The world’s largest publication on viewing the heavens celebrated 2022 with our 10th annual public star party this past weekend in Tucson, Arizona. Hosted by Astronomy magazine, Pima Community College, and the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association, the event drew a crowd to view lunar craters, the Orion Nebula, the Double Cluster, and many other sights.
The beauty of the stars at night dazzled those in attendance as the desert air cooled and azure blue transformed into blackness. The college’s observatory opened its 14-inch SCT and we had another seven telescopes from the club, one of the most active in the United States, trained on a variety of targets. Astronomy enthusiasts milled about and peered into eyepieces as did attendees from the annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, drawn to the heavens at nightfall.
Special thanks are due to Jim Knoll and other officers and members of the club, who do such a magnificent job with bringing astronomy outreach to a large audience.
We look forward to next year’s event, again drawing us skyward, and perhaps finding a true return to normalcy and robust public events again as the pandemic continues to wave. Keep looking up at those glorious stars!
