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Day 4 Tue, Oct. 5                                                                      B/L
Flagstaff - U.S. Geological Survey - Stargazing

    This morning we’ll leave Tucson for Arizona’s cool mountain pines and the town of Flagstaff for a behind-the-scenes tour of the US Geological Survey. The scope of the USGS extends well beyond topographic maps and studies of Earth’s resources. The staff of its Astrogeology Research Program helped train the Apollo astronauts and continues to examine our solar system’s planets, moons, and small bodies in support of spacecraft missions. This evening we’ll join fellow amateur astronomers from the Coconino Astronomical Society for stargazing at a dark high-altitude site outside Flagstaff.
Overnight: Radisson Woodlands Hotel, Flagstaff (3 nights)

Day 5 Wed, Oct. 6                                                                    B/D
Grand Canyon National Park

Day 6 Thurs, Oct. 7                                                                  B/L
Barringer Meteor Crater - Anderson Mesa - Lowell Observatory

    This morning we’ll go behind the scenes at the research facilities at Anderson Mesa, where astronomers from Lowell Observatory search for near-Earth asteroids and Kuiper Belt objects beyond Neptune.  Anderson Mesa is also home to the US Naval Observatory’s prototype optical interferometer. Our next stop will be the famous Barringer Meteor Crater. The world’s best preserved impact site, this 3⁄4-mile-wide crater was formed when a meteoroid slammed into the Earth some 50,000 years ago.  We’ll have time to explore the recently modernized museum and Visitors Center and take a guided walk along the rim of the crater. After dinner we’ll visit historic Lowell Observatory, where Percival Lowell studied Mars, Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto, and Vesto Slipher measured the redshifts of galaxies. Our tour will include a visit to the observatory’s stately rotunda - Percival’s library - and a glimpse through the famous 24-inch Clark refractor.