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Arizona for a newbie

starman1969

By starman1969
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starman1969

starman1969

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I'm still quite new to serious stargazing but I'm hoping to go to Arizona and surrounding states in November, so I'm hoping to see stuff like never before.

If anyone has any tips on where to go, what eqp to take etc? I do plan to visit the Grand Canyon & the huge meteor crater for definite.

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Daz1974

Daz1974

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I go to Vegas every year and I have visited the Grand Canyon (in daylight and not for astronomy)

It is a truely awesome place and I can only imagine how good it would be as a location for looking at the sky. This is a photo a member of a vegas forum posted a week or so ago fro mtheir latest trip. They spent a couple of nights at a lodge at the canyon:

gc1v.jpg

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starman1969

starman1969

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Thanks for the replies. I think its going to be good.

I'm not going to be able to take telescopes or big tripods so I will have to see what I can do with compact equipment.

Daz1974. Thanks for the pic. Here is me and the Plough.

post-27677-133877670912_thumb.jpg

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angusb1

angusb1

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We went this year to Death Valley, Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon and the meteor crater at Winslow amongst other places. Best place we stayed was La Posada in Winslow, really different and very comfortable, quite cheap and an excellent restaurant. Zion and Bryce Canyons are pretty amazing in the daytime and also have very dark skies if you are able to get out at night. Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley is quite expensive (but anywhere in Death Valley is), has an awesome outdoor swimming pool and some of the darkest skies I've ever seen with very clear seeing the night we were there but you need to go out in the car 5 mins or so to get away from the LP of the ranch itself. If I were going again I'd take a pair of 10x50 binoculars and camera tripod as I took a lot of lanscape panoramas as well so the tripod gets double use. A pair of 10x50s will let you really appreciate the dark skies, you should be able to spot quite a few DSOs with them and they aren't too big or heavy to take on the plane.

If I was going on my own I'd hire a camper van to make the most of the dark skies out in the desert and take a small 80mm scope or 10x50s but the mrs wouldn't go for the camper van idea (believe me I tried).

We spent 2 days in Vegas as well, not everyone's idea of fun but we loved it. The whole town is like an amusement arcade, great fun.

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JohnnyD333

JohnnyD333

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Hi and Welcome,

Arizona is great and I would visit everything listed above. My father lives south of Tucson so if your in Southern Arizona go visit the observatories and Tombstone. As long as you stay away from Phoenix you will have amazing dark skies. Have fun:)

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stolenfeather

stolenfeather

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Can I recommend going to Flagstaff? I was very impressed with respect to the night when it comes to lights and you'll have a blast at the Lowell Observatory! I must say that I also greatly enjoyed the meteor crater, some who say that these craters resemble those found on Mercury.

Welcome to the forum and if you are a hiker,... You've GOT to do the Bright Angel trail!

Isabelle

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stolenfeather

stolenfeather

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I found that being in Flagstaff really put you in the middle of everything! May I also suggest going to Sedona and the Sunset Crater. The Lowell Observatory? You know that you can have a chance to look through their scope right? Schedule some time, believe me, you won't regret it. It was for me the highlight of my stay in Flagstaff!

me.jpg

Isabelle

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