The Kitt Peak Experience… Like no other
The GREAT ECLIPSE ROAD TRIP of 2012
This trip is SOLD OUT! We are currently accepting reservations only for our waiting list.
May it be beautiful before me.
May it be beautiful behind me.
May it be beautiful above me.
May it be beautiful below me.
May I walk in beauty.
– Navajo saying
Dear Members and Friends,
We invite you to JOIN US in for an exciting not-to-be-missed astronomical road trip to see the Annular Solar Eclipse of 2012!
Experience the solar eclipse from Canyon de Chelly National Monument, located on the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona, and one of the most beautiful places in the desert southwest.
Enjoy side-trips to historic Lowell Observatory and the spectacular Barringer Meteor Crater. Be charmed by the picturesque town of Flagstaff. Explore Canyon de Chelly during the day, feast on a catered lunch featuring traditional Navajo food items, and observe the 4½ minutes of annular eclipse totality from a spot exactly on the centerline of the Moon’s shadow! A star party observing session from one of the darkest locations in the continental United States will also be featured!
DATES:
Saturday, May 19 – Monday, May 21, 2012
TIMES:
Depart 8:00 AM on Saturday the 19th
Return 8:30 PM on Monday the 21st
COST:
$500 for Members
$550 for non-members
A $100 per person deposit is due at the time of the reservation. This deposit is refundable if cancellation is made more than 60 days before departure (less a $50 handling fee). Balance of the expedition fee is due 60 days before the date of departure.
LOCATION:
Our tour bus loads from the NOAO main parking lot at the corner of E. 1st Street and N. Martin Ave. Drop-off at the end of the expedition is at the same location.
FEES INCLUDE:
Two nights hotel stay (double occupancy) (taxes and fees included)
Admission to all attractions and tours
Two breakfasts, two lunches, one dinner (tax and tip included)
Transportation in a modern coach bus
Educational programming and interpretation
(Some details subject to change)
Please read the COSTS & CONDITIONS carefully before signing up.
RESERVATIONS
Make your reservation here.
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?
Contact: Bob Martino
(520) 318-8736
martino@noao.edu
DETAILS OF ATTRACTIONS:
Lowell Observatory
Lowell Observatory was established in 1894, making it one of the oldest observatories in the United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965. It sits atop Mars Hill overlooking the picturesque town of Flagstaff. The observatory was founded by astronomer Percival Lowell of Boston’s well-known Lowell family specifically to study the planet Mars at its very close opposition of 1894. The Observatory’s original 24-inch Alvan Clark Telescope is still in use today for public education.
Although we now know that Lowell’s detailed maps of the canals of Mars were the result of optical illusions and wishful thinking, the observatory that he founded has remained on the forefront of astronomical observation and research for well over a century. It is here that Clyde Tombaugh discovered the dwarf planet Pluto in 1930. Current work is carried out on nearby Anderson Mesa with four research telescopes including the 1.8-meter Perkins Telescope and the 1.1-meter John S. Hall Telescope. Construction is nearly finished on the 4.2-meter Discovery Channel Telescope.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Reflecting one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America, the cultural resources of Canyon de Chelly include distinctive architecture, artifacts, and rock imagery while exhibiting remarkable preservation integrity. Canyon de Chelly also sustains a living community of Navajo people, who are connected to a landscape of great historical and spiritual significance. Canyon de Chelly is unique among National Park service units, as it is comprised entirely of Navajo Tribal Trust Land that remains home to the canyon community. NPS works in partnership with the Navajo Nation to manage park resources and sustain the living Navajo community.
Did You Know?
The name of Canyon de Chelly was derived from the misspelling and mispronunciation of the Navajo word for the canyon. The Navajos call the canyon “Tseyi” which is pronounced ‘say-ee.’ Eventually the word became “de Chelly” which is pronounced as ‘de-shay’
Barringer Meteor Crater
The crater is named for Daniel Moreau Barringer, a Philadelphia mining engineer who was one of the first people to assert that the crater was the result of an impact, contradicting the most eminent scientists of his time (who believed it to be volcanic in origin). Unfortunately, he never found the fortune in meteoritic iron he was convinced lay beneath the floor of the crater, after spending over $600,000 planning, surveying and digging.
Several decades later, the world-renown geologist, planetary scientist and NASA consultant Eugene Shoemaker (co-discoverer of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9) finally demonstrated conclusively that this crater was the result of a cosmic impact.
Barringer Crater was used extensively for training Apollo astronauts in the 1960’s and 70’s. It has been used as a location for several films including John Carpenter’s “Starman” in 1984. As one of the best preserved and most easily accessible impact craters on Earth it is still the focus of much scientific work even today.
