It’s True! Soon You’ll Be Able to Check Out a Telescope from the Library!

(TUCSON, Ariz.) – Are you curious about constellations, marveled by the Moon, or spellbound by stars? Soon you can pursue or spark a love of astronomy at home with a telescope that can be checked out from Joel D. Valdez Main Library!

A gift from the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA), the 4.5-inch Orion AstroBlast is well-known for its easy operation and compact design. The telescope is a great introductory level instrument capable of imaging the moon, planets, and distant celestial objects, including the Andromeda Galaxy located 2.5 million light years away!

Customers are invited to celebrate this special addition to the Library’s collection by joining us at a Moon Viewing Party on Sat, Oct 28, 6–8pm at Joel D. Valdez Main Library (near front entrance). Costumes are encouraged and those who come in costume will be entered in a drawing to win a Galileoscope, a small refractor telescope.

Come ready to view the moon through the Orion AstroBlast and learn some tips and tricks on how to use it in your own backyard! Plus, we’ll have the Portable Planetarium out for all to enjoy and our friends from Brain S.T.E.M. will be on hand conducting science experiments.

Caitlin Burns, Children’s Services Manager at Joel D. Valdez Main Library, says “We’re grateful to the Astronomical League and the TAAA for the generous donation. Having a telescope available for customers to check out is a wonderful way to help families come together at home around learning and curiosity.”

For more than six decades, the TAAA has provided engaging astronomical experiences for learners of all ages. Amateur astronomer Terri Lappin says, “We are committed to our outreach program which includes public lectures, star parties, Night Sky Network Toolkits, and Project ASTRO. We’re thrilled to partner with Pima County Public Library to make an even bigger impact in the community.”

The TAAA is one of 10 astronomy clubs nationwide to receive a library loaner telescope through the Astronomical League’s Horkheimer Charitable Fund in 2017. The Astronomical League includes more than 240 astronomy clubs throughout the United States. 

For more information about the event please visit library.pima.gov. More information about the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association can be found at tucsonastronomy.org.

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About Pima County Public Library
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