Saturn’s rings. She has degrees in both astrophysics and fine arts and helps run LPL’s annual Art of Planetary Science show.
The upper atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus are all hotter than would be expected if they were heated in the same way that Earth’s upper atmosphere is heated—a longstanding unanswered question in planetary science called the “energy crisis.” In the months before the Cassini spacecraft’s final plunge into Saturn, it made a series of observations of Saturn’s upper atmosphere to try and understand the origin of the additional heat. In a technique called stellar occultation, Cassini used the passages behind Saturn’s upper atmosphere of stars in Orion and Canis Major to provide detailed information about the ringed planet’s density and temperature. This unique set of observations has shed light on the outer planet energy crisis and was published in Nature Astronomy this April.
7:15 pm (Approx) – Other Activities
Title: TBD
Speaker: none
To be determined

ONLINE - Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – September 2020
2020-09-10 18:30 - 20:00 | ONLINE
Constellation of the Month:
Lacerta and Vulpecula
Presenter: Connor Justice

Connor Justice will be opening up the meeting with a presentation on the constellations Lacerta and Vulpecula.
Main Presentation:
Astronomer Johannes Kepler
Presenter: Doug Smith

Afterwards, Doug Smith will be following up with our main topic on the astronomer Johannes Kepler.

Astronomy Day & International Observe the Moon
2020-09-25 17:00 - 2020-09-27 15:00 | ONLINE
VIRTUAL
Join the Lunar & Planetary Laboratory and Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association for a weekend of International Observe the Moon. LPL will be hosting virtual events Friday evening, Saturday afternoon & evening, and Sunday morning & afternoon. TAAA will host some Solar Observing as part of this weekend event on Sunday at 10 am. These events will be streamed via Webinar. To register, go to: https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/art/2020.
