General Meeting

Next TAAA Monthly Meeting: Friday, April 05, 2024

Cancelled – General Meeting – April 2024

April 5

The General Meeting, normally held on the first Friday of the month, has been cancelled for April due to the Eclipse of the Sun on April 8th, since many of the club members will be traveling out of state for the event.

Steward Observatory Lecture Hall (Room N210):  933 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719 Meeting Location Map

TAAA’s next general member meeting will be held on Friday, May 03, 2024. 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 be posted to YouTube afterwards.

Previous: Friday, March 01, 2024

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Planets of the Month – February – March 2024

By Erich Karkoschka

Saturn is only visible until February 11 during dusk.

Mercury starts its best evening visibility of the year on March 10.

Jupiter transits high at sunset at the beginning of February. However, by the end of March it is already down to 20 degrees high in the west when it becomes visible right after sunset.

Uranus is high in the evening sky and sets around midnight.

Venus and Mars are visible during dawn. First, Mars is difficult to see 10 degrees to the lower left of Venus. On February 22, they are only .6 degrees apart from each other with Venus 100 times brighter than Mars. Then Mars will be to the upper right of Venus with their distance increasing to 18 degrees by the end of March.

The Moon has two conjunctions with Jupiter on February 14 and March 13. The close conjunction with Mercury or February 11 is also interesting to watch since the moon will be a very thin crescent.

There is a penumbral lunar eclipse at midnight of March 24. Since it is almost partial, the darkening will be quite obvious.

Planets of the Month – January 2024

By Erich Karkoschka

Saturn is well visible during the early evening. It sets around 8 pm. Soon it will be too close to the Sun. When it reappears in the Spring, Saturn’s rings will only be half as open as now.

Jupiter transits during dusk. It is very high and good for telescopic observations. On the 20th, Ganymede is transiting the disk after 10 pm, visible as a dark spot.

Uranus is high in the evening sky east of Jupiter.

Neptune is west of Jupiter.

Brilliant Venus is best observed between 5 and 6 am, just before down starts.

Mercury joins Venus, visible until the end of the month. It is to the lower left of Venus around 6-7 am. There is no other star at similar brightness in this area of the sky. If you see one, it is Mercury.

Mars is within half a degree of Mercury on the 27th. Since it is a magnitude fainter then Mercury, it may require very clear air to make it out naked eye. Binoculars will easily show this close pair.

Planets of the Month – December 2023

By Erich Karkoschka

Mercury has a modest evening visibility until December 14th. Look to the southwest around 6 pm with no star nearby to confuse it with.

Saturn transits before dark and is well visible until late evening.

Jupiter shifts its transits from 10 pm to 8 pm during the month. Its elevation is then 70 degrees and its 48 arc-second diameter is perfect for telescope viewing.

Venus comes up around 4 am and is almost 40 degrees high in the southeast by the time the sun rises.

Uranus is east of Jupiter and Neptune is east of Saturn. Both are placed well for evening observation with binoculars.

Vesta, minor planet number 4, comes into opposition on December 21st (Winter Solstice). It therefore is very close to the point where the sun is at the summer solstice, between Taurus and Gemini. Its magnitude of 6.4 is at the limit of naked eye visibility.

The Moon visits Venus on December 19th, when Venus is easily visible after sunrise and perhaps even at noon as the moon is a guide to the location of Venus. The Moon is close to Saturn on the 17th.

December 13th is one of the best times of the year to watch meteors as the Gemini’s peak that evening.

December 18, 2023 Chiricahua Astronomy Complex Telescope Observing

If you have family in town for the Holidays, whether you are a TAAA member or not, and want to participate in a telescope observing session at our Chiricahua Astronomy Complex (CAC), we are offering a two-hour observing session for a nominal fee per person. This is a perfect way to show family & visitors our dark skies and great astronomy conditions. The fee for the session is $50/adult and $25/youth under age 16.

We will be observing several planets to include Saturn and Jupiter, Galaxies millions of light years away, multiple star systems with stars orbiting around each other, star clusters, nebulae, and much more.

Observing will be Monday December 18, 2023 from 6 – 8 pm. To reserve, please make a reservation using the form at: https://tucsonastronomy.org/tsa-at-our-dark-site/ and input the December 18th date in the “Requested Date” field. We will send you an invoice to pay the required fee (fully refundable if you cancel at least 48 hours in advance or if we have weather issues the evening of the event).

Chiricahua Astronomy Complex Address: 9315 E Perseus Way, Pearce, AZ (about 1.5 to 2 hours SE of Tucson near the Chiricahua Mountains). More information on CAC is available at: https://tucsonastronomy.org/taaa-member-resources/observing-sites/chiricahua-astronomy-complex/

For any questions, email the CAC Director at: cac-director[at]tucsonastronomy.org.

Planets of the Month — November 2023

By Erich Karkoschka

Saturn transits just after dark. Its rings are tilted less than during the last 10 years.

Jupiter is at opposition on the 3rd with an almost maximum magnitude of -2.8. It transits 71 degrees high. On the 24th, Ganymede transits on Jupiter’s disk early in the evening, followed by its shadow, lasting until 9 pm.

Uranus is at opposition on the 13th. It lies 10 degrees east of Jupiter at magnitude 5.6.

Neptune is between Jupiter and Saturn.

So, there are all four giant planets in the evening sky.

Venus is just past greatest elongation and very conspicuous at the beginning of dawn.

The Moon is close to Jupiter on the 24th and 25th.

CAC Learning Center Open House

Members, friends and relatives enjoy and evening under the dark skies of the Chiricahua Astronomy Complex to celebrate the opening of the buildings in the new Learning Center.

The buildings include a classroom, a kitchenette, 4 restrooms and 10 sleeping rooms making overnight stays at the site an ease.

2023 Annular Eclipse Photos

Several TAAA members traveled to Roswell New Mexico to view the 2023 Annular Eclipse. Roswell was along the centerline. While in Roswell, we did an outreach event for those in the area.

The Roswell crew ready for the Eclipse.

Pictures of the Eclipse from Bernie Stinger using a Lunt 60mm Ha Solar Scope.

Images of the Eclipse from Tom Sarko using a DSLR Camera with Solar Filter.

Several TAAA Members also supported the Flandrau Science Center on the University of Arizona in Tucson for a large outreach event showing the partial phase of the Annular Eclipse.

Fundamentals of Astronomy Class

Fundamentals of Astronomy Class open for enrollment

Place: Armory Park Center, 220 S. 5th Ave, Tucson

Date: 3 consecutive Saturdays: February 24, 2024, March 2, 2024, March 9, 2024

Time: 9 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 October 2023 through February 2024. Enrollment is strictly limited to 20 students and is on a first come basis. If there is sufficient interest the class may be offered again in the fall/winter 2024 time frame.

Instructor – Douglas Smith

Phone: 520-396-3233 e-mail: alcor@tucsonastronomy.org or fundamentals@tucsonastronomy.org

Planets of the Month: September & October 2023

By Erich Karkoschka

Saturn is 45 degrees high during the late evening. Rings are almost half open, the last time for several years.

Jupiter rises at 10 pm during early September, but close to sunset by late October. Its magnitude reaches -2.9, which is as high as it ever gets. Jupiter transits 73 degrees high during the morning hours.

Uranus is 10 degrees east of Jupiter at magnitude 5.7, getting closer to the Pleiades.

Neptune is between Jupiter and Saturn at magnitude 7.8. It reaches opposition on September 19.

Venus rises at 4 am, but later already at 3 am. It is high up by sunrise and is a large crescent in September, reaching half phase in late October. It is brightest in mid-September, and at -4.8, it is really bright. One could find it during daytime, for example around 9:30 am 65 degrees high in the south, or close to the moon September 11-12 and October 10.

Mercury is a morning object from September 15 to October 6, rising at 5 am below Regulus, which is below Venus.

The moon passes Jupiter on September 4, October 1 and 28. It is close to Pollux on the morning of October 7.

Arizona gets its second and last annular solar eclipse on October 14 with a maximum around 9:35 am. Tucson gets a good partial eclipse, while Four Corners (and parts of New Mexico) get the annular phase. A great event to watch, especially with a filtered telescope. Always use an approved SOLAR FILTER for observing Partial and Annular Eclipses.

Classes and Workshops

TAAA hosts numerous classes and workshops for Members Only throughout the year.

Practical Astronomy – Workshop 1 – Star Hopping

Open for Enrollment

Place: TIMPA Date/Time: Thursday, October 19, 2023, 5:45 PM until completed

Synopsis: This is the first workshop in the practical astronomy workshop series. It will teach Star Hopping. The students will be taught the proper star hopping technique and equipment usage. Each student will use the supplied equipment to locate at least 2 targets (maybe more if time permits). By the end of the workshop the student will know what equipment to use and how to use it in order to locate targets using star hopping.

Practical Astronomy Workshop 2 – Constellation Locating and Identification – open for enrollment

Place: TIMPA Date: Tuesday, December 5th, 2023 Time: 6:30 PM until completed

Synopsis: This is the second workshop in the practical astronomy workshop series. It will teach how to locate and identify constellations. The students will be taught how to locate and identify the constellations without having to memorize the night sky. Each student will use the supplied equipment to locate several constellations. Students will learn how to use a planisphere and star atlas to locate constellations without memorizing the sky. This program provides the methodology for the observing requirements of the Astronomical League Northern Constellation Observing Award.

If interested you can register Below or contact the instructor Douglas Smith at: alcor@tucsonastronomy.org

PLEASE NOTE: due to equipment limitations there is a strict limit of 20 students for this workshop.

TAAA hosts numerous classes and workshops for Members Only throughout the year.

Upcoming Workshops Open for Pre-enrollment

Several workshops are being planned for the fall 2023/winter 2024 time frame.

• A Sketching/Logging workshop will be offered.

• A Constellation identification/locating workshop will be offered. Dates/Times are still TBD. They will be announced in the bulletin as soon as they are set.

If you are interested in enrolling in any of these workshops or would like additional information contact the TAAA Astronomical League Correspondent (ALCOR) at the information listed below.

TAAA ALCOR – Douglas Smith; Phone: 520-396-3233; E-mail: alcor@emergency

Experience the Sky

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Classes and Workshops
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