Who Are We?
We are an amateur astronomy club serving the communities of the Verde Valley, Arizona. To learn more about us, click
here.
If you are as interested in Astronomy as we are, we hope you will join us at one of
our star parties, meetings or guest lectures.
If you would like to become a member of AVV please use the
contact information below. We will be happy to assist you.
Here is the Club Brochure.
Astronomers
of Verde Valley
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The
Digital Collection
A new wave in
astro photography is in process with the Astronomers of Verde Valley. Several of
the members have acquired digital photographic equipment and are now busy taking
and processing images. In
the Digital Collection,
more and more pictures will be updated on the site as time goes by.
Click here and
here for more digital galleries. |
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The Alamo Lake Night
Under the Stars event was designated as an Arizona
Centennial Event. (02/23/2012)
Click for
more info |
JD's Obsession
Iridium flare and
Comet Holmes
Iridium 52 is the bright
streak intersecting this shot. Comet Holmes 7P is above the satellite
at the top of the page. The photograph was
captured on December 12th, 2007, from Clarkdale, Arizona, by JD Maddy and published in the UK's Sky at Night
Magazine.
Iridium Gallery click here:
Iridium
Flares
Equipment used: Pentax IST digital camera, 50mm lens at f/2.0
for a 30-second exposure
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Message in a
Bottle
A
message broadcast from Earth to the globular cluster M13
during the dedication of the Arecibo Observatory in 1974.
Check out our Members Telescopes here:
Club Member
Telescopes
For those who are somewhat nostalgic, check out
our past star party page.
Past Star Parties
Our new Solar and Lunar picture page is under
progress.
See the
new page here.
Elsewhere
on Our Website:
Observing Tools - Star Charts,
Clear Sky Clocks and Topographic maps.
Astronomy Newsfeeds
- From NASA, Astrowire, Space.com
Articles
- by our very own members.
Astrophotography - see the Astrophoto Galleries.
Focus Sections on Observing
Mars, Saturn,
Asteroids, Comets and
Satellites
Jupiter will return in 2018's first quarter seen in the early
morning sky. The cloud bands and
Galilean Moons are easily seen in small telescopes. Mars is not far from Jupiter
in the early morning sky. Saturn rises
in the east at just before Sunrise and will be much higher in the sky towards
the end of the first quarter. Venus returns to the evening sky at the end of the
first quarter. Click to expand.
Photo Credit:
J D Maddy
The Blue Horse Head Nebula in Scorpius is captured by member
Mike Cadwell. IC 4592 as it is also known is 420 light years from Earth. To see
more of Mike's photos, click here.
Karen Maddy instructs the Sedona Parks & Recreation Summer Camp
kids how to safely observe the Sun. Click the picture for
more AVV Public Outreach.
A recently discovered comet, Lovejoy 2014 Q2 has been moving
across the sky over the past couple of months. For more comet pictures click
here.
Picture Credit: Robert Mueller
Comet LINEAR 252P was showing nicely as it passed by the Earth with this
April 10th, 2016 picture. The comet was in the 13th zodiacal constellation of
Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer.
The above views of Comet Lovejoy Q2 will be hard to beat
in the upcoming months for viewing as it was a couple of years ago.
Picture credit for the above two pictures: J D Maddy
Global SUNday participation
On the afternoon of October 23rd, 2015 for most of
the United States, there was a partial solar eclipse. For the U.S., the Sun
was covered up to 80 % by the Moon. Depending on your location, the
Sun was at least 30% covered. The below picture shows the large Sun spot as the
Moon slices across the Sun. The Sun spot was easily seen with only eclipse
glasses. Click
here
to see a You Tube video of an eclipse.
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The Diamond Ring effect from Glenrock, WY. Photo by Robert Mueller
The Corona Effect as seen from Glenrock, WY. Photo by Robert Mueller
Click above pictures for large view.
Click here for more eclipse
pictures, past and present.
Now that the Eclipse 2017 is over, it's time to
start preparing for the April 8th, 2024 Total Eclipse.
Astronomy Picture of the Day by NASA (01/19/2017)
Click picture to
super size. Elephants Trunk Nebula
Image Credit &
Copyright: Stephen
Leshin
Explanation:
Like an illustration in a galactic
Just So Story, the
Elephant's Trunk Nebula winds through the emission nebula and young star
cluster complex IC
1396, in the high and far off constellation
of Cepheus. Also
known as vdB 142, the cosmic elephant's trunk is over 20 light-years
long.
This colorful close-up view includes image data from a
narrow band
filter that transmits the light from ionized hydrogen atoms in the
region. The resulting composite highlights the bright swept-back ridges
that outline pockets of cool
interstellar dust
and gas. Such embedded, dark,
tendril-shaped clouds
contain the raw material for
star
formation and hide
protostars within. Nearly 3,000
light-years distant,
the relatively faint
IC 1396 complex covers a
large region on
the sky, spanning over 5 degrees. This dramatic scene spans a 1 degree
wide field, about the
size of 2 Full Moons.
To see more of Steve's APOD pictures
and others, click here. To see how this
picture was put together, click here.
The International Dark-sky Association has
designated Big Park/Village of Oak Creek, AZ as the worlds' 14th Dark Sky Community.
This community joins Sedona and Flagstaff as a Dark Sky Community.
Click
here for more info.
Up coming events
04/14/2018: Dark
Sky Weekend - Messier Marathon
04/07/2018:
Kartchner Caverns Star Party - Benson, AZ
04/28/2018:
Monthly Meeting @ Verde Valley Medical Center Conference Room B @ 6:30
PM
04/29/2018: Moon
Light Hike @ Red Rock State Park
04/29/2018: Moon
Light Madness @ the Collective in the Village of Oak Creek
05/19/2018: Camp
Verde Star Party @ Community Park
06/02/2018: Red
Rock State Park Star Party
Click here for directions to the Bruce
Brocket Trail Head Viewing Site.
See the
Club Calendar for the complete
2017 schedule.
Details of 2015 Special Events are
here.
The first Super Moons of the year will occur on January 1st and January
31st, 2018. The second Super Moon on January 31st is also know as a Blue Moon.
This will also be an eclipsed Super Moon. The picture below was taken at the
Super Moon on December 4th, 2017.
Click the above picture to enlarge.
Photo by J D Maddy
A comet discovered in August 2014 rose quickly in the night sky. This picture has Comet
Lovejoy 2014 Q2 passing by the globular cluster M79 on Dec 28th 2014 in the
constellation of Lepus, the Hare.
Click image to enlarge
Photo: J D Maddy
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Illustration Credit & Copyright:
Robert Mueller
Explanation:
The Rosette Nebula and its cluster reside in the
constellation of Monoceros, the Unicorn. This picture was processed in what's
called a Modified Hubble Pallet. Using a variety of filters gives it a unique
appearance. Click the picture for a larger view.
The Astronomers of Verde
Valley are members of the Night Sky Network
Check out the Club's Community Outreach page for their latest
activities by clicking here.
The Astronomers of Verde Valley were recognized at the
volunteer luncheon for the National Parks Service National Monuments. This year
(2013) marked the 5th year that the Astronomy Club has given programs at
Tuzigoot National Monument. Click the on picture for full view.
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