Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association

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Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association

Enjoy exploring, observing, and learning about our solar system and beyond. We invite you to join us in this exciting and rewarding endeavor.

The TAAA monthly meetings are held the first Friday of the month in the lecture hall (Room N305) at Steward Observatory located at 933 N Cherry Ave on the University of Arizona campus. The meetings are free and open to the public. A non-technical Introductory Lecture starts at 6:30pm and an Invited Lecture (usually presented by a professional astronomer) beginning at 7:30pm. The meeting usually en

ds by 9pm. See our website for information about joining the TAAA. We have two observing sites. One is located west of the Tucson Mountains and the other is located in Cochise County. Monthly observing at these dark sites are for members only. We publish a monthly Events Bulletin and quarterly Desert Skies Journal. The Events Bulletin is emailed to members to keep them informed of our activities. The Journal is also emailed to members but the public may read it on our website. We have several Special Interest Groups that meet individually. These SIGs are for our members. Our Astronomy Fundamentals group is intended for beginners. Our Astro-imaging group is for those photographing the night sky. Our Starry Messengers group manages our outreach program. Our members support numerous star parties throughout the year for schools, churches, scout troups, and meeting groups. Contact us if you wish to schedule a star party at your location. Some star parties are done without charge but others we expect payment.

08/03/2026

Check out the Perseids this month. They peak August 12 into the morning of August 13th. You can check them out in the evening but the best time to view will be early morning on the 13th between around 2 and 4 am. The moon will be near New during peak, so very favorable. Find Perseus by looking NE for the W (or M) of Cassiopeia and look for Perseus just below it (or towards the east). After midnight, they will be higher in the sky. This shower is the remnants of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 133 years. find dark skies to see more meteors.

08/01/2026

Check out the Perseids this month. They are active now, but peak August 12 into the morning of August 13th. You can check them out in the evening but the best time to view will be early morning on the 13th between around 2 and 4 am. The moon will be near New during peak, so very favorable.
Find Perseus by looking NE for the W (or M) of Cassiopeia and look for Perseus just below it (or towards the east). After midnight, they will be higher in the sky. This shower is the remnants of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 133 years. find dark skies to see more meteors.

07/31/2026

TAAA August 7, 2026 6:30 pm (AZ Time/PDT/UTC-7) Monthly Meeting Talk: Title: Part 1: The Amazing WISPIT 2 exoplanet discovery and images with UA’s MagAO-X camera
Part 2: How to avoid Light pollution in Tucson

In a two-part presentation, Dr Laird Close will present results of a University of Arizona multi-year program to directly image young (~5 Myr old) accreting protoplanets in H-alpha. In the second part, he’ll introduce us to infrared imaging which few amateur astronomers consider doing but can be successfully done under light polluted skies such as in urban Tucson.

Presenter: Dr Laird Close

Dr Close is the Primary Investigator of the MaxProtoPlanetS survey, using the extreme AO system MagAO-X on the 6.5m Magellan Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in the Atacama Desert of Chile. This survey has produced compelling, very high contrast images of protoplanets in the PDS 70, 2MJ1612, and WISPIT 2 systems. The WISPIT 2b and 2c images are some of the most popular and important images of young planets ever made.

In the second part of his presentation, Dr Close will discuss the increasing brightness of the night sky due to inexpensive LED lighting. He’ll compare increases in the visible spectrum (400-700nm) to changes in the near infrared spectrum (750-1000nm) and will discuss how amateur astronomers in Tucson can help further explore new ways of avoiding light pollution in Tucson.

Dr Laird Close received his Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Arizona. He is currently a Professor of Astronomy and an Astronomer at the University of Arizona. He is an expert in Adaptive Optics system design, having developed several adaptive optics systems and high-resolution infrared cameras, making it possible for ground-based telescopes to outperform space-based telescopes like HST.

You can watch the live stream on the TAAA YouTube Channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8wGNJ24tVY.

06/26/2026

TAAA Monthly Meeting Talk: James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): Four Years of Cosmic Discovery. Scheduled for Friday July 3, 2026 @ 6:30 pm. Live stream to TAAA YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgtrdD9r4sg

Since launching in late 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has completely rewritten our understanding of the Universe and our place in it. In this presentation, Dr. Kevin Hainline will discuss his research exploring ultra-distant galaxies from the beginning of time, mysterious little red dots and what they tell us about the growth of the first black holes, and even ultra-cold “brown dwarfs” floating at the edges of our galaxy. He will describe how these sources were initially found within the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) and discuss how the deep infrared view offered by JWST is crucial for seeing the unseen.

Presenter: Kevin Hainline, PhD

Dr. Kevin Hainline is an astronomer at the University of Arizona who studies how the first galaxies formed in the early Universe. He received his bachelor’s degree in physics from Harvey Mudd College in 2006 and his PhD in astronomy from UCLA in 2012, before joining Dartmouth College as a postdoctoral researcher. He later moved to the University of Arizona, where he is currently an Associate Research Professor. As a member of the James Webb Space Telescope’s Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), he has made headlines with discoveries of some of the earliest galaxies ever seen. He is also an active science communicator who enjoys bringing the story of the Universe to broad audiences.

06/24/2026

We had a great Grand Canyon Star Party this June 6-13, 2026. Averaged 80 telescopes and over 1,200 visitors each night. The skies at 7,000 feet are incredible. Had to deal with wind several nights, but mostly had clear skies. The 2027 GCSP will be May 29-June 5. Volunteer astronomer registration typically opens the beginning of March.

06/05/2026

The next TAAA monthly meeting talk will be TONIGHT June 5, 2026 and will be: A Southern Arizona Dark-Sky Update: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities by John Barentine.

Tucson has long billed itself as the "world capital of astronomy," and it is the origin point of the global dark-skies movement. Proactive efforts in public policy and lighting design practice have slowed the increase of regional nighttime light emissions relative to other parts of the Southwest, but population growth and economic development concerns put upward pressure on demand for artificial light at night (ALAN). Local dark-sky advocacy efforts aim to counter this trend with actionable goals for reducing ALAN consumption while enhancing nighttime community safety, security and amenity. In this talk John will review the state of affairs involving light pollution in the area and the efforts of DarkSky Southern Arizona to pursue effective solutions during the first three-year strategic planning term since the group’s organizational 2023 reboot. In addition, John will describe the trends and opportunities that can strengthen our region's leadership on outdoor lighting issues.

The talk will be streamed live to our YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po3jmcEHZS4

06/04/2026

Go outside starting tonight (June 4) and observe with your eyes the beginning of a great conjunction. In the western sky, you will see a very bright Venus and a slightly less bright Jupiter. Over the next several nights, they will get closer together culminating in a nice conjunction June 8th with about 3 degrees of separation. Go out about 8 or 9 pm each night and watch Venus climb higher and Jupiter descend lower. This is a line-of-site visual as the two planets are actually quite a bit separated in distance, with Jupiter much further away than Venus. No telescope required, just your eyes.

If you are near the Grand Canyon though, we will highlight these two great planets during our evening observing sessions from June 6 - 13, 2026. We will be in the large lot just behind the Visitor's Center on the South Rim.

05/29/2026

The next TAAA monthly meeting talk will be: A Southern Arizona Dark-Sky Update: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities by John Barentine.

Tucson has long billed itself as the "world capital of astronomy," and it is the origin point of the global dark-skies movement. Proactive efforts in public policy and lighting design practice have slowed the increase of regional nighttime light emissions relative to other parts of the Southwest, but population growth and economic development concerns put upward pressure on demand for artificial light at night (ALAN). Local dark-sky advocacy efforts aim to counter this trend with actionable goals for reducing ALAN consumption while enhancing nighttime community safety, security and amenity. In this talk John will review the state of affairs involving light pollution in the area and the efforts of DarkSky Southern Arizona to pursue effective solutions during the first three-year strategic planning term since the group’s organizational 2023 reboot. In addition, John will describe the trends and opportunities that can strengthen our region's leadership on outdoor lighting issues.

The talk will be streamed live to our YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po3jmcEHZS4

05/25/2026

We are just 12 days away from the beginning of the 8 night 2026 Grand Canyon Star Party, sponsored jointly between the National Park Service and the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association. GCSP 2026 will be from June 6 - 13. This star party is free and open to anyone within the Grand Canyon Park. Observing will be nightly from 8 - 11 pm. A nightly talk will take place at 8 pm and constellation tours at 9, 9:30, and 10 pm. We average about 60 telescopes each night. No registration is required for the public to attend. More information is available on the NPS website at: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/grand-canyon-star-party.htm.

If you are interested in volunteering as an amateur astronomer, advance registration is required and the link is on the NPS webpage. Registration closes May 31, 2026.

05/03/2026

The May 2026 Planet Activity for the month has been posted on our website at: https://tucsonastronomy.org/planets-of-the-month-may-2026/

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Tucson, AZ

Telephone

+15207926414

Website

http://www.tucsonastronomy.org/

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