Tag Archives: featured

Help Wanted – Volunteers

Our organization runs on the dedication of its member volunteers. We seek to give all members a chance to contribute to our mission to serve the membership and our community with a variety of roles. Some roles are straightforward and some more complex, requiring training and mentorship.

CURRENT POSITION OPENINGS – If you are interested in any of these positions, click on the job description to confirm it involves work you would like to do then click here to contact our hiring coordinator to get thinks rolling.

Bulletin Editor – (listed Aug 2026) – Assembles contributions to the monthly Desert Skies Bulletin consolidating imput from the team of editors before releasing each montly edition of articles, stories and TAAA announcements. Job Description

Publicist (listed July 2026) – The Publicist gets the word out about our meetings and special events to TAAA members and the public. Most publishing is done on community calendars, the TAAA website, and our newsletter. A volunteer candidate should have good writing and organizational skills. For a complete job description, look here.

Social Director (listed July 2026) – Help organize events for TAAA members to attend! Position description here.

Asst Webmaster (listed July 2026) – Provides assistance to the Webmaster for routine maintainance and continuting improvements in the TAAA website.

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For more information contact nvrcchair@tucsonastronomy.org

ROLES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN FOR THE FUTURE – Help us in our planning. Give TAAA an idea of how you might want to help – update you MemberPlanet profile selections.

Star Party Telescope Operator

Starry Messenger Outreach

Special Events Volunteer

TAAA Position Descriptions – HERE

TAAA Leadership Positions – See the list HERE

Join Us!

Evening Under the Stars

FREE STARGAZING EVENT

Saturday October 3rd

Hosted by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association

At: Chiricahua Astronomy Complex – 9315 E. Perseus Way, Pearce, AZ – in the Turkey Creek area

Saturday October 3rd is the night! Come join us under the stars!. The gates open at 6:00pm and the program begins at 7:00pm for an evening of stargazing and hunting for objects through telescopes ranging from 8 inches (small) to 40 inches (very large)

Twice a year the volunteers of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Assn. open up our dark site in Cochise County to the general public, to share the county’s dark skies.

TAAA will have available a wide range` telescopes to show planets, moons, galaxies, double stars and more. The event is a suitable for the whole family.

Reservations Required – Email John Kalas at euts@tucsonastronomy.org – for reservations and directions

Dress Warmly. The site is at almost 5000 feet and it will be cold when the sun sets and the fun begins!

Public Invited!

Tucson Astronomy Festival

Join Us!

TAAA Classes

Classes available to all TAAA members.

Training AT CAC – The TAAA Eastern Dark Site

Telescope Training for the portfolio of CAC Telescopes from its 9.25″ to 40″telescopes – GENERAL INFORMATION ATTACHED

Training classes are formed for telescopes at CAC as demand arises. If you are interested in being trained on the range of telescopes available at CAC (9″ Folded Refractor, 9.25 Celestron SCT, 11″ Celestron SCT with a Hyperstar, 12″ Meade SCT, 14″ Celestron CT, 18″ Newtonian with Argo Navis setting circles, 40″ Newtonian with Nexus go-to) you can request TELESCOPE TRAINING on this FORM.

Training AT TIMPA – The TAAA Western Dark Site

TIMPA TELESCOPE TRAINING – the 16″ MEADE

CLICK ON THE CLASSES BELOW TO SEE SCHEDULED DATES

Constellation Locating

Starhopping

Sketching

Using Setting Circles

Astronomical League Workshop

Space Weather Workshop

Analemma/Jupiter Workshop

See the workshop registration page at the above course links for the latest dates of the training.

Fundamentals of Astronomy Class

Place: Patrick K. Hardesty Midtown Multi-Service Center, 1100 S. Alvernon Way, Tucson

Date: 3 consecutive Saturdays: January 23, 2027, January 30, 2027, February 6, 2027

Time: 8 AM until 4 PM each day

Synopsis: This class covers all the basic topics in Amateur Astronomy. The course is designed for anyone interested in learning the basic concepts in Amateur Astronomy. Topics covered (but not limited to) include the solar system, deep sky objects, stars, telescopes, eyepieces, mounts, star hopping, observation techniques, plus much more. This course is highly recommended for novice amateur astronomers and for anyone who may have just purchased a telescope for the first time. Taking this class will also aide the student in understanding the more advanced lectures often given during general membership meetings.

If interested you can contact the instructor at the information listed below or sign up using the signup sheet that will be available at all General Members meeting starting August 2026 through January 2027. Enrollment is limited to 25 students and is on a first come basis.

Class Registrations

Instructor – Douglas Smith

Phone: 520-396-3233 e-mail: alcor(at)tucsonastronomy.org or fundamentals(at)tucsonastronomy.org

Special Event!

ASTRONOMY CAMP

The mission of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Assn (TAAA) includes providing opportunities for the community to learn about and share the joy and excitement of astronomy. In keeping with that mission the TAAA makes its facility in Cochise County available to explore the night skies with the help of TAAA volunteers, at no charge to qualified educational groups.

Through the TAAA Astronomy Camp program, TAAA provides an outstanding opportunity for students to be inspired by of the pristine skies of Southern Arizona. The programs include hands on use of telescopes for observing and imaging at our very dark site. Students can take advantage of the Chiricahua Astronomy Complex using a variety of TAAA and volunteer owned equipment.

The Chiricahua Astronomy Complex in Cochise County’s Pearce, AZ.

Groups provide their own transportation to the site, arrange for parent hosts, and are responsible for brining and preparing food.

TAAA provides the site, with up to 7 observatories including visual and imaging telescopes, a classroom, kitchenettes with microwaves and refrigerators, grills, restrooms and sleeping rooms for students and hosts. TAAA also provides knowledgeable guides to the night sky to facilitate either the group’s evening program or various programs TAAA can organize for the group. The TAAA organization works closely with its participating groups to ensure an enriching and rewarding experience at the site, while operating within the rules of safely working with minors.

TAAA recently expanded its site to include new amenities for hosting students. The completed facilities, with rooms to sleep 17 students and teachers, space for classroom activities, access to the club’s 7 telescopes including 4 on the Stinger Learning Pad. With this infrastructure in place TAAA has the capability of taking its former school observing night program to a new level of support and hands on involvement by students under the clear CAC skies.

The Camps can be a single evening of viewing or a one or two night’s programs, with daytime study with potential side trips to enjoy the natural environment in and around the Chiricahua National Monument.

The Astronomy Camp program is available during the peak sky viewing seasons of the Fall, Winter and Spring. Activities include planning evening observations based on the objects available in that season’s night sky, selecting the appropriate equipment to observe the objects, instrument training leading to hands on use of telescopes and imaging equipment, and capturing celestial images for further study.

Three of the telescopes available during the Astronomy Camp.

TAAA stands ready to tailor a program for any qualified group, with a focus on high school and college students. The site is reserved certain days of the month for strictly member use, and for other community events, but the calendar is otherwise flexible to respond to hosting interested groups. To discuss the possibility of your group participating in the dark sky experience of the Astronomy Camp, or exploring the programs in greater dept, contact us at AstronomyCampDirector@tucsonastronomy.org for further details.

Milky Way rising over the TAAA Learning Center Stinger Telescope Pad.

What We're About

About TAAA

Our Purpose

The Association shall be an educational, service, scientific, and technical organization devoted to the study of, and promotion of interest in, Astronomy and its related allied sciences.

We are a friendly group of individuals like you with a common interest in astronomy.

Special Interest Groups

Sub-groups formed to study areas of special interest:

Astronomy Fundamentals

Holds monthly meetings on topics of interest to the budding astronomer as well as the seasoned veteran. This multifunctional group presents a basic astronomy course; sponsors workshops and guided observing programs.

Starry Messenger

This multi-faceted group reaches out to the public in many ways to share the awesomeness of our universe.

Astronomical Imaging

Members meet monthly to share their images and discuss astro imaging, hardware & software and the issues that may arise.

TAAA Publications

Monthly Bulletin: Members receive a monthly bulletin listing the events of the following month. The current Bulletin is available only to members.

Desert Skies Newsletter: A journal published quarterly that includes articles of interest on various astronomy topics.

What We Provide to Members:

The opportunity to learn and understand the magnificence and grandeur of the universe There are various services and programs available only to our members . Join us!

What We Provide to Tucson:

Brief glimpses of the awesomeness of the universe and the opportunity to enjoy the allure and elegance of the night sky through star parties and hands on activities. You’re invited!

A Brief History of TAAA

Founded in 1954, we quickly grew to a group of 50 people known as the Tucson Amateur Astronomers (TAA). Activities then included tracking artificial satellites from a Moon Watch station at the U of A. The Moon Watch Program, coordinated by the Smithsonian Institution, helped the early US space-flight engineers perfect their science. Our Moon Watch station was recognized as one of the top three stations in the U.S. These activities led to a name change and we became the Tucson Astronomical and Astronautical Association (TAAA), a real tongue twister.
As the Moon Watch Program came to an end in the early 70s, our emphasis moved away from astronautics and focused on astronomy, but it wasn’t until 1978 that we became the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association. [Read More About Our History]

Non-Profit Status

In 1987 we were incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit organization with the dedicated purpose of studying and promoting astronomy and its allied sciences.

Please help us further our goals.