32″ Eye on the Galaxy Telescope Project

TAAA Telescope retrieval team with the donors in Colorado.

Bob Reynolds’ initial statement regarding TAAA 32 inch Telescope Project
“I’m pleased to announce that TAAA is in active discussions with a donor offering us a professional grade 32” cassegrain telescope, mount, and Ash Dome! As a result, a team composed of TAAA members along with manufacturer and donor representatives will be in Colorado in late June to disassemble, pack and transport the donation to storage sites in and around the CAC.“

In May 2023, TAAA was given the generous gift of a 32 inch research grade Cassegrain telescope, with the proviso we retrieve it from the donor in Colorado before the end of June. The company was moving to a new location and could not take this telescope with them. They had purchased the telescope in 2019. It had not been permanently installed and was unused except for a few demonstrations they had staged. A team of 11 TAAA volunteers, at their own expense, worked to receive the telescope from the donor in Longmont, CO, disassemble the telescope, load over 4100 lbs. into trucks, drive it to Cochise County AZ, unload it and place it into safe storage in a member’s barn.

DFM 32 inch Cassegrain safely in storage in Cochise Co. AZ awaiting installation at its new home at TAAA dark site.

After analysis of the donation with respect to our members and how we might also use it serving the community, it was decided to move forward with the telescope installation. The first steps will be to reassemble the telescope in a newly constructed roll-off roof observatory east of the Mooney Classroom building at TAAA’s CAC dark site.

A TAAA construction team headed by Bob Reynolds and Ed Foley has been formed to attend to the details necessary to complete observatory design, construction and telescope installation. The team will be drawing on the talent and enthusiasm of TAAA to make that happen. The 32 inch Project team now includes Larry Stepp for design and safety, Bob Rose for construction, Doug Summers for optics and Tom Melscheimer for building design and instrument assembly. An Advisory Panel of astronomy professionals and TAAA members was convened in August to consider the current plans and review long term possibilities for this special telescope.

Phase 1 – Install the telescope in a roll off roof observatory in the state we received it. Train members in its use and get to know its capabilities. Employ the telescope in TAAA outreach programs including the Astronomy Camp program.
Phase 2 – Consider best use of the instrument for TAAA including potential optical configuration changes.
Phase 3 – Upgrade the observatory and telescope controls to include remote operations

We have already had many members step up to donate their time to retrieve the telescope and offer to assistance constructing the observatory and installing the telescope. The construction of the observatory and installation of the the instrument is estimated to cost $75,000 in 2024. Anyone who is unable to donate their time but wishing to help with the effort can donate to the effort by noting “32 inch Project” on their check to TAAA, or by clicking the Donate Now button top right of this page.

They story of the telescope to date was reviewed in the September 2023 member meeting:

SEPTEMBER 2023 PROJECT SUMMARY VIDEO

If you would like to support the project, you can also print and send this Pledge Form describing your gift.

Or Donate ONLINE following the button

32 inch Cassegrain Project

Planets of the Month: July

By Erich Karkoschka

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.

ONLINE – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – August 2023

Main Presentation:

Solar Eclipses

Presenter: Connor Justice

This month in preparation for the October Annular Eclipse, Connor Justice will giving an updated talk on Solar Eclipses.

HYBRID – General Meeting – Aug 2023

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.

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Space Station Shot of Earth at Night. Credit: NASA

ONLINE – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – July 2023

Astronomical Distances

Presenter: Doug Smith

Doug Smith will be presenting on Astronomical Distances.

Astronomer of the Month: Sir Arthur Eddington

Presenter: Pete Hermes

Pete Hermes will be detailing Sir Arthur Eddington for our ongoing astronomer of the month series.

HYBRID – General Meeting – July 2023

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.

32 inch Cassegrain Project

Planets of the Month – June 2023

By Erich Karkoschka

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.

Stargazing @ Oracle State Park

Viewing Location: Kannally Ranch House

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.

Stargazing @ 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: (https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/).

32 inch Cassegrain Project