THE BACKYARD ASTRONOMER · NORTHERN ARIZONA & BEYOND
Arizona Astronomy
Explore the places, people, and skies that make astronomy part of life in Arizona. Start with our visits to Flagstaff, follow observing stories from Yavapai County, and find a public event where you can look through a telescope with local astronomers.
Places to explore · Under Arizona skies · Arizona in space · Public events
Places to explore
Northern Arizona observatories & Meteor Crater
Explore each place in its own photo journal: Lowell Observatory on Mars Hill, the Lowell Discovery Telescope in Happy Jack, Meteor Crater, and the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer at Anderson Mesa. Our galleries share past visits; follow official venue information when planning your own.
Lowell Observatory →
Lowell Discovery Telescope →
Meteor Crater →
Navy Precision Optical Interferometer →
Visit Lowell Observatory →
Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium
On Embry-Riddle’s Prescott campus, the planetarium offers public programming and a connection to the local astronomy community. It also helped bring our NameExoWorlds collaboration to the public.
Our ERAU photos, interview & podcast →
Find planetarium programs →
Explore our naming project →
Under Arizona skies
Explore our observing stories, then use the latest monthly guide for tonight’s sky.
The River of Light
Explore the Milky Way and the pleasure of looking up when Northern Arizona’s summer clouds give way to clear skies.
The October Dark Sky Challenge
Follow a tour of familiar patterns, planets, and deep-sky objects in our October 2026 observing challenge.
Eclipses that brought us together
The Great American Eclipse · 2017
On August 21, 2017, I organized an eclipse event at the Prescott Valley Civic Center that brought together more than 3,000 students and members of the public. The Great American Eclipse became a shared opportunity to explore astronomy as a community.
The original event flyer names the Prescott Valley Public Library and Prescott Astronomy Club as presenters.
Astronomy meets STEM
Scenes from astronomy and STEM events I’ve participated in around Arizona.
Follow our community outreach: NAZ Astro on Facebook · NAZ Astro on LinkedIn.
A spark for the next generation: Homer Hickam
What can a moment of curiosity become? Our conversation with author and retired NASA engineer Homer Hickam follows the passion for rockets sparked by Sputnik—a fitting companion to the hands-on learning shared here.
From the 2023 grant to the April 2024 eclipse
Astronomy is a starting point for hands-on STEM learning. Edward Tucker’s September 2023 video celebrates NAZ Astro’s $10,000 Make More Happen award from Safeco Insurance and Liberty Mutual Small Commercial, with Manzanita Insurance and Accounting. Community votes helped make the award possible. The funding helped NAZ Astro provide solar glasses and STEM events in schools around Yavapai County for the April 2024 solar eclipse.
Watch Tucker’s award video → · Follow NAZ Astro →
Meet the people behind the science
Watch conversations from The Backyard Astronomer’s YouTube channel:
Eric Edelman · ERAU Prescott’s Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium →
Meteorites! with Robert Ward →
Native American Astronomy with the Museum of Indigenous People →
Featured interview: Meteorites! with Robert Ward
Meet meteorite explorer and recovery scientist Robert Ward in our video interview and podcast episode 3. Continue from this conversation to our Meteor Crater photo journal or read how fragments of Vesta reach Earth.
Stories, seasons & the landscape
Solstice Mesa in Prescott
Our article and Edward Tucker’s film explore rock art, the changing position of the Sun, and seasonal observation in the Prescott landscape.
Read our Solstice Mesa article →
Watch and listen in the Indigenous Astronomy portal →
Rabbit Tracks to Noquisi & Awohali
Follow specific Indigenous star stories, the museum interview, and the local collaboration behind the approved Cherokee names for a distant star and planet.
Arizona in space
Arizona’s Orbital Tow Truck
Our June 2026 feature explores Flagstaff-based Katalyst Space Technologies and its proposed mission to extend the life of NASA’s Swift Observatory. Read it as a report from the mission’s planning period.
Discoveries from Mount Lemmon
Our October 2025 comet article follows a discovery by the Catalina Sky Survey and explains how Arizona astronomers search for moving objects in the Solar System.
Look up together
The Prescott Astronomy Club brings together people interested in astronomy and encourages public learning through meetings and telescope viewing. Its public programs are a place to meet local observers, ask questions, and share the sky.
You can also follow our own stories, interviews, and event photographs through The Backyard Astronomer on Facebook and NAZ Astro.
Public astronomy events
Follow Prescott Astronomy Club on Facebook →
Find a public star party, telescope-viewing evening, or club meeting through the Prescott Astronomy Club. PAC maintains the current schedule on its website, including event details and changes.
Check PAC’s schedule before heading out for the latest time, location, admission details, and weather-related changes.
Keep exploring Arizona
Continue through the Arizona Astronomy article archive, our podcast, and the astronomy travel journal.