Star Party-Elfrida Library
ELFRIDA, AZ (Near CAC)
Viewing Location:  Outside the Library

Come join the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association for some safe daytime viewing of our closest star the Sun.  We will have a solar telescope setup outside the Elfrida Library.  We will look for Solar Prominences & Flares, Sunspots, and other activity on the Sun.

Come join us for a presentation from the fundamentals of amateur astronomy.  Bill Clarke will be discussing Home-made AltAz mounts and Gus Gomez will be showing us the constellation Corvus.

6:30 pm – Introductory Presentation

Title:  Seasonal Night Sky Objects

Presenter:  Mary Turner

Mary Turner, TAAA’s appointed Chief Observer, takes us on a tour of the spring night sky. As usual in her popular talks, Mary’s use of astronomical data, images, and mythology brings the seasonal changes in the sky to life.,

7:30 pm – Main Presentation

Title:  Gravitational Waves and Things that Go Boom in the Night or The Start Of The Age of Multi-Messenger Astronomy

Presenter:  Dr. David Sand. Dr. Sand received his undergraduate degree in Physics from UCLA and his PhD in Physics from Caltech. He is now an Assistant Professor in Astronomy at the University of Arizona, and an observational astrophysicist with many interests. He is particularly interested in time domain astronomy (how astronomical objects change in time), especially in the progenitors of supernova. In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors with his wife Debbie and daughter Delilah .

In his presentation, Dr. Sand talks about the ‘time domain’ revolution in astronomy, and how we are finding new ways to study stars that merge, burp and explode by looking at their imprints on space-time via gravitational waves.  He will highlight recent results on the gravitational wave detection of the merger of two neutron stars, and look to the future of this field. Dr. Sand’s interest in things that go bump in the night led to his team’s search for electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational waves.

Main Presentation:

Hands on German Equatorial Mount

Presenter:  Conner Justice

Constellation of the Month:

Lupus

Presenter:  Rob Hallberg

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

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 https://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.