Recent Field Trips
Click here to see Full List of Previous Field Trips below
Lowell Observatory Club Event Trip
Lowell Observatory Club Trip
On May 26th 2023 24 members of the West Valley Astronomy club made the trip to Flagstaff Arizona to
visit the Lowell Observatory. We schedule a special group tour with which included an all day pass to
the facility, multiple seminars during the day and guided tours to the Clark Telescope and Pluto
telescope building. At 8:15 the group gathered in the lobby of the entrance to begin our Dark Skies tour
package.
Experience the famously dark skies of Flagstaff, Arizona, home of the Lowell Observatory. The Dark
Skies Package includes one and a half hours of private stargazing for our group using the new 24” (0.6m)
Dyer Telescope. Tour groups members will also enjoy a laser-guided constellation tour of the adjoining
McAllister Observing plaza.
While not observing we were able to explore other parts of the observatory on our own including:
- Giovale Open Deck Observatory, with six telescopes of varying sizes, including a 32” (0.8m) reflecting telescope.
- Historic Clark Refractor, which mapped the moon for the Apollo program.
- Pluto Discovery Telescope and Zeiss Blink Comparator
Additional information:
Alamo Lake State Park “Night Under the Sky”
Alamo Lake State Park “Night Under the Sky”
November 19th 2022.
Alamo Lake State Park Group area
Observing the Sun from Noon to 4:00pm
Presentation at 5:00pm followed by nighttime observation
Alamo Lake State Park “Night Under the Stars”
Alamo Lake State Park “Night Under the Stars” November 6th 2021 This event is located at the Alamo Lake State Park and is hosted by the Verde Valley Astronomy club. WVAC will be providing additional telescopes and support. This event was free to the public. Click Here for the link to the Verde Valley Astronomy Club Website.
Steward Observatory Mirror Lab visit
Steward Observatory Mirror Lab visit – November 2019
Our club is repeating a highly popular visit to the U of A mirror lab in Tucson Arizona on November 21, 2019.
The experience is an energetic 90 minute walking 
tour which explains and shows, up-close, the immense mirror production process for astronomical telescopes. The mirrors for the Giant Magellan Telescope are in production and installation will begin soon in Chile. Time is 1-2:30 PM for our group tour. The cost is $18 pp. Van service is $70 pp which will offer pickup at the church and drop off at the Lab.
Contact Ron Langlois directly by cell phone, 623-466-4118 or email (Here), All payments for the Mirror Lab trip must be received by 31 October 2019, unless you are making your own arrangements! Please send cash or checks to Ron Langlois, 16956 W. Eureka Springs Dr. Surprise AZ, 85387. Make checks payable to Ron Langlois.
