PRESCOTT AStronomy Club
Exploring the Night Sky Together
Our Mission:
- Bring together people interested in astronomy
- Help them develop their astronomical skills and knowledge
- Encourage education about and public interest in astronomy
2026 Prescott Astronomy Club meetings and events:
May 6 @ 6p: Club Meeting – Weather and Climate of Northern Arizona. Dr. Curtis N. James Professor @ ERAU
May 17 @ 8:00p: Starry Nights Star Party @ Williamson Valley Trailhead (map)
(NOTE: JUNE MEETING – CHANGE OF DAY, same time, same location)
June 9 @ 6p: Club Meeting – A Decade of Gravitational-Wave Astrophysics with LIGO. Dr Brennan Hughey @ ERAU
July 1 @ 6p: Club Meeting – Member Presentations
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Monthly club meetings, Starry Nights star parties, and solar/lunar viewing events are free and open to the public.
Club meetings are held from 6p-8p @ Prescott Public Library, Founders Suite
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Member Only events
(Details for Member Only events are sent to your registered PAC email address)
May 2: Club Picnic
ABSIG (Astronomy Basics): Next Date TBD
APSIG (Astrophotography): Monthly on the 2nd Tuesday @ 10:30a
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All telescope viewing events as well as private star party events are weather dependent.
Cancelations will be noted above and sent via email to club members.
Upcoming Event Descriptions
Club Meeting
Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Weather and Climate of Northern Arizona
Dr. Curtis N. James explains some basic meteorological principles, including atmospheric moisture and cloud formation. The topography and climate of Arizona are explored, giving an overview of the meteorological phenomena that affect this region. Learn about winter storm systems, the North American Monsoon, and climate trends affecting northern Arizona. In addition, learn the latest about meteorology research being conducted at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Dr. James is a professor of meteorology at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
He earned his B.S. In Atmospheric Science from the University of Arizona, while obtaining two years of operational experience as a student intern for the National Weather Forecast Office in Tucson. He later earned his a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington. His research specialties include radar and mountain meteorology.
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Club Meeting
Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 6:00 PM
A Decade of Gravitational-Wave Astrophysics with LIGO
-- NOTE: Meeting Date is Tuesday June 9 --
LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, has detected hundreds of binary black hole mergers since the discovery of GW150914 over 10 years ago, and the tenth anniversary of gravitational-wave astrophysics was marked with a paper proving Hawking's black hole theorem with the most precisely measured black hole system to date. I'll give an update on the past, present, and future of the LIGO experiment, including things happening right in Prescott with our four faculty member LIGO group.
Dr. Brennan Hughey is a professor of physics and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, ERAU. Dr. Hughey holds a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. His doctoral thesis was done with the IceCube neutrino detector experiment, and his graduate work included a trip to the South Pole, where the detector is located. After earning his Ph.D. he joined the LIGO collaboration in the search for gravitational waves.
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Starry Nights 4/18 and 5/17
Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Bring your telescopes or come out to the next PAC Starry Nights Star party for an evening under the stars. Event dates are Saturday April 18 and Sunday May 17.
Starry Nights star parties are open to the public. Any changes due to weather will be noted here and in club emails.
When:
4/18 (Saturday) at 7:30p
5/17 (Sunday) at 8:00p
Where: Williamson Valley Trailhead, horse corral area
Attendees: Please park in the area near the bathrooms
Google map link to the event location
Telescope setup: as early as needed. Park in the horse corral area near the southwest back corner and setup your equipment close to the corner fence.
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Club Meeting
Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Member Presentations
Club members give a 5-10 min short presentation about their astronomy project. Contact Brian Blau if you are interested in participating in our member presentation meeting.
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