Stargazing at Saguaro NP – East

Star Party – Saguaro National Park – East
Tucson, AZ

Great dark skies on the East side of Tucson at Saguaro National Park – East.
Star Party is open to the Public. Event is free but NPS admission fees apply.

The 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: TAAA Facebook Events page

Stargazing at Oracle State Park

Viewing Location: Kannally Ranch House

- Star Party telescope viewing (7 – 9pm)
Information: Great dark skies just north of Tucson at Oracle State Park.
Star Party open to the Public. Admission fees for entrance into Oracle State Park apply.

Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association will have several telescopes for astronomical viewing. We will be observing the Moon + Planets, Nebulae, Galaxies, and Star Clusters.
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 event page: TAAA Facebook Events page

Also: Check the Oracle State Park website for additional information:
Star Party at Oracle State Park | Oracle State Park (azstateparks.com)

Solar and Night Stargazing at Catalina State Park

Star Party @ Catalina State Park
Tucson, AZ
Viewing Location: Parking lot for Bridle Trailhead at end of State Park road inside the park.
Information: Great dark skies just north of Tucson at Catalina State Park. Star Party open to the Public. Admission fees for entrance into Catalina State Park apply.

Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association will have Solar telescopes for daytime Solar viewing and later Standard telescopes (10 or more) for nighttime astronomical viewing.

Solar viewing from 2pm to 4pm (Same Trailhead location)

Nighttime viewing from 7pm to 9pm (Same Trailhead location)
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:
TAAA Facebook Events page

Additional details will be posted here and on our Facebook page as we get closer to the event.

Tucson Star Party

Join the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) in conjunction with Editors from the Astronomy Magazine and Pima Community College (PCC) – East Campus for some interesting astronomy talks, solar observing, and evening stargazing.
PCC – East is located at 8181 E Irvington Rd, Tucson AZ

Satellite Radio Demo (at the Observatories) – 1:00 – 1:30 p.m.

Astronomy Talks and Safe Solar viewing of the Sun 1:30 – 5:00 p.m.
(All Talks in Room (M5-102)

Talks:
– Michael Bakich — 2023 & 2024 Annular & Total Solar Eclipses – 1:30 pm

– Alan Goldstein – “The Grand Canyon of the Sky” Correlating distance objects in the sky with the history of life on the Earth — 2:30 pm

– David J Eicher: Astronomy magazine — Astronomy and the Civil War – 3:30 pm

– David Levy — Legacy of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, 30yrs later – 4:30 pm

Planet Walk & Tour – (Starting at the Observatories) – 5;30 p.m.

Solar Observing (at the Observatories) – 2 – 5 p.m.

Night Sky Telescope Viewing (at the Observatories) 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Evening observing of planets, star clusters, multiple star systems, nebulae, galaxies, and lots more through several telescopes.

Solar & Night observing, Planet Walk, & Satellite Radio Demo will be at the south end of the PCC East Campus near the astronomy domes.

Follow our Facebook event for any real-time updates or adjustments due to weather at: TAAA Facebook Events page

32 inch Cassegrain Project

Planets of the Month – December 2023

By Erich Karkoschka

Mercury has a modest evening visibility until December 14th. Look to the southwest around 6 pm with no star nearby to confuse it with.

Saturn transits before dark and is well visible until late evening.

Jupiter shifts its transits from 10 pm to 8 pm during the month. Its elevation is then 70 degrees and its 48 arc-second diameter is perfect for telescope viewing.

Venus comes up around 4 am and is almost 40 degrees high in the southeast by the time the sun rises.

Uranus is east of Jupiter and Neptune is east of Saturn. Both are placed well for evening observation with binoculars.

Vesta, minor planet number 4, comes into opposition on December 21st (Winter Solstice). It therefore is very close to the point where the sun is at the summer solstice, between Taurus and Gemini. Its magnitude of 6.4 is at the limit of naked eye visibility.

The Moon visits Venus on December 19th, when Venus is easily visible after sunrise and perhaps even at noon as the moon is a guide to the location of Venus. The Moon is close to Saturn on the 17th.

December 13th is one of the best times of the year to watch meteors as the Gemini’s peak that evening.

Grand Canyon Star Party

The Grand Canyon Star Party (GCSP) will be held this year from June 1 – 8 at the Grand Canyon National Park. Telescope observing typically goes from 8-11 pm at the Visitor Center of the South Rim. There will also be a GCSP at the North Rim.

We will have up to 60 telescopes each night observing planets, galaxies, multiple star systems, star clusters, nebulae, and much more.

For more information, see the TAAA GCSP webpage at: Grand Canyon Star Party or the National Park Service Grand Canyon Webpage at: NPS Grand Canyon Webpage

Star Parties

December 18, 2023 Chiricahua Astronomy Complex Telescope Observing

If you have family in town for the Holidays, whether you are a TAAA member or not, and want to participate in a telescope observing session at our Chiricahua Astronomy Complex (CAC), we are offering a two-hour observing session for a nominal fee per person. This is a perfect way to show family & visitors our dark skies and great astronomy conditions. The fee for the session is $50/adult and $25/youth under age 16.

We will be observing several planets to include Saturn and Jupiter, Galaxies millions of light years away, multiple star systems with stars orbiting around each other, star clusters, nebulae, and much more.

Observing will be Monday December 18, 2023 from 6 – 8 pm. To reserve, please make a reservation using the form at: https://tucsonastronomy.org/tsa-at-our-dark-site/ and input the December 18th date in the “Requested Date” field. We will send you an invoice to pay the required fee (fully refundable if you cancel at least 48 hours in advance or if we have weather issues the evening of the event).

Chiricahua Astronomy Complex Address: 9315 E Perseus Way, Pearce, AZ (about 1.5 to 2 hours SE of Tucson near the Chiricahua Mountains). More information on CAC is available at: https://tucsonastronomy.org/taaa-member-resources/observing-sites/chiricahua-astronomy-complex/

For any questions, email the CAC Director at: cac-director[at]tucsonastronomy.org.

32 inch Cassegrain Project

Planets of the Month — November 2023

By Erich Karkoschka

Saturn transits just after dark. Its rings are tilted less than during the last 10 years.

Jupiter is at opposition on the 3rd with an almost maximum magnitude of -2.8. It transits 71 degrees high. On the 24th, Ganymede transits on Jupiter’s disk early in the evening, followed by its shadow, lasting until 9 pm.

Uranus is at opposition on the 13th. It lies 10 degrees east of Jupiter at magnitude 5.6.

Neptune is between Jupiter and Saturn.

So, there are all four giant planets in the evening sky.

Venus is just past greatest elongation and very conspicuous at the beginning of dawn.

The Moon is close to Jupiter on the 24th and 25th.

What We're About

CAC Learning Center Open House

Members, friends and relatives enjoy and evening under the dark skies of the Chiricahua Astronomy Complex to celebrate the opening of the buildings in the new Learning Center.

The buildings include a classroom, a kitchenette, 4 restrooms and 10 sleeping rooms making overnight stays at the site an ease.

Stargazing @ Canoa Ranch

Join the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) and Pima County Natural Resources Parks and Recreation for some stargazing at Historic Canoa Ranch.

We will observe planets, star clusters, multiple star systems, nebulae, galaxies, and lots more.

FREE but REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED: Go to: https://bit.ly/ticketsEE
These events fill up quickly, so recommend registering as early as possible.