Category Archives: Archive

January HAC Meeting Change of Venue

The January 26 meeting of the Huachuca Astronomy Club will now be held in room G-106 in the Cochise College Downtown Campus 2600 E Wilcox Drive. Room G-106 is on the west side of the center, facing S El Camino Real. It has its own entrance to the parking lot.  See attached map.  The meeting starts at 7 pm. 

Sorry for the last minute switch but this room only just became available and has much better parking options than the temporary room we were scheduled to use on the main campus.

We expect to be back in our usual room (A 102 of the Downtown Campus) in February.

HAC Swap Meet Nov 18th

November 18th from 9am until 4pm (or until the last person leaves?). The swap meet is THE place to kick some tripods and make some deals. And yes, it is open to the public, so tell a friend (and everyone else!).

This year’s selection of donated offerings features telescopes and accessories from basic entry scopes to nearly turnkey observatories. Everything to advance your enjoyment of our wonderful hobby (read: “obsession”). Item prices range from $1.00 to over $10,000, with items ranging from stocking stuffers to full observatory ensembles. So, bring cash and checks (with proper ID). All proceeds from donated items benefit HAC.

Do bring your own scopes and astro stuff to sell and or trade. For those of us who have indulged in this hobby for some time it is also be a great time to clear out underused scopes and observing niceties and get them to others that can use and cherish them.

Tables will be available on a first come basis the morning of the sale. Some of us will be there early so you can set up before the 9am opening.

HAC does not charge for selling space but does appreciate cash donations from participants’ sales.

HAC 2023 Holiday Party – December 1st!

The HAC Holiday Party will be held on Friday December 1st at the Brondam residence. We need to have your RSVP, and your prepayment ($18 per person, $9 for children under 12), by November 24th.  Please see the attached PDF invitation for more details.

November Events

  • November 4, 7pm General meeting in room A102 Cochise College Downtown Campus
  • November 5, Dine Under the Stars, Patterson Observatory, 6-9 pm. Purchase tickets for the event from Penny Brondum, Jim Reese or Ted Forte
  • November 11, 10a-12p we will host a home school group (and families) of about 40 people at Patterson Observatory.
  • November 12, 9am – 11am is ‘Solar Saturday” at Patterson. Friday, November 18, 6-8 PM Adaptive Recreation Group at Patterson

Public Night for June

The June Patterson Public Night has been rescheduled from Thursday, June 9 to Friday June 10 due to the unfavorable weather forecast

Lunar Eclipse Watch

The Patterson Observatory will open for the year’s first total lunar eclipse on the evening of Sunday, May 15 beginning just after sunset.  Doors will open at 7 p.m. and admission is free. You can bring your own telescope or binoculars or enjoy the eclipse through the observatory’s giant 20-inch or any of the smaller telescopes that members of the Huachuca Astronomy Club will set up. The event is weather dependent and in case of clouds, you can check for a recorded cancelation message by dialing 520-458-8278 extension 2214.

 

When the “Flower Moon” rises just before 7 p.m. MST, it will already be in the penumbral shadow of the Earth.  The visible portion of the eclipse, however, begins when the moon enters the umbral shadow starting about 7:29 p.m. The moon will be totally eclipsed by 8:29 p.m. with mid eclipse at 9:13 p.m.  Totality ends at 9:54 p.m.

NASA Artemis Program

The Artemis program is NASA’s return to the moon.  The goal is to land the first woman and the next man, as well as a person of color, to the moon by 2025.   The target is the lunar south pole, where water ice resides in abundance.  NASA will harness the talents and capabilities of private industry, academia, and our international partners to build a sustainable presence on the moon.  While living and working on the Moon, we will develop the skills, knowledge, and technologies necessary for a Mars landing in the next few decades.

Artemis 1, an unmanned test of the Orion crew module, Space Launch System (SLS). and Exploration Ground Systems at Cape Kennedy will launch in the spring of 2022.

Join us at the Patterson Observatory to watch the launch. We’ll announce the date and time when the launch date is set.

Visit https://www.nasa.gov/artemisprogram for more information.

Webb Across Arizona

Arizona State University has a new website that will track all the events planned for the upcoming celebration of the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. Click here to check it out!