The General Meeting, normally held on the first Friday of the month, has been cancelled for April due to the Eclipse of the Sun on April 8th, since many of the club members will be traveling out of state for the event.
Stargazing at Agua Caliente Park
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/).
FREE but REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. go to: https://bit.ly/ticketsEE
These events fill up fast so recommend registering early.
Solar Telescope Observing @ Saguaro NP – East
Join the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) and Saguaro National Park – East for some Sun gazing at the park. We will observe the Sun through telescopes with appropriate filters so you will get to see sunspots, prominences, flares, and more.
The Sun is nearing its peak in the sunspot cycle so there is lots of activity on its surface.
This event is FREE and open to the public. NPS admission fees apply.
The telescopes will be set up at the Bicycle Ramada next to the Visitors Center.
This event will most likely be canceled in the event of clouds/rain.
Stargazing at Oracle State Park
Viewing Location: Kannally Ranch House
- Star Party telescope viewing (7:30 – 9:30pm)
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 and activities that day:
Star Party at Oracle State Park | Oracle State Park (azstateparks.com)
Stargazing at Chiricahua National Monument
Join TAAA for an evening of stargazing to view amazing solar system and deep sky objects from a truly Dark Sky Park. You will see planets, nebulae, star clusters, double stars, galaxies millions of light years away, and lots more. We will have several telescopes for public viewing.
Observing location will be at the Faraway Ranch parking lot just past the entrance gate about 1/2 mile. 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: https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/.
Check back here or on our Facebook page closer to the event for any updates.
Stargazing at Tucson Mountain Park – Juan Santa Cruz Picnic Area
Star Party @ Tucson Mountain Park – Juan Santa Cruz Picnic Area
Tucson, AZ (right next to Sonoran Desert Museum)
Viewing Location: Small side loop on East side of main loop.
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: TAAA Facebook Events page
FREE but REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Go to this link to register: https://bit.ly/ticketsEE
These events may fill up early.
Stargazing at Catalina State Park
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/).
Additional details will be posted here and on Facebook as we get closer to the event.
Solar Eclipse
There will be a Total Solar Eclipse visible in the United States on April 8th. To see Totality, you must be within the path of totality. This path can be viewed at: https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com.
Additional information is also available on our Eclipse page: https://tucsonastronomy.org/2024-total-solar-eclipse/
A Partial Eclipse will be visible in Tucson.
We will have Solar Telescopes set up at venues around Tucson to safely view the Eclipse.
See the above TAAA Website link above for the current list of locations.
Partial Start in Tucson: 10 am
Maximum Partial: 11:19 am
Partial Ends: 12:30 pm
You must wear approved Eclipse Solar Glasses to view every portion of the partial eclipse. These glasses are available from a variety of sources. Make sure you use a reputable source.
Desert Skies Virtual Star Party
Join Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association for our quarterly Desert Skies Virtual Star Party. It will be streamed live to our Facebook Page and will be available a few days later on our YouTube Channel. We will observe Galaxies, millions of light years away, Star systems, star clusters, star forming nebulae, star death nebulae, and lots more.
Planets of the Month – February – March 2024
By Erich Karkoschka
Saturn is only visible until February 11 during dusk.
Mercury starts its best evening visibility of the year on March 10.
Jupiter transits high at sunset at the beginning of February. However, by the end of March it is already down to 20 degrees high in the west when it becomes visible right after sunset.
Uranus is high in the evening sky and sets around midnight.
Venus and Mars are visible during dawn. First, Mars is difficult to see 10 degrees to the lower left of Venus. On February 22, they are only .6 degrees apart from each other with Venus 100 times brighter than Mars. Then Mars will be to the upper right of Venus with their distance increasing to 18 degrees by the end of March.
The Moon has two conjunctions with Jupiter on February 14 and March 13. The close conjunction with Mercury or February 11 is also interesting to watch since the moon will be a very thin crescent.
There is a penumbral lunar eclipse at midnight of March 24. Since it is almost partial, the darkening will be quite obvious.