Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association

Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – July 2019
2019-07-11 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Phoenix) | Tucson City Council Ward 6, 3202 E. 1st Street, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
NOTICE – NEW LOCATION!
Constellation of the Month:
Telescopium

Presenter: Ralph Means

Ralph Means will start the night with the southern constellation Telescopium.
Main Presentation:
Spaceflight History: Apollo 11
Presenter: Todd Baker

For our main topic, Todd Baker will be discussing Spaceflight History: Apollo 11.

General Meeting – August 2019
2019-08-02 18:30 - 21:00 | UA Modern Languages Building, 1423 East University Blvd, Third Floor Auditorium (Room 350), Tucson, AZ, 85721, United States
NOTICE – NEW SUMMER LOCATION!
6:30 pm – Introductory Presentation
Title: Two Talks: Personal Observatory and CAC Update
Speaker 1: David Klein, TAAA member, amateur astronomy and astrophotographer, will talk about developing and running his personal observatory in Tucson. His New World Observatory has a fully-automated Exploradome.
Speaker 2: Ed Foley, current board member at large and former Treasurer of TAAA will share an update on TAAA’s Gateway to the Galaxy capital campaign and building project at our dark site Chiricahua Complex (CAC).
7:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: From Tucson to the Moon (And Beyond)
Speaker: Dr. William Hartmann is a noted planetary scientist, artist, and writer. He received his B.S. in physics from Pennsylvania State University and his M.S. in geology and PhD in astronomy from the University of Arizona. He is Senior Scientist Emeritus at Planetary Science Institute in Tucson; the author of several books, including science text books, popular science nonfiction, and novels; and an artist with paintings displayed at the National Air & Space Museum. For this presentation, Dr. Hartman will focus on stories from his work during the Apollo years at UA’s Lunar & Planetary Lab, as well as his current and future projects.
Dr. Hartmann will take us on a journey of exploration, presenting stories from his days as an amateur astronomer and later a grad student under Dr. Gerard Kuiper at UA’s Lunar & Planetary Lab, and including his own discoveries and theories about the moon. He will also talk about his involvement in the origin of Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii in the ‘60s, his 30 years of experience on imaging teams for Mars orbiter missions, his development of a dating process for Solar System objects, and much more. This is sure to be a fascinating talk.

Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – August 2019
2019-08-08 18:30 - 20:30 | Tucson City Council Ward 6, 3202 E. 1st Street, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
NOTICE – NEW LOCATION!
Constellation of the Month:
Telescopium

Presenter: Ralph Means

Because this didn’t end up happening last month, Ralph Means will start the night with the southern constellation Telescopium.
Main Presentation:
Choose an Newtonian Telescope
Presenter: Alan Kleuse

For our main topic, Alan Kleuse will be showing us how to Choose an Newtonian Telescope.
Meeting Location
More About Location: This location is one block East of Country Club and one block South of Speedway Boulevard.
Parking: You may parallel park on the street or there is a small amount of parking on the South side of the Ward 6 building. You may also park in the south side of the Walgreen’s Parking lot (permission given by Walgreens).
Getting to Room: The front door is required to be locked during off hours, therefore enter the building on the SOUTH side (back). AFSIG will be meeting in the EAST room.

Spacefest STEAM
2019-08-09 09:00 - 12:00, 2019-08-10 09:00 - 12:00 | Starr Pass Resort, 3800 W Starr Pass Blvd, Tucson, 85745, United States
Join Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association for some Solar Observing in support of the annual Spacefest Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) event at JW Marriott starr Pass. The event will go from 9 am to 4 pm but solar observing will only be in the morning. Weather dependent.

Natural Grocers Solar
2019-08-15 08:00 - 12:00 | Natural Grocers, 7220 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ, 85710, United States
Join TAAA and other Non-Profits throughout the day at the Natural Grocers (7220 E Broadway). TAAA will have a solar telescope setup outside the main entrance (weather permitting) in the morning to safely view the Sun and any Solar Prominences and Sunspots. Follow the event on the TAAA Facebook Page for a real-time update on weather conditions.

General Meeting – September 2019
2019-09-06 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: Two Talks: Dark Sky NM Observatory and Bylaw Changes
Speaker 1: TAAA member Gregg Ruppel will talk about his Dark Sky New Mexico Observatory near Animas, NM.
Speaker 2: TAAA member Doug Smith will provide information about two suggested TAAA Bylaws changes.
7:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: Testing Einstein’s Gravity by Taking Photographs of Black Holes
Speaker: Pierre Christian is a postdoc at the University of Arizona, where he is the Steward Prize Fellow in theoretical and computational astrophysics. Previously, he earned his doctorate from Harvard University, where he worked on black hole astrophysics. At UA, he is interested in using black holes to study gravitational physics. He is a member of the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration, a worldwide scientific effort to take resolved images of black holes.

Pierre will describe the recent effort of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration in taking a high-resolution image of the black hole at the center of supergiant galaxy M87. He will first explain what a black hole is according to Einstein’s gravitational theory of general relativity. Then he will describe how a worldwide array of radio telescopes was used to capture an image of a black hole, and how such experiments can be used to test our understanding of gravity.

Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – September 2019
2019-09-12 18:30 - 20:30 | Tucson City Council Ward 6, 3202 E. 1st Street, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
Constellation of the Month:
Delphinus and Equuleus

Presenter: Connor Justice

Connor Justice will start the night with the southern constellation Delphinus and Equuleus.
Main Presentation:
Star Hopping
Presenter: Doug Smith

For our main topic, Doug Smith will be teaching the basics of Star Hopping.

Oracle State Park Star Party
2019-09-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Oracle State Park, 3820 E Wildlife Dr., Oracle, AZ, 85623, United States
Join Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association and Oracle State Park for an evening of dark-sky Stargazing. There will be other events happening as well. Check the Oracle State Park website for additional details.

General Meeting –October 2019
2019-10-04 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 fall 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.
7:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: A Nightwatchman’s Journey: The Road Not Taken
Speaker: David H. Levy. A renowned amateur astronomer, David has never taken a class in astronomy, yet has authored over three dozen books, written for three astronomy magazines, and appeared on TV programs featured on the Discovery and the Science Channels. Among David’s accomplishments are 23 comet discoveries, the most famous being Shoemaker-Levy 9 that collided with Jupiter in 1994, a few hundred shared asteroid discoveries, an Emmy for the documentary Three Minutes to Impact, five honorary doctorates in Science and a PhD which combines astronomy and English Literature. Currently, he is the editor of the web magazine Sky’s Up!, and has a monthly column, Skyward, in The Vail Voice newspaper.

With slides and music, David’s presentation will focus on his most recent book, A Nightwatchman’s Journey: The Road Not Taken; the autobiography of one of today’s most enthusiastic and famous amateur astronomers. David will share how his passion for astronomy began in his native Canada, and his 19-year search for comets until he found his first in 1984. (He has gone on to find 22 more.) David will also share his love for astronomy in literature, his personal struggles, and why he subtitles his autobiography, “The Road Not Taken.” Expect a fascinating lecture from a nightwatchman who continues to hunt for comets and asteroids, and lecture worldwide. Refreshments and a book signing ($35 a copy) will follow.
* Voting will be held at 7:30 meeting on two proposed TAAA bylaws changes. *

Catalina State Park Star Party
2019-10-05 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/).

International Observe the Moon
2019-10-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Flandrau Science Center, 1601 E University Blvd, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
A star party to support the International Observe the Moon and Flandrau Science Center. Several telescopes will be set up on the University of Arizona Mall just south of Flandrau Science Center.

Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – October 2019
2019-10-10 18:30 - 20:30 | Tucson City Council Ward 6, 3202 E. 1st Street, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
Open to the Public!
Constellation of the Month:
Antlia

Presenter: Connor Justice

Connor Justice will start the night with the southern constellation Antlia.
Main Presentation:
Using and Choosing Refractor Telescopes
Presenter: John Kalas

For our main topic, John Kalas will be discussing Using and Choosing Refractor Telescopes.

Evening Under the Stars
2019-10-19 17:30 - 22:00 | Chiricahua Astronomy Complex, 9315 E Perseus Way, Pearce, AZ, 85625, United States
Evening Under the Stars Observing at the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) Chiricahua Astronomy Complex. Want to stargaze from a dark site where the band of the Milky Way is clearly visible across the sky? You see so many stars it is hard to pick out the constellations. Twice per year, we open our TAAA Chiricahua Astronomy Complex (Turkey Creek area near Chiricahua National Monument) to the public for an observing session. You can observe through a telescope with a 40″ mirror and see galaxies over 100 million light years away. We will have several large telescopes to observe with.
Our Fall “Evening Under the Stars” will be Saturday October 19th 2019. The gate will be open at 5:30 pm with activities starting 6 pm. Come join us for an exciting evening of astronomical observing. The site is about 90 minutes SE of Tucson near the Chiricahua National Monument. If you have friends/family that live in that area, let them know. The event is weather dependent. Reservations are required. Please email John Kalas at jckalas[at]cox.net for reservations and directions. Please include number of people & vehicles in your group. Space is limited.
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

Chiricahua National Monument Astronomy Event
2019-10-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Chiricahua National Monument, 12856 E Rhyolite Creek Rd, Willcox, AZ, 85643, United States
TAAA Stargazing to view amazing solar system and deep sky objects. You will see planets, nebulae, star clusters, double stars, and lots more. We will have several telescopes for public viewing. Observing location is Echo Canyon Trailhead. A talk is scheduled before observing Bonita Campground Amphitheater at 6:00 pm with observing from 7 – 9 pm. Please try to use red light flashlights and minimize white light (to include cell phones) that will hinder your night vision. Chiricahua National Monument website: https://www.nps.gov/chir/index.htm. Weather dependent — Follow the event on the TAAA Facebook page to get weather and other updates.

General Meeting – November 2019
2019-11-01 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: 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. “

Empire Ranch Cowboy Festival
2019-11-02 10:00 - 16:00 | Empire Ranch, E Empire Ranch Road, Sonoita, AZ, United States
TAAA will have a solar telescope to safely view the surface of the Sun. The Festival goes from 10 am to 4 pm with lots of other activities.

Tucson Mountain Park Ironwood Picnic Area Star Party
2019-11-02 18:30 - 20:30, 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/).

Golf Links Library Telescope Dedication Star Party
2019-11-04 17:00 - 19:00 | Miller-Golf Links Library, 9640 E Golf Links Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85730, United States
A Star Party to dedicate the Horheimer TAAA Telescope for Library patrons to use. A Star Party using the Zhumell telescope will follow a short ceremony.

Valencia Library Telescope Dedication & Star Party
2019-11-06 17:00 - 19:00 | Valencia Library, 202 W Valencia Road, Tucson, AZ, 85706, United States
A Star Party to dedicate the Lonny Baker TAAA Telescope for Library patrons to use. A Star Party using the Orion telescope will follow a short ceremony.

Mercury Transit Across the Sun
2019-11-11 07:30 - 11:30 | Brandi Fenton Park, 3482 E River Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85718, United States
Mercury Transit Across the Sun. Monday November 11, 2019 (Veterans Day). This is a school holiday and a work holiday for many. Don’t pass up this “once-in-a-lifetime event”. A Mercury Transit (passing in front of) will NOT be visible again in the U.S. until May 7, 2049. Transits occur only 13-14 times per century. A Mercury Transit is too small to see without a properly filtered solar telescope. When you observe a transit, you see a small black circle (the planet Mercury) moving across the Sun. This event is visible throughout the U.S. TAAA will have several solar telescopes to safely view the Transit at Brandi Fenton Memorial Park (3482 E River Rd, River & Alvernon) on November 11 from 7:30 – 11 am (Mercury mid-transit when it is crossing the middle of the Sun is at 8:20 am Tucson time). Sunrise November 11 is 6:49 am and the Transit will already be underway. You can follow the Mercury Transit event on our Facebook page (facebook.com/tucsonastronomy) for real-time weather updates. This event requires a clear view of the Sun (no cloud cover). CAUTION: Never look at the Sun without a proper solar filter or you can damage your eyes.

Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – November 2019
2019-11-14 18:30 - 20:30 | U.S.G.S. Building, 520 North Park Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
Constellation of the Month:
Ara and Columba

Presenter: Connor Justice

Connor Justice will start the night with the constellations Ara and Columba.
Main Presentation:
Atacama Large Millimeter Array
Presenter: Vince Baker

For our main topic, Vince Baker will be discussing Atacama Large Millimeter Array.

General Meeting – December 2019
2019-12-06 18:30 - 21:00 | Steward Observatory Lecture Hall (Room N210), 933 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85721, United States

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.

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 | Ironwood Picnic, 7300 W Hal gras Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85735, United States
