This is a wonderful group of astronomy enthusiasts with a spectacular telescope.

I took this picture at their star party site a little before the star party kicked off. I just can't get over the landscape and terrain in Phoenix!

One of the excellent things about this club and their star parties is that they are held at a place called The South Mountain Environmental Education Center. This is a beautiful building in the Sonoran desert with all kinds of facilities including restrooms and staff on hand to answer questions. They have a large function room too. The night I went they were not only having a star party but a whole lot of astronomy and science related events and activities for kids. So, you can walk around indoors and enjoy/experience the activities then walk out into the star gazing area and view the night sky through a variety of telescopes. And pair this up with the wonderful weather in Arizona you practically have a perfect combination.

If you are looking for a very comfortable evening with the stars this is the place to go. How can you not appreciate that they have a building right there with information activities, bathrooms, snacks and more? And the outdoor facility is outstanding with a nice brick patio area where they set up the telescopes.

There were six telescopes on hand. In this next picture you can see three of them. The 11 inch Celestron, an eight inch dobsonian (closest to us) and an eight inch reflector on an equatorial mount.

 

They set out red lights so you can move about but not have your night vision ruined.

Here is that spectacular 11" Celestron telescope they have pedestal mounted at their star party site. This is a serious instrument and that pedestal mount is cemented five feet deep into the earth. I can still see my first viewing of M42 (The Orion Nebula) through this telescope. It was amazing! Really! I was shocked by how good it was. This is partly a function of the great telescope and partly a function of the clear desert sky.

Here is a picture I took of Orion using a plain old digital camera on a tripod:

They are an active group with several locations.

Generally they have a big star party open to the public once a month at the Black Mountain Campus of Paradise Valley Community College (34250 N. 60th street, Scottsdale AZ). And regular star parties at the PVCC

They hold their club meetings and various events at Paradise Valley Community College campus at 18401 North 32nd street.

This next picture shows some of the club members and guests at the Paradise Valley CC meeting.

They also have regular events at other places including the South Mountain Environmental Center at 10409 South Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85042.

Want to learn more about this astronomy club or maybe you live in the Phoenix area and would like to visit? Check out their website here which includes a calendar of events. The Phoenix Astronomical Society (PAS)