EAST VALLEY
ASTRONOMY CLUB
EVENTS + MEETINGS
What's Going On
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3rd Friday at 7:30pm
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2nd Friday of each month
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School, Community Private Star Party By Request Only
Special Events
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Celebrate Astronomy Day on September 23 with Solar Viewing at the Riparian Observatory from 9 AM - 2 PM.
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Star Party Information
Public Star Party
The East Valley Astronomy Club sponsors a free public star party each month at the Riparian Preserve in Gilbert. The event is scheduled on the second Friday of each month, weather permitting. The star party begins at dusk. You are encouraged to attend and observe through member's telescopes.
EVAC is supporting Public Star Parties at this time.
School + Community Star Party Information
Arrange a night under the stars for your school, community, club, or group! Available Tuesday - Thursday.
If you would like to arrange a night under the stars / private star party, click below and fill out the request form.
EVAC is supporting private star parties at this time.
Monthly Meetings
The monthly general meeting is your chance to find out what other club members are up to, learn about upcoming club events and listen to presentations by professional and well-known amateur astronomers. Visitors are always welcome!
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Held on the third Friday of each month, beginning at 7:30 pm. See our upcoming Speaker Schedule.
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Meetings are held via Zoom and In Person.
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A typical meeting begins with introductions and a brief discussion of club business, including upcoming events.
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Recognition and a couple of short (10 - 15 minute) presentations by EVAC members follows.
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Refreshments are served during a short intermission.
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Our guest speaker then gives a 45-minute to 1-hour presentation.
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Meetings are held at the Gilbert Library.
Interested in seeing the caliber of speakers at past meetings? Check out our History of Speakers.
2022 Meeting Speaker Schedule
January 21st
Steve Desch (ASU) - "Oumuamua".
February 18th
Nat Butler (ASU) - Software and Small Telescopes: Searching for the Needle in the Haystack.
March 18th
Phil Mauskopf (ASU) - Applications of Single Photon Detectors in Astronomy and in Breakthrough Starshot's Downlink Communications.
April 15th
May 20th
Paul Knauth - Deep Time, the Universe, Table Salt, and the Prospect for Life as We Know it Elsewhere.
June 17th
Sid Frede - Astrophotography is a Journey, Not A Sprint!...
July 15th
Sid Frede - Astrophotography is a Journey, Not A Sprint!... Part 2
August 19th
Don Wrigley - Lunar Explorations
September 16th
Kevin Schindler of Lowell Observatory - The View from Mars Hill.
October 21st
Brooks Scofield - New Meteorite Display for GRCO.
November 18th
December 22nd
EVAC 35th Anniversary Party.
2021 Meeting Speaker Schedule
January 15th
Travis Rector University of Anchorage Alaska - "How and Why We Make Color Composite Images at Professional Observatories".
February 19th
Gerard van Belle Lowell Observatory - "Present Research Capabilities and Future Plans".
March 19th
Nivedita Mahesh Arizona State University - "A Farside Array for Radio Science Investigations of the Dark Ages and Exoplanets".
A Probe Class mission concept funded by NASA to place a radio array on the lunar farside.
April 16th
Richard Hedwick CEO of Planewave Instruments - "Brief history of Planewave, Telescope and Mount Making, and the Newest Product Member".
May 21st
Dave Eicher - "Inside the Universe’s Star Cities".
June 18th
Bob King - "Adventures in Visual Observing".
Click on the Speaker's name for a link to the Speaker's Bio and an Abstract of the Presentation. Click on the Presentation name for access to the Zoom recording of the Meeting.
July 16th
Felipe Mac Auliffe - "The History and Milestones of Radio-Astronomy in Chile".
August 20th
Alan Friedman - "Minimum to the Max".
September 17th
Dr. Nathan Williams NASA/JPL - "The Mars Helicopter "Ingenuity": First 6 Months on the Red Planet".
October 15th
Tyler Richie-Yowell Phd Candidate at ASU - Evaluating Planets Orbiting K-stars for "Super Habitability".
November 19th
Jeff Kanipe - Peculiar Galaxies: What Makes a Galaxy Peculiar?Peculiar Galaxies: touchst
December 17th
. David Dunham - "Three Recent Occultation Results (briefly)".
Plus - general information about how to participate in future expeditions.
. James Yoder - How to effectively use the monthly list of objects for astrophotography.
. Alex Nachman - How to Process Data from the Hubble Space Telescope to Produce Color Images.
. Sid Frede - Automating Astrophotography. A quick look at using software/hardware tools to automate image capture.
. Jon Koester - How to Build Your Own Home Observatory.
2023 Meeting Speaker Schedule
January 20th
James Jackman (ASU) - Looking Forward and Back to Bridge the UV Gap.
February 17th
Rolf Jansen (ASU) - JWST and the PEARLS Project of Faint Galaxies.
March 17th
Nick Moskovitz (Lowell Observatory) - Earth Strikes Back: Nasa's First Planetary Defense Test Experiment.
April 21st
Rev. Dr. Christopher Corbally (Vatican Observatory) - ML and More in Stellar Spectral Classification.
May 19th
Dr. Steven Neil Shore (University of Pisa, Italy (via Zoom).
Classical Novae as Thermonuclear Explosions: Cosmic Sources Violating the Test Ban Treaty
June 16th
July 21st
Dr. Matt Penn (National Solar Observatory) - Solar Observing and 2024 Solar Eclipse
August 18th
Steven Bradshaw - How Far Away Is That (And How Do We Measure It)?
September 15th
Paul Knauth - Topic TBD
October 20th
Member Discussion on Annular Eclipse
November 17th
TBD.
December 15th
TBD.
2022 Meeting Speaker Schedule
January 21st
Steve Desch (ASU) - "Oumuamua".
February 18th
Nat Butler (ASU) - Software and Small Telescopes: Searching for the Needle in the Haystack.
March 18th
Phil Mauskopf (ASU) - Applications of Single Photon Detectors in Astronomy and in Breakthrough Starshot's Downlink Communications.
April 15th
May 20th
Paul Knauth - Deep Time, the Universe, Table Salt, and the Prospect for Life as We Know it Elsewhere.
June 17th
Sid Frede - Astrophotography is a Journey, Not A Sprint!
July 15th
Sid Frede - Astrophotography is a Journey, Not A Sprint!... Part 2
August 19th
Don Wrigley - Lunar Explorations
September 16th
Kevin Schindler of Lowell Observatory - The View from Mars Hill.
October 21st
Brooks Scofield - New Meteorite Display for GRCO.
November 18th
December 22nd
EVAC 35th Anniversary Party.
2021 Meeting Speaker Schedule
January 15th
Travis Rector University of Anchorage Alaska - "How and Why We Make Color Composite Images at Professional Observatories".
February 19th
Gerard van Belle Lowell Observatory - "Present Research Capabilities and Future Plans".
March 19th
Nivedita Mahesh Arizona State University - "A Farside Array for Radio Science Investigations of the Dark Ages and Exoplanets".
A Probe Class mission concept funded by NASA to place a radio array on the lunar farside.
April 16th
Richard Hedwick CEO of Planewave Instruments - "Brief history of Planewave, Telescope and Mount Making, and the Newest Product Member".
May 21st
Dave Eicher - "Inside the Universe’s Star Cities".
June 18th
Bob King - "Adventures in Visual Observing".
Click on the Speaker's name for a link to the Speaker's Bio and an Abstract of the Presentation. Click on the Presentation name for access to the Zoom recording of the Meeting.
July 16th
Felipe Mac Auliffe - "The History and Milestones of Radio-Astronomy in Chile".
August 20th
Alan Friedman - "Minimum to the Max".
September 17th
Dr. Nathan Williams NASA/JPL - "The Mars Helicopter "Ingenuity": First 6 Months on the Red Planet".
October 15th
Tyler Richie-Yowell Phd Candidate at ASU - Evaluating Planets Orbiting K-stars for "Super Habitability".
November 19th
Jeff Kanipe - Peculiar Galaxies: What Makes a Galaxy Peculiar?Peculiar Galaxies: touchst
December 17th
. David Dunham - "Three Recent Occultation Results (briefly)".
Plus - general information about how to participate in future expeditions.
. James Yoder - How to effectively use the monthly list of objects for astrophotography.
. Alex Nachman - How to Process Data from the Hubble Space Telescope to Produce Color Images.
. Sid Frede - Automating Astrophotography. A quick look at using software/hardware tools to automate image capture.
. Jon Koester - How to Build Your Own Home Observatory.
Member Star Parties
For many amateur astronomers, participating in club star parties is the best part of belonging to a club. These friendly nocturnal gatherings give observers a chance to talk about all things astronomical, look through many types of scopes and show off a few of their favorite sights. EVAC offers at least two star parties each month (weather permitting, of course.) Member Star Parties usually occur near the 3rd Quarter Moon or near the New Moon. For 2023, the dates are:
2023 Schedule
3rd Quarter Moon
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January 14th
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February 13th
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March 14th
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April 13th
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May 12th
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June 10th
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July 9th
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August 8th
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September 6th
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October 6th
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November 5th
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December 4th
2023 Schedule
New Moon
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January 21st
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February 20th
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March 21st
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April 19th
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May 19th
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June 17th
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July 17th
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August 16th
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September 14th
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October 14th
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November 13th
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December 12th
EVAC Member Star Parties
EVAC currently does not officially support any local star parties. Some members do gather at Picket Post Trailhead during the weekend before and on the weekend of the New Moon. Due to Forest Service rules, a Ranger may be present from spring to fall. Gates are locked at sunset when the Ranger is present. For this reason, members are encouraged to use open areas off the road before Picket Post if the gates are locked. See Observing Sites below.
All Arizona Star Party
Our annual dark sky weekend will be November 10-11, 2023 and will be held at the North Hovatter observing field (see directions above). This is a great chance to gather in the desert to observe with your fellow astronomy enthusiasts. Please drive SLOWLY to avoid dust. Park near the north entrance if you will be leaving early. Avoid white lights and have fun.
Schedule:
Friday November 10, 2023:
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5:00pm Gather at the hospitality tent for a potluck.
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5:28pm Sunset with Astronomical Twilight ending at 6:52pm.
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10:00pm Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate and snacks at the tent.
Saturday November 11, 2023:
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4:30pm Temperance Union Happy Hour
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4:45pm Raffle - Tickets $1 or 6 for $5
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5:00pm Chili Dinner - Tickets $5
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5:27pm Sunset with Astronomical Twilight ending at 6:52pm
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10:00pm Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate and snacks at the tent
Portable toilets will be provided. They typically arrive on Thursday and are picked up the following Thursday.
Email president@evaconline.org for more information, or call 480.221.5792 if you are lost.
Driving instructions
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From Phoenix, go west on I-10 to Hovatter Rd at exit 53,
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Turn RIGHT onto North Hovatter Rd.
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Follow the gravel road (watch for the bump where the pavement ends)
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Take the RIGHT fork - not Hope-Hovatter Rd.
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After about 3.5 miles you will see a mining operation on the mountainside.
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Take a hard right turn onto the observing field.
Observing Sites
Picket Post Trailhead Site
The site offers reasonably dark skies within an hour of most east Valley locations. A hill blocks a good bit of the Phoenix sky glow to the west, and Superior's minor glow is visible in the northeast.
How To Get To Picketpost Mountain Trailhead
Site coordinates:
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N 33º 16' 21"
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W 111º 10' 35"
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Elevation 2375'
This site is easily accessed by any vehicle.
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Take US 60 east past Florence Junction.
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As you come down from Gonzales Pass, watch out for the green Mile Marker 221 sign.
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Just past that you will see a yellow 'Truck Crossing' sign... and just past the sign is FR 231.
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The road is now easier to spot than in the past, as there is now a familiar brown sign indicating the trailhead.
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You'll know it's the right road because there is a small windmill visible just after you make the right turn.
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Follow the well-graded road about half a mile to where it dead-ends into another road.
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Another brown sign indicates that you should make a left turn (staying on FR 231) to get to the trailhead.
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This section of the road is asphalt.
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Follow the narrow road about a half mile until it ends at the trailhead.
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When you reach the trailhead, bear to the right and circle around until you see the larger, flat area.
Antennas Site
This is another site that is near the Hovatter North site. It is on BLM land and the Saguaro Astronomy Club has a use permit for it. Site Map and Directions are below. Please park on the edge of the site if you are leaving early. Please avoid white light and make as little dust as possible.
How To Get To The Antennas Site
The Antennas Site is located two miles south of Interstate 10, and about ten miles west of Centennial, AZ.
From Phoenix:
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Go west on I-10 to Hovatter Rd at exit 53 or about 40 miles west of Palo Verde Nuclear Power Generating Station.
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Turn left over the freeway, drive over the canal.
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When you cross the canal, turn right.
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Go .1 miles to and turn left onto dirt road.
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Travel past the antennas and turn right at next opportunity.
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Go through two washes and the site is on the left.
Star Party Liability Disclaimer
The East Valley Astronomy Club (EVAC) is not responsible for the property or liability of any star party participant, nor will the club be held liable for their actions or possessions. EVAC is not responsible for any vehicular damage, theft, or mechanical difficulties that may occur while attending a star party. EVAC strongly recommends adherence to the doctrine of 'safety in numbers' when it comes to remote observing sites. In the interest of safety it is recommended that you don't go to remote sites alone and that someone knows where you have gone each time you go out observing.