Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of the program, jokes that she practically has to beg Astronomy Camp alumni to wait a year
before returning so there will be room for new campers.
Astronomy Camp, which has been going strong since 1988, takes place at Mount Lem-
mon, a mountaintop observatory just north of Tucson. Although the bulk of the programs are
geared for teenagers, the adult programs are scheduled around the phases of the moon and
are held several times a year in the spring through fall.
You'll sleep in an old Air Force barracks, eat with the scientists working at Mount Lem-
mon, and use the same telescopes they use in their research projects. You'll have access to
six telescopes at Mount Lemmon (including a 40-inch and two 60-inch reflectors) and the
61-inch reflector that was built for NASA's Apollo program at nearby Mount Bigelow. You'll
observe the sun through a variety of instruments, spot Venus with your naked eye, hear talks
by well-known astronomers, catch the green flash, and even conduct your own research pro-
jects.
You'll also get to dissect obsolete astronomical instruments, develop film, play volley-
ball and billiards, hike the forests surrounding the observatory, and tour Kitt Peak and Mount
Graham or Mount Hopkins observatories and the Steward Observatory Mirror Laboratory.
“The camps are not meant to produce future astronomers or even scientists,” McCarthy
says. “Instead, they are designed to promote a lifelong love of learning and an understanding
of our cosmic environment.”
Tuition is $550 or $700 per person, depending on the camp's length, and includes meals,
lodging, and transportation. The only thing it doesn't include is a guarantee of clear nights
(although that's not usually a problem in this desert environment).
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
University
of
Arizona,
933
N.
Cherry
Avenue,
Tucson,
AZ
85721,
520-621-4079,
www.astronomycamp.org.
WHILE YOU'RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Before there was John Wayne, Roy Rogers, or even the state of Arizona for that
matter, there was Tanque Verde, a sprawling cattle ranch on the outskirts of Tuc-
son. While most of the guests of this 640-acre spread-turned-guest ranch come to
don Stetsons and practice their yippee-ti-yo-ti-yeas, there's a little-known contin-
gent who come each year to sit at the heels of Jerry Brewer, a herpetologist who
turns nature walking into the very highest form of entertainment.
