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Tucson club hosts desert star party for UA astronomy department

Students, faculty invited to take part in monthly parties

In conjunction with the UA astronomy department, the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association hosted one of its many "Star Parties" last Thursday, with more than 100 students, faculty and association members in attendance.

The party was created as an opportunity for students in the University of Arizona natural sciences class, "The Physical Universe," to learn about the cosmos and gain extra points in the process.

"The teachers and graduate students are knowledgeable and want to get us all involved," said undecided freshman Natalie Holstein during the star party. "I was not very excited to come out here, but now I'm very impressed."

Students were asked to approach one of more than a dozen telescopes and observe several objects in the night sky, recording specific details and observations.

Among the objects visible last week were Jupiter, Saturn, the moon and the North Star.

"Tucson is a fabulous place to do astronomy," said John Kalas, president of the association. "It gives me tremendous satisfaction to share the beauty of the night sky and show people who don't have the opportunity to see the fascinating objects we observe."

Kalas' commercially purchased refracting telescope is the only one of its kind on the market, with the ability to automatically focus on up to 17,000 celestial objects.

Several graduate student teaching assistants were also present at the party setting up equipment and answering questions.

"Getting a chance to actually look up at the sky and to put myself in the real grand scheme of nature is the most rewarding part of a star party," said Daniel Christlein, a UA astronomy graduate student and teaching assistant. "You can see places millions of light years away that are not just in your own neighborhood."

The idea behind a star party is fairly basic - to observe the night sky in its most natural state - in total darkness. Therefore, vehicles entering the park are required to turn off their headlights to prevent excess light pollution.

Last week's party took place at the Red Hills Visitor of Saguaro National Park West. The association also hosts parties at Empire Ranch in Sonoita, at Kitt Peak observatory and also at the Tucson International Medelplex Park Association.

Any member of the Tucson community is welcome to attend the star parties. Seniors, families and students receive a discounted membership fee and are not required to purchase any viewing equipment.

More information about the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association is available on their Web site http://www.tucsonastronomy.org/.