Tag Archives: Stargazing

Catalina State Park Stargazing

CANCELLED.    CANCELLED.   CANCELLED

We will be CANCELLING tonight’s (October 15, 2022) star party at Catalina State Park due to adverse weather. The next one scheduled for Catalina State Park is February 18, 2023 from 7-9 pm.

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.

Catalina State Park Stargazing

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.

Catalina State Park Stargazing

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.

Agua Caliente Park Stargazing

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/).

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Eventbrite Registration

32 inch Cassegrain Project

Virtual Astronomy Festival 2021

Our annual Astronomy Festival will be virtual this year and will stream to Facebook and YouTube Saturday April 17, 2021 from 3 – 7:30 pm Tucson Arizona Time (MST or PDT, UTC-7). It will include Solar Observing, nighttime observing, A Walk Around the Night Sky with Native and Star Lore, and activities and video’s about various astronomy topics. Tune in to watch it all or any portion. The festival will also be available to view later at the below links.

YouTube Astronomy Festival Premiere:  TAAA YouTube

Facebook Part 1 Link: Facebook Part 1  (3 pm – 4:50 pm)
Facebook Part 2 Link: Facebook Part 2 (4:55 pm – 7:28 pm)

Activity Schedule:

3.00-3.05 pm: Introduction
3.05-3.22 pm: Solar Observing Part 1 
     (Observe Sunspots, Prominences, and other activity on the Sun)
3.22-3.35 pm: Magnetic Sun (Learn about activity on the Sun like    
     Prominences, Flares, Filaments, Sunspots, and more)
3.35-4.16 pm: Sorting the Universe 
     (Learn how astronomers makes sense out of the Universe)
4.16-4.32 pm: Our Place in Our Galaxy 
     (Where we fit in our Galaxy)
4.32-4.50 pm: Solar Observing Part 2
    (Observe Sunspots, Prominences, and other activity on the Sun)

From here to the end if viewing on Facebook, add 5 minutes to the start and stop times (it will be aired under Part 2). Otherwise, for YouTube, the below times are still current.

4.50-5.07 pm: Why Do Eclipses Happen (How and why Eclipses happen and   
     when the next ones will occur)
5.07-5.19 pm: Pocket Solar System 
     (Make your very own Pocket Solar System)
5.19-5.31pm: Videos
     What is a Nebula
     Flight Through the Orion Nebula
     Losing the Dark
5.31-5.52 pm: TAAA Overview (Learn the benefits of becoming a member of 
     the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association, our Dark Sky Observing 
     Sites, Special Interest Groups, Telescope & Book Library and lots more)
5.52-6.21 pm: Walk Around the Night Sky 
     (Native American and Ancient Star Lore of the Night Sky)
6.21-7.22 pm: Nighttime Star Party 
     (Observe galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, double stars, and lots more)
7.22-7.26 pm: Conclusion

Next Year’s Astronomy Festival is planned for April 9, 2022 at Brandi Fenton Park in Tucson Arizona. The Festival will go from 3 – 9 pm.

Oracle State Park Stargazing

Star Party-Oracle State Park
Tucson, AZ
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.

Grand Canyon Star Party

Join Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association and the National Park Service for the 32nd annual Star Party. The Star Party will be June 18 – 25, 2022. We average 50 telescopes for 8 nights. You will see Solar System planets, Galaxies Far Far Away, Star Clusters — some with several hundred thousand stars, Nebulae, multiple star systems (some with as many as 6 stars), and lots more. The skies are so dark you can clearly see the band of the Milky Way overhead. We start with a talk in the Visitor Center Auditorium about an astronomy topic at 8 pm. Observing at the telescopes goes from sunset (about 8 pm) to 11 pm. This event is free and open to anyone inside the Grand Canyon (park entrance fee required).  For additional information, check out our Grand Canyon Star Party Webpage at: https://tucsonastronomy.org/upcoming-events/grand-canyon-star-party/. or visit the Grand Canyon Star Party webpage at: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/grand-canyon-star-party.htm.