This month marks the end of the evening visibility of Venus. It perhaps is visible until August 3. This is the greatest time for telescopic observations since it shows a large crescent. By the 31at, it is only illuminated by 6%.
Mars is 3 degrees east of Venus but the separation increases since Venus is stationary on the 21st while Mars keeps on going. Mars passes 1 degree north of Regulus on the 9th and 10th.
Mercury appears in the evening sky on the 12th, passing Regulus on the 28th.
The moon passes those three planets including Regulus on the 18th to 20th. On the 18th it is still very difficult to find. On the 19th it is right in the middle of them. On the 20th it is close to Mars.
Saturn rises during the late evening. Its rings are almost edge-on.
Neptune follows an hour later.
Jupiter rises after midnight and is very high by dawn.
Uranus is 10 degrees east of Jupiter in the morning sky.
Title: Light Pollution and Dark Skies in Southern Arizona and Beyond
Presentation: The world at night is lighting up at an alarming rate. A host of ecological and social consequences comes with this rapid environmental change, but solving this problem is simple and cost effective. In this talk John will review what we know (and don’t know) about light pollution, how it affects us, and which mitigation strategies are most effective. From there he will describe an effort to revitalize the Southern Arizona chapter of DarkSky International (DarkSky International was formerly known as the International Dark-Sky Association) and the plans for regional advocacy and action in coming years.
Bio: John Barentine is the Principal Consultant at Dark Sky Consulting, LLC, and was formerly the Director of Public Policy for the International Dark-Sky Association. He earned a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin, and previously held staff positions at the National Solar Observatory, Apache Point Observatory, and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Throughout his career, he has been involved in educating the public about science. He is a member of the American Astronomical Society and the International Astronomical Union, and is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. The asteroid (14505) Barentine is named in his honor. His interests outside of astronomy and light pollution research include history, art and architecture, politics, law and current events.
Space Station Shot of Earth at Night. Credit: NASA
TAAA’s next general member meeting will be held on Friday, July 7, 2023. The Main Presentation will start at 6:30 P.M. This will be a hybrid meeting (both in person and on social media). TAAA members will receive a Zoom link should they wish to attend remotely. The public may attend in person or online through our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/. It will still be posted to YouTube afterwards.
Title: The Shocking History of A Giant Lens!
Presentation: Walking though your high school or college hallways you’re likely to find tchotchkes, curios, and relics of the past. Good chance you’ve passed them every day and never given a second glance. In this presentation, Max Lipitz asks the question: what if you did take that second look? And what if that curio was a giant camera lens that for the past decade sat unassumingly on the 3rd floor, of the northwest corner, of the Rochester Institute of Technology, (RIT) Carlson Center for Imaging Science Building (CIS)? The scuttle bug around the center was that it was built in support of the U-2 (Dragon Lady) spy plane program begun in 1955. However, that is far from the truth and the reality is far more astounding…as Max’s talk will reveal.
Bio: Maxmillian (Max) Lipitz could best be described as a strange amalgamation of NASA obsession, photographic prowess, and insatiable curiosity. In his attempt to acquire empirical knowledge, he has accumulated thousands of useless facts over a period of decades. This has led him to be an oddball graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technologies Imaging Science Program; a highly interdisciplinary field that combines physics, math, computer science, and engineering. Whether it’s developing image processing algorithms to turn people into Simpsons characters or restoring a 31-year-old digital camera just because, Max puts his whole heart into everything he does. In the past he’s worked with Dr. Robert Kremens to develop next-generation probes (“Kremboxes”) to monitor wildfires in the thermal and visible spectrum, providing valuable data that could save thousands of lives. Currently Max works as a scientist at Tucson-based GEOST, developing ground and space based electro-optical systems.
Venus is at its greatest western elongation on the 4th, showing a half phase in a telescope. It is 40 degrees high at sunset and sets after 10 pm.
Mars is close to Venus, only 3 degrees ahead of it by the end of the month.
Saturn rises around midnight. Its rings are tilted by 8 degrees.
Jupiter follows Saturn 3 hours later.
Mercury has a poor visibility around 4:30 am.
The Moon is only 3 degrees from Venus on the evening of the 21st (summer solstice), a spectacular sight. Mars is also nearby. Venus might be seen naked eye long before sunset just to the upper right of the Moon.
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. Check TAAA Facebook Page or here for any updates as we get closer.
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: (https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/).
Venus is at its best, 40 degrees high at sunset and not setting until 10:45 pm. The Moon is 4 degrees below Venus on the evening of the 22nd, a great sight. Good eyes can see the pair during the daytime, such as around 3:30 pm when Venus is 84 degrees high. On the 22nd, the Moon is 7 degrees to the west, on the 23rd, 6 degrees to the east.
Mars is in the vicinity of Pollux and Castor all month. On the 15th, they form an 11-degree long line of “stars” of similar brightness.
Saturn rises around 2 am.
Jupiter follow Saturn around 4 am during dawn.
Mercury is barely visible after the 24th when it rises at 4:15 am.
On the morning of the 7th, the Moon occults Jupiter from 4:18 to 5:11 am. It takes a minute each to cover or uncover Jupiter’s large disk. The disappearance is difficult to observe since the pair is only 2 degrees above the horizon, 10 minutes after they rise. The reappearance is difficult to watch naked eye because of bright twilight, just 14 minutes before sunrise. However it should look great in binoculars or a telescope. Interestingly, the shadows of Io and Europa will remain on the disk until well past sunrise but the air may be too turbulent to pick them out.
The members of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association are fortunate to have access to two dark sites. One 100 miles to the South East of Tucson and one conveniently over the Tucson Mountains about 25 miles from the city at the site of the Tucson International Modelplex Association fields or TIMPA. The TIMPA site has provided members with an observing location protected from the city lights but accessible for an evening of viewing for many years.
The site includes restrooms, parking close to concrete observing pads, a 14 inch Meade telescope for trained member’s use, and on site telescopes available for loan to members, protected in a storage container.
Gila Monster Observatory to TIMPA barn far left.
The site is owned by the City of Tucson, and has been used by agreement by TAAA for over 25 years. It has been the site of Star Parties, Astro Imaging sessions, hosted our Astronomy Fundamentals Classes, and the ideal location for us to host observing Programs leading to awards earned by members through the Astronomical League.
Now at TIMPA is a wonderful addition to the instruments at the site – a large 16 inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.
