Announcements

OPEN HOUSE!! Saturday, May 27, 2017 11am - 3pm

Wonders of the Fall/Winter Sky – October 21st, 2017 | Messier Marathon – March 17th, 2018

Wonders of the Night Sky Observing Series

Join the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter for a full night of observing using the largest dedicated public telescopes in the west!  This series of observing programs will take place three times per year and provide you the opportunity to see hundreds of galaxies, nebula and star clusters, most of which are not regularly shown during the nightly SkyNights program.  While our observing guides will have a list of objects to be seen throughout the night, attendees are also encouraged to request objects that they wish to see through a large telescope.

Program Fee ($125 for each event) includes dorm room accommodations at our fantastic location, all night access to the Schulman and Phillips telescopes - Arizona’s largest publicly available telescopes, and high quality binoculars.  You also receive two meals (dinner and light breakfast the morning after), snacks, refreshments and lodging.

As the Wonders of the Night Sky Series are all-night affairs, some individuals choose to turn in early or take a ‘cat nap’ during the night.  As such, your registration includes a double occupancy room inside one of our two Astronomer Dorm Room buildings.  Linens and towels will be provided, but you can certainly bring your own if you wish.  Each building houses one central restroom/bathroom facility. Personal toiletry items are not provided

Wonders of the Fall/Winter Sky – October 21st, 2017

This program will feature a wide range of objects.  With the Summer Triangle of Vega, Deneb and Altair high overhead early we will have the opportunity for a last look at some of the summertime objects, as well as many star clusters that populate the plane of our galaxy.  We will use the Herschel 400 (William Herschel’s list of star clusters, galaxies, and nebula) as a rough guide to selecting objects, and again we will observe objects that attendees request.  After midnight, we will have the traditional winter constellations of Orion, Canis Major, Gemini, etc. available for viewing many objects that take advantage of our high-altitude site and large aperture telescopes.

Messier Marathon – March 17th, 2018

The Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter invites you to take part in one of Astronomy’s biggest challenges, the Messier Marathon!  The Messier catalogue was compiled by French astronomer Charles Messier during the late 18th century and consists of 110 relatively bright deep sky objects (galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters).  At northern latitudes, it is possible to observe all Messier objects in one night during a window near the March new moon, when nights are longest. 

Guests are invited to use the 32” Schulman and 24” Phillips Telescopes in an attempt to accomplish this feat, over the course of one night!  This all night program begins one hour before sunset and ends just before dawn.  Our expert Hosts will guide you through the heavens in search of Messier’s best and brightest deep sky objects.

All participants will receive a personalized Certificate of Participation.  This memorable keepsake will include the date of your Marathon attempt as well as the total number of successfully observed objects.

Just as with our other Wonders of the Night Sky programs, there will be opportunities for guests to observe other objects throughout the night, as we progress through the main attraction, the Messier Marathon.

DSLR Widefield Milky Way Photography Workshop

DSLR Widefield Milky Way Photography Workshop, May 20-21, 2017

Have you ever wanted to learn how to use your DSLR camera to photograph the beautiful & vast universe that surrounds us? Join the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter and award-winning professional photographer Sean Parker (http://www.sean-parker.com) at the summit of Mount Lemmon for an introductory workshop where you will learn how to photograph the night sky above and create stunning Milky Way and star-trail compositions that will leave you and your friends breathless. You will learn many techniques, tips and tricks to take your night sky photography to the next level. 

Participants will learn how to photograph the contrast of our dark sky and the beautiful stars above, and will receive instruction in beautiful star-trail and Milky Way compositions. By learning from one of the best in this field, no other workshops in the greater area compares to the quality and excitement you will gain from this night sky photography course. To guarantee quality instruction & shooting, the group size will be limited to 8, in order that you will have full attention throughout the night.

Enjoy conducting astronomy outreach? Join our team!

Do you enjoy astronomy outreach and education?  
 
The SkyCenter is looking for individuals with background in astronomy outreach and telescope/observatory operations to work with our public observing program.  Review the link below and if you feel you may be a good match submit an application online! 
https://uacareers.com/postings/13018
 
Feel free to contact Alan Strauss with questions - 520.626.6488 or by email at alans@arizona.edu

Images Available for Sale Online

Now Available! Images taken by renown astrophotographer Adam Block.  Go to our Image Gallery select the image you want (just a few examples shown below), place your order online and we will ship it to you! Fast and easy, they make great gifts!