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Desert Skies
Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association
Volume XLIX, Number 4, April, 2003
Contents
Main Meeting: Friday, April 4 at the Steward Observatory Auditorium - Room
N210
Beginner's Lecture: 6:30 pm
Astronomy and the Spouse
Dean Salman
Dean will cover a number of ideas and spouse friendly observing locations that allow the amateur astronomer and their significant other the opportunity to co-exist in harmony.
General Meeting: 7:30 pm
Two-Dimensional Imaging of Carbon Monoxide in the Infrared above
the Solar Limb
Claude Plymate
Claude has been with the National Solar Observatory's (NSO) McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope and a TAAA member for the past 17 years. For the past 5 years, he's worked as the site manager for the NSO's Kitt Peak facilities. Claude recently completed a Masters degree in Astronomy through an Internet based program with the University of Western Sydney. His talk titled "Two-Dimensional Imaging of Carbon Monoxide in the Infrared above the Solar Limb" is based on his final research project for the Masters degree.
Board of Director's Meeting: Wednesday, April 9, 7:00 pm at Steward Observatory Conference Room N305
Star Parties and Events:
Newsletter Schedule: Deadline for articles: Mon, 14 April. Printing: Mon, 21 April. Folding Party: Tues, 22 April. Mailing: Wed, 23 April. The newsletter is mailed at least one week prior to the following month's General Meeting.
Note: The board of directors meeting is the first Wednesday after the monthly meeting. The astrophoto SIG is the first Thursday after the monthly meeting.
Office Name Phone Email
------ ---- ----- -----
President Andy Cooper 795-3585 acooper@pobox.com
Vice-President Thom Peck 327-7825 thomas.peck@optics.arizona.edu
Secretary Jane Tongate 623-4056 tongate@u.arizona.edu
Treasurer Terri Lappin 579-0185 tklappin@earthlink.net
Member-at-Large Robert Callanan 818-1315 tucsonbac@aol.com
Member-at-Large Bill Lofquist 297-6653 wlofquist@aol.com
Member-at-Large Steve Peterson 326-5303 swpeterson@theriver.com
Chief Observer Wayne Johnson 586-2244 mrgalaxy@juno.com
Newsletter Editor George Barber 822-2392 barbergj@flash.net
Star Parties Steve Marten 906-0049 steve1636@aol.com
Astrophoto SIG Dean Ketelsen 293-2855 ketelsen@as.arizona.edu
Computers SIG Rodger Tanner 574-3876 rtanner@seds.lpl.arizona.edu
TAAA Mission Statement
We are a resource for anyone interested in astronomy. It is our mission to nurture a person's natural curiosity about the night sky. By giving people a knowledge and understanding of astronomy, we enhance their enjoyment of the sun, moon, and stars. Through our public activities and school evening observing sessions, we bring astronomy to persons of all ages. Our regular meetings and observing sessions offer members a forum to meet others with similar interests and experiences and to learn from one another.
Membership in the TAAA
Annual Dues
All membership rates given above are for 1 year. Family Membership includes two adults plus minor children. Parents/guardians of minors interested in astronomy may request Family Membership at $15/yr. Contact the Treasurer at tklappin@earthlink.net for information.
Options (add to above membership rates)
Donations are accepted for any of the TAAA funds: SA-IDA/Light Pollution, TIMPA, Education, 30" Telescope & Land, or General Fund.
Renewal Information
Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association
PO BOX 41254
Tucson, AZ 85717
Mailing Address or Email Changes
Send changes to the above address or email the treasurer.
Desert Skies Publishing Guidelines
All articles, announcements, news, etc. must be submitted by the newsletter deadline noted above. Materials received after that date will appear in the next issue. The editor retains all submissions unless prior arrangements are made. Partial page submissions should be submitted in Word compatible files via e-mail or on a floppy disk. Full-page articles, artwork, and photos can be submitted camera ready. We will not publish slanderous or libelous material! Send submissions to:
c/o George Barber
15940 W. Ridgemoor Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85736
or e-mail: barbergj@flash.net
Desert Skies is published monthly by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association, PO Box 41254, Tucson, Arizona 85717
The last few months of the school year are upon us, and it is school star party crunch time. Every teacher is trying to get in those last activities and our schedule is as expected, very full. A very rainy February didn't help as we try to re-schedule clouded out events before the end of classes.
I notice a preponderance of elementary schools on the schedule as of late. I think I enjoy the younger students more than some older middle school and high school age. A fourth or sixth grader is still seeing the universe for the first time, less jaded by television and less concerned with looking good to the others in their class. It helps to have both Jupiter and Saturn high in the evening sky for these events, spectacular even against the bright city sky. Of course the view of Saturn is better for having the rings tilted to their best advantage, about as wide as they can be over the next year or two. There's nothing like that first view of Saturn through a telescope to light up the eyes. Before the fall season we will begin to loose these bright jewels to the sunset and face a tougher time picking targets in city schoolyards. But as was pointed out to me and I like to pass along... Jupiter and Saturn are slowly drawing apart in the sky, so in coming years we will more often have either one or the other in the sky on any given evening.
But in the meantime come on out and show these two bright planets to the children of our city and take advantage of some good weather for a change.
Andrew
Member News
We welcome the most recent members to join the TAAA: Kevin and Deborah Fitzsimmons, Mike Menzel, Samdy Rea, Andrew Schweers, Jim Skelton, and Gary Vecere. Glad to have all of you join! New members should be sure to pick up a new members pack at a meeting. Hope you'll make it to our star parties or meetings so we can all get to know you. (Updated membership lists are available to any member at the regular meetings, so pick one up if you need it.)
Officer Nominations for May Elections By John Kalas
The Nominating Committee, consisting of Ed Finney, Thom Peck and John Kalas, is working to develop the slate of officers for the upcoming club election at the May monthly meeting. The elected officers would then start their term June 1st.
President Andrew Cooper has decided not to seek re-election. Vice President Thom Peck has agreed to run for president. Treasurer Terri Lappin has agreed to seek re-election as treasurer. Secretary Jane Tongate has decided not to run again for secretary. Member-at-Large Robert Callanan has decided not to seek re-election as M-a-L. Member-at-Large Bill Lofquist has agreed to run again for M-a-L. Member-at-Large Steve Peterson has decided to run for vice president. Ed Finney and Ray Toscano have agreed to run for the Member-at-Large vacancies.
The following is the list of candidates as of the April newsletter deadline:
President - Thom Peck Vice President - Steve Peterson Treasurer - Terri Lappin Secretary - Open Member-at-Large - Bill Lofquist Member-at-Large - Ed Finney Member-at-Large - Ray Toscano
On behalf of the entire club, the Nominating Committee would like to thank Andrew Cooper, Jane Tongate and Robert Callanan for their dedication and service to the TAAA. Their efforts and achievements are greatly appreciated.
The nominating committee will continue to seek qualified candidates for the open position. If any member of the club, with at least one year of membership, is interested in any of the officer positions, they should contact Ed Finney at 296-9266, Thom Peck at 327-7825 or John Kalas at 620-6502. Floor nominations at the May meeting will also be accepted.
TAAA Officer Position Open
The club is looking for members interested in supporting the organization for the following position. In order to qualify for the office, a person must be a member of the club for a minimum of one year. If anyone would like to serve in this office, please contact a member of the nominating committee listed in the previous article.
Secretary This position is one of the seven board of directors and carries full board voting privileges. The duties of this position include attending all monthly board meetings (currently the second Wednesday of each month), recording the information discussed at the board meeting and submitting minutes of the board meeting to the newsletter editor.
Astro-Photo Special Interest Group
10 April, 7pm China Rose, NE corner Speedway/Rosemont
This month we've arranged a special program - Gilbert Jones has agreed to demonstrate the hardware and software recently developed for web cam imaging. There have been some amazing images recently on the Internet where you can combine dozens or hundreds of images taken with a web cam to get a considerable improvement in signal to noise. Gil has started using the package and showed us some great images of Saturn. Check it out on his website at www.threebuttes.com - look for the February images of Saturn and Jupiter.
We'll also have the usual grab bag of other astronomical photography.
Refreshments
The sign up sheet for Refreshment Hosts will be in the back of the meeting room. Please sign up, as you are able. Hosts bring cookies, soda and other necessary supplies to the meetings. They also set up the refreshments and clean up after the feast is over. Costs are reimbursed up to $25/month. Bring the receipts to the meeting for reimbursement. Arrangements can be made if you need help carrying the supplies into the meeting room. Call Terri (579-0185 or tklappin@earthlink.net) if you have questions.
Annual Club Picnic April 5th - TIMPA
Join the club at our TIMPA site under a slim (16%) crescent moon for our annual club picnic. With any luck the Arizona spring weather will be clear and warm. Bring something to put on the grill for yourself and something else to share. The club will provide drinks and a hot barbecue from 5:00 to 7:00pm. Portable tables and chairs are also a good idea along with a telescope to enjoy the start of our spring and summer observing season.
Telescopes for Telethon 2003 By John Kalas
The TAAA will be supporting the Muscular Dystrophy T4T activity again this year on Thursday, May 15th. This date was selected because the moon will rise in full lunar eclipse that night. Solar viewing will take place from 3:00 to 6:00 pm with evening observing running from 6:00 to 10:00 pm. David and Wendee Levy will be hosting the event. Starizona, Sky Works, Stellar Vision and Coronado Instruments will also be participating.
Several changes are planned for the event this year. There will be two venues: the Sabino Canyon Recreational Area and the Flandrau Science Center, so lots of members will be needed to cover both places. Also, permission has been requested from Sabino Canyon to allow the collection of donations of the waived parking fee from visitors entering the area all day long. If this permission is granted, volunteers will be needed to staff a donation collection station near the entrance to the parking lot at Sabino Canyon.
John Kalas is the TAAA coordinator for the event. There will be signup sheets at the April and May meetings. Many volunteers will be needed to operate telescopes (solar and evening), staff donation areas and assist in general public support at both locations. Please consider supporting this worthwhile event. If you are unable to attend the meetings to sign up, please contact John at 620-6502 or via e-mail at jckalas@aol.com.
Grand Canyon Star Party 21-28 June 2003 North and South Rims
We had an overwhelming response for the complimentary campsites last month and for all purposes we are "sold out". We got over 25 folks who want space, and fortunately the Park Service came thru and got us 16 sites. That means that nearly all of those 25 will be doubling up on campsites. Please, please, if you have made arrangements to share your campsite with others without notifying me, let me know ASAP, as we are very tight for space. Similarly, do not offer to share your site with others as I've already got a partner for you. If you have a friend who wants to join us and camp, at this point they need to make their own campsite reservations! We are full up!
In other news, as all the regulars know, we've had some major problems with traffic flow around and thru the star party observing. Chuck Wahler attended a meeting with the fellow in charge of park transportation and discussed the situation. Short of moving the location of the star party, the solution they've come up with is to locate all the parking lot scopes on the right, or west side of the parking lot, hopefully keeping the crowd on that side, leaving room for cars and buses to get thru. How do you reserve that side of the lot for astronomers, you ask??? Valet parking! Park rangers will start late in the afternoon and rope off the west side of the parking lot and reserve it for astronomer use only. So hopefully we will have a lot easier time to get a parking spot. We are going to try it and see how it works out.
Now for t-shirt news. We have the artwork; we have permission from the NPS, so looks like it will happen. The quotes I've gotten locally (6-color, one side) are about $8.50 to $9.00 assuming we get 100. I will probably submit the order in early May, so if you have an unusual order (for instance, a sweatshirt or long sleeved t-shirt for extra fee) or are an unusual size, I'll get a standard distribution of sizes in likely an ash color shirt. I'm submitting a copy of the art with this note; so if the editor has space, look for Joe Bergeron's effort in B&W in this issue.
That's about all the Grand Canyon news for now. We are pretty much full up on twilight speakers and most everything is falling into place. If you have any questions or comments, please feel to e-mail or call - see you there!
Dean Ketelsen ketelsen@as.arizona.edu
Small Amounts Add Up - The TAAA Automatic Donation Program
Interested in helping our programs? Sign up for the TAAA Automatic Donation Program. This is a way for TAAA Members to contribute on a regular monthly basis. It's easy to do. Each month, an amount you specify is automatically deducted from your designated checking account. The transaction appears on your bank statement as an EFT. If you are interested, fill out the required form at the next meeting. We also need a voided check for the account from which you want to the contributions. Donations can be placed into any of the TAAA funds, including Light Pollution (SA-IDA) and TIMPA. Monthly donations must total at least $5. The agreement can be cancelled at any time with proper notification. See the treasurer if you have questions.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAAA
Hey, did you know that TAAA will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary next year? We are planning to kick off 2004 with a birthday party in January (replacing the usual December holiday party), thinking about T-shirts and mugs, and looking for other ideas to commemorate our semi centenary. Soooo... we need volunteers! The more people we have to help, the more fun and special things we can do! If you want to help, or have a great idea, look for the sign-up sheet at the next meeting, or contact: Sheila Conrad: 529-1750 Thom Peck: tpeck@optics.arizona.edu or 327-7825
Design Ideas?
The TAAA board has decided to add license plate tags to the club merchandise to allow you to show your spirit and to fill that empty spot on the front of your car since Arizona only gives us rear license plates. But first we need a design. So we are soliciting designs from the membership. The trick is to use as few colors as possible to create a decent design to keep these inexpensive, preferably just a couple colors in addition to the white background plastic. Complex designs and more letters cost nothing to add, just additional cost for each color, but remember a simpler or bold design can be more noticeable and easier to read. You can go to http://www.polytuffinc.com/ for more ideas. Designs can be submitted to any board member.
VARIATION ON A THEME
On Apr. 23-26 the AAVSO will be meeting at the University Park Marriott hotel here in Tucson. This is their 92nd Spring Meeting. While this will be a fun meeting, have you ever seen a variable star? I'll bet you have and may no know it. But if you would like to make it a project, here's some help.
The AAVSO has a great website at: http://www.aavso.org/
Here they have a great deal of information on the organization, what the different types of variable stars are how to join and, most importantly, how to observer variable stars and some excellent charts to facilitate that observing. You can observe using no more than your telescope, any size, and your eyes or you can do CCD observing and photometry. It's a program for everyone!
Once you are past the introductory level you can visit VSNET at: http://vsnet.kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp/vsnet/index.html
This website has a ton of information on variable stars but specializes mostly in sudden even variations like supernovae, novae, dwarf novae, eclipsing stars and RR Lyrae stars (rapid pulsating variable stars). I like to use this site, and their associated mailing lists, to keep up with new supernovae eruptions. In one year I was able to bag 6 such stars (all in one month!) using their announcements.
The International Astronomical Union (Commissions 27 and 42) publish their bulletins on a website at: http://www.konkoly.hu/IBVS/IBVS.html
This is done through the Konkoly observatory (a beautiful Hungarian observatory you can see at: http://www.konkoly.hu/konkoly/konkoly.html) Here you will find very current information on activity on a wide range of variables to help you plan observing sessions.
The General Catalog of Variable Stars is now on-line at: http://www.sai.msu.su/groups/cluster/gcvs/gcvs/
This is the catalog originally begun in the Soviet Union at Moscow Univ. and maintained now for many decades. This contains listings for over 37,000 variable objects" (some are distant galaxies and quasars) which should be more than enough to keep you busy!
For more information and links you can go to the web page maintained by the Center for Backyard Astrophysics at: http://wwwmacho.mcmaster.ca/DLW/Variable.html
Armed with this you could spend a lifetime in endless profitable observing as many amateur astronomers have for nearly a century now.
As always, if you know of a particularly good website you would like mentioned here, drop me a line at: rhill@lpl.arizona.edu
Steward Observatory Public Evening Lecture
Since 1924 Steward Observatory has hosted public evening lectures in astronomy. The Steward Public Evening Lectures are held two Mondays each month when classes are in session. The Spring 2003 schedule is provided here and can also be found at http://viking.as.arizona.edu/~taf/pubeve/pub_lect.html. The lectures are held in the Steward Lecture Hall (N210), the same room we hold our meetings. Following each lecture, the 21-inch telescope will be available for viewing the night sky (weather permitting). The lectures and the use of the telescope are free of charge and open to the general public.
Date Speaker Topic Apr 7 Dr. Joan Najita Where do Planets Come From? Old Questions and New Directions Apr 21 Dr. Xiaohui Fan End of the Cosmic Dark Ages
Desert Sunset Star Party - May 1-4, 2003
The Early Registration Deadline for the Desert Sunset Star Party (DSSP) has been extended until April 15. Pat and Arleen Heimann will have registration materials available and will accept DSSP registration fees [$10 per night per person] at the April 4 TAAA meeting.
With only a few weeks left until the DSSP, we are looking for up to 10 volunteers from among the local registrants for each of the three days of the DSSP to help us make this Star Party a memorable event for all. Sign up sheets will be at the next TAAA meeting. Volunteers are needed for help with DSSP Check-In, security duties such as watching the Telescope Field during the day, general cleanup and providing directions for the out of town guests.
We hope many of you will join us for the first annual Desert Sunset Star Party. Check our website for more details: http://chartmarker.tripod.com/sunset.htm
Chart Markers and More Pat and Arleen Heimann http://chartmarker.tripod.com
Science Fair By Terri Lappin
TAAA members Jim and Elizabeth Brown and I judged the 2003 Southern Arizona Regional Science and Engineering Fair this past month. I wish to thank Jim and Elizabeth for participating in the judging. It was a pleasure to work with this energetic couple. I sensed that they truly want to make a difference in the lives of our young people. They were indispensable!
This year the TAAA presented five awards. Two awards were presented at the high school level. Krystle Potter's (Rio Rico High) project titled "Do Galaxies Evolve?" used data taken by the Very Large Telescope in Chile to show that a set of galaxies supports the current theory of galactic evolution. For the project "Preservation of the Night Sky through the Utilization of Energy Efficient Shielded Light Fixtures", two seniors, James Walter and Phillippe Post (Salpointe High), borrowed a light meter from the International Dark-Sky Association to measure light output from three light bulbs using two different fixtures. They showed that the Glarebuster fixture (which Steve Peterson showed at a recent Member's Night) with a 13-Watt bulb outperformed the unshielded fixture they tested. Their conclusion was that if 1 million unshielded 60-Watt incandescent lamps were changed to 13-Watt shielded fluorescent bulbs, over $13 million dollars would be saved yearly.
At the middle school level, Maria Kilgore's (Our Mother of Sorrows) project "City Lights...Too Bright" concluded that moving towards the outskirts of Tucson resulted in seeing more stars and fewer light sources. Victoria Helin (Carden Christian Academy) asked the question "What if the Jews and Christians Had Named the Stars?" Creating a representation of the night sky based on a planesphere, she was able to arrange biblical characters in the night sky and deduced that if Jews and Christians had created constellations in the sky these could be used to tell biblical stories instead of the Greek mythological stories we find in books today. Second grader Lane Breshears (Hughes Elementary) made counts of stars from three different locations and concluded in the project "Will Lights Affect How Many Stars I See at Night?" that lights do affect the number of stars you can see. Lane states, as many of us know, that from Kitt Peak (one of the selected locations) "there were too many stars to count!"
The TAAA thanks Starizona, SkyWorks and Stellar Vision for providing gift certificates and items that were presented to these students. Each student also receives a free year membership in the TAAA, so we may see these young people at an event or two. We also presented three teachers with books they can use in the classroom.
We were surprised by the low number of astronomy related projects this year, especially at the elementary school level. Those participating in Project ASTRO and those members who attend school star parties should consider planting astronomical ideas in student's heads for next year's science fair. Maybe then, we will have a larger selection of projects to judge.
Figure 1 Krystle Potter - "Do Galaxies Evolve?" Yes, her data supports that they do evolve.
Figure 2 James Walter and Phillippe Post - "Preservation of the Night Sky through the Utilization of Energy Efficient Shielding Light Fixtures". Upper graphs on their display board show the uniform light distribution produced by the Glarebuster. Lower graphs show fewer lumens on the ground and less uniformity for unshielded incandescent lamps.
Figure 3 Maria Kilgore - "City Lights...Too Bright", showing her setup for photographing the Orion region of the sky from three locations around Tucson..
Figure 4 Victoria Helin's "What if the Jews and Christians Had Named the Stars?" showing constellation of Noah's Ark.
Figure 5 Lane Breshears' "Will Lights Affect How Many Stars I See at Night?" showing the "countless" stars seen from Kitt Peak. Arrows point to the belt stars of Orion. Marker stars such as Sirius at the bottom and Saturn to the left served to define the area of sky where stars were counted. Different colors were used to record stars that appeared when the sun was 6, 12, and 18 degrees below the horizon.
Workshop at Kitt Peak: AIP4WIN Imaging Software
On Saturday, May 3 the Kitt Peak Visitor Center and Al Kelly, seasoned imager from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, will conduct a workshop on AIP4WIN CCD imaging software. Learn how to run AIP4WIN and set preferences, load and view images, calibrate using darks and flats, do multi-image calibration and stacking, process luminance frames, conduct G2V star calibration of color filter sets, process chrominance frames, produce color composites, and more. The workshop runs from 2:00 to 9:30 PM with actual imaging after dark. Participants who own laptops that have AIP4WIN loaded are encouraged to bring them to the workshop. Participants will dine in the cafeteria. Contact Jack Kennedy at (520) 318-8728 or jkennedy@noao.edu for reservations. Workshop fee - $125, $20 deposit required. Limited to 20 participants.
Oyama Elementary Star Party
Northwest Wednesday, 4/2/03
No. of Scopes: 5 Oyama
Elementary will sponsor Family Science Night at 2700 S. La Cholla. Go west on 22nd St., past the interstate to La Cholla, turn left (south) at the "L." Continue about 1.5 miles to school on the right. Viewing will be on the grassy area on the north side of school. Contact person Celina Morales can be reached at 225.5700 or email moralescg@aol.com. Set-Up Time: 7:00pm. Observing will be from 7:30pm to 8:30pm. Sunset: 6:44pm, Dark Sky: 8:07pm. Moon Phase: (no moon during viewing).
Pueblo Gardens Elementary Star Party
South-Central Thursday, 4/3/03
No. of Scopes: 5
Pueblo Gardens Elementary "Night With the Stars" at 2210 E. 33rd St. is a rescheduled event. >From Speedway and Campbell, take Campbell south (becomes Kino) to 36th St. and turn left. Continue east to Plumer, turn left, and proceed south to 33rd St and turn right. You will see their parking lot on your right as soon as you turn right on 33rd. Observing will be from the playground near the library (NE side of school). Contact person Molly McKasson can be reached at 225-2700 or email memckasson@aol.com. Set-Up Time: 7:00pm. Observing will be from 7:15pm to 8:45pm. Sunset: 6:45, Dark Sky: 8:08 Moon Phase: Crescent.
UofA Astronomy Students Star Party West
April 6 (Sunday)
The TAAA will support the second of two star parties for astronomy students from the UofA. The event will be held at the Saguaro National Park West in the parking lot at the Visitors Center. The activity runs from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Set-up will start at 6:00 pm and must be completed before 7:00 pm when the students arrive by vans. This is a fun event. The students are very interested and appreciative and will be asking lots of questions to complete their assignments for the evening. John Kalas is the coordinator. There will be a sign-up sheet at the April 4th meeting. If you are interested in helping out but are unable to attend the meeting, please give John a call at 620-6502 to volunteer.
Our Mother of Sorrows Star Party
East Monday, 4/7/03
No. of Scopes: 4 Our Mother of
Sorrows will be holding a Star Party at 1800 S. Kolb Road. Go East on Speedway to Kolb. Turn South (right) on Kolb, go past 22nd street. OMOS School is on the right between Calle Denebola and Calle Ileo (Calle Ileo is the next light after 22nd street). Viewing will be from the OMOS Basketball courts. Contact person Susan Tek can be reached at 747-1027 or email suetek@aol.com. Set-Up Time: 7:00pm. Observing will be from 7:30pm to 8:45pm. Sunset: 6:47PM, Dark Sky: 8:12PM Moon Phase: First Quarter.
Copper Creek Elementary Star Party
Northwest Tuesday, 4/8/03
No. of Scopes: 7 Copper Creek
Elementary at 11620 N. Copper Spring Trail will be hosting their annual Star Party. The teachers are enthusiastic and they always have a good turnout. Take Ina Rd. west past Oracle to La Canada, turn right (north). Proceed about five miles, continuing past McGee, Lambert, Oro Valley Town Hall and Naranja to Silver Leaf Drive, turn right (east). Continue to end of street and turn right (south). The observing locale will be on the north side of the school on the basketball court (near the baseball field). Contact person Marian Shultis can be reached at 696.6871 or email marianshu@msn.com. Set-Up Time: 7pm; Observing will be from 7:30pm to 9pm. Sunset: 6:48pm, Dark Sky: 8:12pm Moon Phase: First Quarter.
Jefferson Park Elementary Star Party
North-Central Thursday, 4/10/03
No. of Scopes: 5
Jefferson Park Elementary Fifth Grade Star Party will be held at 1701 E. Seneca. From Campbell and Speedway, proceed north on Speedway past UMC. Four streets past UMC is Seneca, turn left (west). Go two blocks, school is on right on northeast corner of Seneca and Warren. The observing location is on the playground area (south side of the school). Contact person Janice Jefferson can be reached at 232-7557 or email janice.jefferson@tusd.k12.az.us. Set-Up Time: 7pm Observing will be from 7:30pm to 9pm. Sunset: 6:50pm, Dark Sky: 8:14pm Moon Phase: Gibbous.
Desert View High Star Party
Southeast Tuesday, 4/22/03
No. of Scopes: 5 Desert View
High bi-annual Telescope Session is a rescheduled event and will be held at the High School at 4101 E. Valencia Road. From Speedway and Alvernon, proceed south and continue past I-10 and Benson Hwy. At Valencia turn left (east) and continue about 1/2 mile to school on left (north) side of street (on Valencia between Alvernon and I-10). Set-up will be in the faculty parking lot southeast corner. Contact person Jim Treat can be reached at 545.5210 or email jimt@sunnysideud.k12.az.us. Set-Up Time: 7pm. Observing will be from 7:30pm to 9pm. Sunset: 6:18pm, Dark Sky: 7:40pm. Moon Phase: near New Moon.
Institute of Desert Ecology Star Party
Northwest Thursday, 4/24/03
No. of Scopes: 2 The Institute of Desert Ecology
"Stargazing" event will be held at Catalina State Park >From Ina Rd. go north on Oracle Rd. past McGee, Calle Concordia and 1st Ave to Catalina State Park (park entrance is about 2.5 miles north of 1st Ave. on the right). Follow signs for "Institute of Desert Ecology" to the group camping area. Contact person Jessie Shinn can be reached at or email jessieshinn@qwest.net. Set-Up Time: 7:30pm. Observing will be from 8:00pm to 9:30pm. Sunset: 6:59pm, Dark Sky: 8:27pm. Moon Phase: (no moon during viewing times).
Ocotillo Elementary Star Party
Central Friday, 4/25/03
No. of Scopes: 4 Ocotillo Elementary
"Astro Night" 5702 S. Campbell Ave. From Speedway go south on Park Ave to Irvington Rd., turn left (east ). Proceed on Irvington Rd. to Campbell, turn right (south). On Campbell, continue to Drexel Rd. turn left (west); the school will be in view. Parking on north side of school. Observing will be on the parking lot north of school. Contact person Ana Ramirez can be reached at 545.3632 or email aramirez12@hotmail.com. Set-Up Time: 7:00pm Observing will be from 7:30pm to 8:45pm. Sunset: 7:00pm, Dark Sky: 8:28pm Moon Phase: First Quarter.
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Public Star Party
April 26th, Saturday
We again invite the public to the Desert Museum for a evening under the stars. As usual we set up around 6:30 (sunset 7:01pm) in the lowest rows of the parking lot near the museum entrance, security should have them coned off for us when you arrive. Before full dark Jupiter and Saturn will be available and early in the evening a slim crescent Moon will grace the sunset and provide a beautiful sight in the telescopes while we wait for the real show. Bring a jacket as this spring evening is likely to be cool, and be prepared for crowds around your scope. The museum will be closed but the bathrooms will be open. Events will wrap-up around 11:00pm.
This is the first of three public events we will be doing this year, we will have T4T in May, then another desert museum event in the fall. So when talking to friends an co-workers, or guests at school star parties you can mention these events if they want a chance to come see through the scopes. For each event, all of the media outlets, newspaper, TV and radio, have been contacted to invite the public, so we need every telescope and operator we can come up with. You don't have to be an expert to come out and enjoy the evening, in fact a few volunteers are needed to handle non-telescope related items.
Thornydale Elementary Star Party
Northwest Tuesday, 4/29/03
No. of Scopes: 2
"Star Spectacular" will be held at the school at 7751 N. Oldfather Rd. Go west on Ina Rd, past Oracle to Oldfather, turn left (south). The viewing location is on the fire road on the side of the school. Contact person Linda Wilson can be reached at 579.4926 or email lwilson229@comcast.net. Pizza & coke will be available for TAAA volunteers! Set-Up Time: 7:15pm. Observing will be from 7:45pm to 8:45pm. Sunset: 7:24, Dark Sky: 8:32 Moon Phase: (no moon during viewing period).
More Observing Pads!
At last March's work party, we completed work on additional observing
pads. The form for the final pad was completed, and shortly afterward
the concrete truck arrived. The concrete was poured, leveled,
and smoothed by our crew.
Not available at the time of publication
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