Star Party - Agua Caliente Park
2017-12-09 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Phoenix) | Agua Caliente Park, 12325 E Roger Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85749, United States
Star Party-Pima County NRPR @ Agua Caliente Park
NORTHEAST TUCSON
Setup: 5:30 pm
Observing: 6 – 8 pm
Viewing Location: Bus Lanes @ North end of Parking Lot
Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association will have several telescopes to view some amazing solar system and deep-sky celestial objects.

Bloom Farm & Art Market
2017-12-14 18:00 - 20:00 | Bloom Farm & Art Market, 8881 N Coachline Blvd, Tucson, AR, 85741, United States
Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association will have several telescopes set up to observe the wonders of the night sky during the Market Festival. Observing will be from 6 – 8 PM.

Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – December 2017
2017-12-14 18:30 - 20:30 | U.S.G.S. Building, 520 North Park Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
At the December meeting Connor Justice will discuss “Black Holes”. The “Constellation of the Month” is Pegasus, presented by Bill Yohey.

Star Party - Tucson Mountain Park Ironwood Picnic Area
2017-12-16 18:00 - 20:00 | Ironwood Picnic, 7300 W Hal gras Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85735, United States
Star Party-Pima County NRPR @ Tucson Mountain Park (Ironwood Picnic)
WEST TUCSON
Setup: 5:30 pm
Observing: 6 – 8 pm
Viewing Location: Ironwood Picnic area near 2nd restroom facilities (right side) approximately .6 miles in on Hal Gras Road.
Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association will have several telescopes to view some amazing solar system and deep-sky celestial objects.

General Meeting – January 2018
2018-01-05 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: Objects of the Quarter
Presenter: Dr. Mary Turner, TAAA’s Chief Observer and Adjunct Professor of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona
In her latest popular sky talk, Mary Turner takes us on a tour of the winter night sky. With the use of astronomical data, images, and mythology, Mary provides an overview of what to expect in the sky during the coming months.
7:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: The Latest News About Water On Mars
Presenter: Dr. Shane Byrne is an Associate Professor at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at UA. He is a co-Investigator on the HiRISE and CaSSIS cameras at Mars and a Guest Investigator on the Dawn mission at Ceres. Dr. Byrne is also the director of the Space Imagery Center, a NASA Regional Planetary Image Facility that archives planetary spacecraft and telescopic data and conducts many outreach events.

Dr. Byrne will talk about the search for water on Mars. It remains a major unifying theme of Mars exploration because water is required for Martian life as well as for future human exploration. Evidence for liquid water has waxed and waned over the years for both modern and ancient Mars. Dr. Byrne will describe the ups and downs of this quest for Martian water, and how every few years new observations overturn old theories.

Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – January 2018
2018-01-11 18:30 - 20:30 | U.S.G.S. Building, 520 North Park Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
At the January meeting Doug Smith will discuss “Variable Stars”. The “Constellation of the Month” is Perseus, presented by Jim Schrode.

Agua Caliente Park
2018-01-20 18:30 - 20:30 | Agua Caliente Park, 12325 E Roger Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85749, United States
Star Party-Agua Caliente Park
Tucson, AZ (Northeast)
Setup: 6 PM
Observing: 6:30- 8:30 PM
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. Weather dependent. For real-time updates, follow this event on the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association Facebook Events Page (https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/).

Catalina State Park
2018-01-20 18:30 - 21:30 | Catalina State Park, 11570 N Oracle Rd, Catalina, AZ, United States
Star Party-Catalina State Park
Tucson, AZ
Observing: 6:30 – 9:30 PM
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 star party on the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association Facebook Events (https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/).

Tucson Mountain Park Ironwood Picnic Area Star Party
2018-01-27 18:30 - 20:30, 2018-02-24 18:30 - 20:30, 2018-03-17 19:00 - 21:00, 2018-04-14 19:30 - 21:30 | 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/).

Total Lunar Eclipse
2018-01-31 00:00 - 07:15
Wednesday January 31, 2018 the Moon will take center stage. Not only will it be a “Blue Moon” (second Full Moon in a month), but you can witness a Total Lunar Eclipse. The Partial Phase begins at 4:48 am. Totality goes from 5:51 am to 7:08 am with mid-eclipse at 6:30 am. The Moon will set at 7:22 am, shortly after Sunrise, but it will start getting light outside around 6:30. This all happens early in the morning, so set your alarm and check it out. Best viewing of Totality will be around 6 am.
TIMES ARE FOR TUCSON , AZ (MDT). Adjust for your time zone.

General Meeting – February 2018
2018-02-02 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 Latest On The Astronomical League
Presenter: Douglas Smith, Observing Program Coordinator for The Astronomical League
Douglas Smith will give a brief history of the Astrological League; one of the largest amateur astronomy organizations in the world. Learn the latest about its benefits, resources, and services, as well as a review of the 50 or so observing programs available at this time.
7:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: CCD Photometry from Inside the Light Dome – Leisure Time Activity for a Retired Engineer
Presenter: Tom Polakis became an amateur astronomer on the night of the 1977 Perseid meteor shower. He is a Contributing Editor for Astronomy Magazine. His main interests are astronomical travel, visual observing, and all types of photography.
In the past few years, Tom has actively pursued photometry with his CCD imaging equipment in Tempe. During that time, he has determined rotation periods of asteroids, measured brightness and colors of eclipsing binary and pulsating variable stars, and created light curves of exoplanets and an active quasar along the way. During the first half of Tom’s presentation, he will describe the fundamentals of photometry, his equipment and acquisition of images, and data reduction. Then Tom will show examples of his work to illustrate how measuring something as simple as the variation of light and color teaches us much about stellar and solar system astronomy.

Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – February 2018
2018-02-08 18:30 - 20:30 | U.S.G.S. Building, 520 North Park Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
Come join us for a presentation from the fundamentals of amateur astronomy. Stephen Ferris will give a talk on “Exoplanets and the Habitable Zone”. The “Constellation of the Month” is “Ursa Major”, presented by Doug Smith.

Tucson Solar and Evening Star Party
2018-02-10 12:00 - 21:00 | Pima Community College East, 8181 E Irvington Rd, Tucson, AZ, United States
Solar & Evening Observing 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 set up near the Pima Community College East Campus Observatories.
This is an annual event co-hosted between Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association and Astronomy Magazine. Editor David Eicher will be on-hand to discuss astronomy topics throughout the day and evening. Solar observing from Noon to about 5:30 PM and Evening observing from 6:30 to about 9 PM. Come join us for some great dark-sky observing!!
See David Eicher’s Blog at:
http://cs.astronomy.com/asy/b/daves-universe/archive/2017/12/12/astronomy-magazine-tucson-star-party-planned-for-sat-feb-10-2018.aspx

Reid Park Zoo STEM
2018-02-17 10:00 - 14:00 | Reid Park, 900 S Randolph Way, Tucson, 85716, United States
Solar Observing supporting Reid Park Zoo STEM.

Agua Caliente Park Star Party
2018-02-17 18:30 - 20:30 | Agua Caliente Park, 12325 E Roger Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85749, United States
Star Party-Agua Caliente Park
Tucson, AZ (Northeast)
Setup: 6 PM
Observing: 6:30 – 8:30 PM
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. 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 – March 2018
2018-03-02 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: Astronomy Services Revitalization Plan
Presenter: TAAA’s Astronomy Services Redesign Team
The Astronomy Services (a.k.a. Paid Star Party) Program is critical to the on-going health and welfare of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association. Learn about the redesign of the program, from a single Coordinator to a Team approach and how you can help take this program into the future while securing the financial wellbeing of TAAA!
7:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: Exoplanet Atmospheres on the Cutting Edge of Astronomy
Presenter: Joshua Lothringer, PHD Candidate at The University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Lab. Josh received his BA in Astrophysics at the University of Colorado, where he worked at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) on space missions including MAVEN and Kepler.
The discovery and characterization of exoplanets has become one of the fastest growing fields in astronomy. With thousands of planets discovered and dozens beginning to be spectroscopically characterized, we are starting to realize what makes our solar system special. Joshua will present his efforts to understand the atmospheres of exoplanets through observations with the Hubble Space Telescope of a Neptune-sized exoplanet, one of the smallest planets yet characterized. He will describe what his computer modeling has uncovered about the atmospheres of the hottest known exoplanets. And he will share how he has turned his passion for exoplanets into art.

Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – March 2018
2018-03-08 18:30 - 20:30 | U.S.G.S. Building, 520 North Park Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
Come join us for a presentation from the fundamentals of amateur astronomy. Doug Smith will tell us about the Astro League’s “Analemma Observing Club”. The “Constellation of the Month” is “Canis Minor”, presented by Gus Gomez.

Tucson Festival of Books
2018-03-10 09:00 - 17:30, 2018-03-11 09:00 - 17:30 | UA Mall, 1601 E University Blvd, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
Join the TAAA as well as many other organizations who are taking part in the UA Science City which is part of the Tucson Festival of Books. There will be lots of hands-on science stuff for kids (and adults) to do. Admission is free.

Tucson Hebrew Academ STEM Event
2018-03-18 10:00 - 14:00 | Tucson Hebrew Academy, 3888 E River Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85718, United States
The Tucson Hebrew Academy will host a public STEM event with many exhibitors. TAAA will support with Solar telescopes and Night Sky Network Toolkits demonstrating astronomy concepts.

Agua Caliente Park Star Party
2018-03-24 19:00 - 21:00 | Agua Caliente Park, 12325 E Roger Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85749, United States
Star Party-Agua Caliente Park
Tucson, AZ (Northeast)
Setup: 6:30 PM
Observing: 7 – 9 PM
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. 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 Star Party
2018-03-24 19:00 - 21:00 | Oracle State Park, 3820 E Wildlife Dr., Oracle, AZ, 85623, United States
Star Party-Oracle State Park.
ORACLE
Viewing Location: Sidewalk along the Kannally Ranch House parking lot and on the Ranch House upper patio.
Information: Great dark skies in Oracle, north of Tucson. Star Party open to the Public. 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. Dress for cool nights. Recommend bringing small RED flashlights (regular flashlights restrict night vision and ability to view dim deep sky objects). Weather dependent. For real-time updates, follow this event on the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association Facebook Events Page (https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/).
Other events may also be scheduled. Check Oracle State Park Website for more detail.

General Meeting – April 2018
2018-04-06 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: TAAA Grand Canyon Star Party; its value and current need
Presenter: Jim O’Connor, TAAA Grand Canyon Star Party South Rim Coordinator

Learn about this year’s TAAA Grand Canyon Star Party (GCSP) on June 9-16, 2018. Thanks to planning by the GCSP South Rim Coordinator and the National Park Service Ranger Leader, and the many participants who attend, the public gains a rich education in astronomy and environmental awareness. Jim will discuss our current need for his successor as TAAA GCSP Coordinator, and share some stories that highlight the joys of participating in astronomy outreach. As he says, “you never know what life you’ll touch, or who might touch yours.” Further information about TAAA and the Grand Canyon Star Party can be found at http://tucsonastronomy.org/upcoming-events/grand-canyon-star-party/.
7:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: Volcanic Activity in the Solar System and the Frontier of Exovolcanology
Presenter: Dr. Christopher Hamilton, Assistant Professor, Lunar and Planetary Lab, University of Arizona

Volcanic activity on Earth is primarily controlled by plate tectonics, with additional Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) fed by mantle plumes. LIPs are common on terrestrial bodies throughout the Solar System, but without plate tectonics, volcanism differs vastly on extraterrestrial worlds. Dr. Hamilton’s presentation compares and contrasts styles of volcanism within our Solar System, and their implications for our detecting and understanding highly volcanic exoplanets in other solar systems.

Catalina State Park
2018-04-07 19:00 - 22:00 | Catalina State Park, 11570 N Oracle Rd, Catalina, AZ, United States
Star Party-Catalina State Park
Tucson, AZ
Observing: 7 – 10 PM
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 star party on the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association Facebook Events (https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/).

Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – April 2018
2018-04-12 18:30 - 20:30 | U.S.G.S. Building, 520 North Park Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
Main Presentation:
Hands on German Equatorial Mount
Presenter: Conner Justice
Come join us for a presentation from the fundamentals of amateur astronomy. Conner Justice will present “Hands on German Equatorial Mount”.
Constellation of the Month:
Lupus
Presenter: Rob Hallberg

The “Constellation of the Month” is “Lupus”, presented by Rob Hallberg.

Future Innovators Night @ TCC
2018-04-13 18:00 - 20:00 | Tucson Convention Center, 260 S Church Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85701, United States
Evening Telescope observing supporting SARSEF Future Innovators Night. Telescopes will be set up near the gate shack at the entrance to the south parking lot.

Chiricahua National Monument Star Party
2018-04-14 19:30 - 21:30 | Chiricahua National Monument, 12856 E Rhyolite Creek Rd, Willcox, AZ, 85643, United States
Join Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association and the Chiricahua National Monument for an exciting evening of Stargazing under some incredibly dark skies. Observing will be at either the Faraway Ranch or Echo Canyon from 7:30 – 9:30. There will also be a talk at the Campground starting about 6:45 PM. We’ll get some amazing views of planets, star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, and lot more.
