Flagstaff, AZ

Astronomy on Tap Flagstaff is a free night of engaging science presentations, interactive trivia, and prizes! Topics range from telescopes to black holes and galaxies. Presenters will include astronomers from observatories, universities, and other scientific institutions, STEM educators, and everyone in between! 

AoT Flagstaff was started in March of 2019 by Lowell Observatory staff with the dream of bringing the awe and wonder of astronomy to the Flagstaff community.

AoT Flagstaff typically occurs on the fourth Tuesday of each month @ Mother Road Brewing Company in downtown Flagstaff.


AoT Flagstaff Events

March 26th, 2024
Topic: Astronomy in Album Art
6 pm  Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Dr. Teddy Kareta, Lowell Observatory Planetary Scientist, presents “Unknown Pleasures: Album Art from Astronomical Data”
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

February 15th, 2024
Topic: I <3 Pluto Festival 2024
6:00 pm  – Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Kevin Schindler, Lowell Observatory Historian and Public Information Office, presents “Makers and Menders”
7 pm – Mother Road unveils the special I <3 Pluto Festival beer
7:30 pm – Trivia and prizes!

January 23rd, 2024
Topic: Lightning
6 pm  Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Cece Thieberger, Northern Arizona University and Lowell Observatory Planetary Scientist, presents “Lightning Across the Solar System”
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

December 19th, 2023
Topic: Physics of Light
6 pm  Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Jacob Hyden, Lowell Observatory Research Assistant, presents “Light Knows We’re Watching”
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

November 28th, 2023
Topic: Planet Formation
6 pm  Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Dr. Taylor Kutra, Lowell Observatory Astronomer, presents “Planets Aren’t Real”
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

October 17th, 2023
Topic: Astrobiology
6 pm  Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Juan Ruiz, Visiting Scholar at Blue Marble Space Institute of Science and Lowell Observatory Orbits Educator, presents “Ales, Astrobiology, & Aliens”
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

September 19th, 2023
Topic: Interstellar Objects
6 pm  Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Dr. Teddy Kareta, Lowell Observatory Planetary Scientist, presents “Making and Finding Interstellar Objects”
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

August 22nd, 2023
Topic: Space Exploration
6 pm  Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – April Meadows, Lowell Observatory Public Program Educator, presents “The Benefits of Space Exploration”
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

July 25th, 2023
Topic: Imaging Exoplanets
6 pm  Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Dr. Christoph Keller, Lowell Observatory Director of Science, presents “Photographing Exoplanets: How to Make an Image of an Exoplanet”
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

June 27th, 2023
Topic: Solar Photography
6 pm  Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Jacob Hyden, Lowell Observatory Research Assistant, presents “Capturing the Sun: Solar Imaging and Features”
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

May 30th, 2023
Topic: Titan’s Karst Systems
6 pm  Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Anna Engle, Lowell Observatory and Northern Arizona University Planetary Scientist, presents “Titan Underground: Cryogenic Karst”
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

April 25th, 2023
Topic: Multiple Star Systems
6 pm  Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Ellie Lincoln, Lowell Observatory and Georgia State University Astronomer, presents “Sister Stars: The Binaries, Triples, and More of the Galaxy”
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

March 28th, 2023
Topic: Astrophotography
6 pm  – Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Dylan Short and Jacob Hyden, Lowell Observatory Public Program Educators, present “Introduction to Astrophotography”
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

February 16th, 2023
Topic: I <3 Pluto Festival 2023
5:30 pm  – Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Alden Tombaugh, retired banker and son of Clyde Tombaugh, and Kevin Schindler, Lowell Observatory Historian and Public Information Office, present “Clyde Tombaugh’s Magnificent 9″ Homemade Telescope”
7:30 pm – Trivia and prizes!

January 24th, 2023
Topic: Telescope Control Systems
6:00 pm  – Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Khristian Jones, Lowell Observatory Electrical Engineer, presents “Building Your Own Telescope Control Systems”
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

December 20th, 2022
Topic: Science Communication
6:00 pm  – Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Ariel Daniel, Lowell Observatory Public Program Senior Educator, presents “STEM Education Through Social Media”
7 pm – Resi Baucco, Lowell Observatory Public Program Supervisor, presents “Galileo Deserved It”
7:30 pm – Trivia and prizes!

November 29th, 2022
Topic: NASA’s DART Mission
6:00 pm  – Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Dr. Teddy Kareta, Lowell Observatory Planetary Scientist, presents “The Success of NASA’s DART Mission”
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

October 25th, 2022
Topic: Stargazing Through the Ages
6:00 pm  – Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Kevin Schindler, Lowell Observatory Historian and Public Information Office, presents “The Telescope Made by Pluto Discoverer Clyde Tombaugh”
7 pm – Dr. Danielle Adams, Lowell Observatory Chief Marketing Officer and Cultural Astronomer presents “Indigenous Arabic and Islamic Astronomy Found on Astrolabes”
7:30 pm – Trivia and prizes!

September 27th, 2022
Topic: Cosmology
6:00 pm  – Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Jacob Hyden, Lowell Observatory Public Program Educator, presents “A Brief Overview of Cosmology”
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

April 2020 – Modified Online Event
Lowell Observatory will not be hosting any in-person events in the month of April, we will be offering a number of live-streaming experiences that can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home. Please visit the Lowell Observatory YouTube Channel for all upcoming events!

March 5, 2020
Topic: 1 Year Anniversary Celebration
6:30 pm  – Doors Open @ Southside Tavern
7 pm – Dr. Michael West, Lowell Observatory Deputy Director for Science presents: Alcohol in Space
7:40 pm – Trivia and prizes!
8 pm – Kyler Kuehn, Lowell Observatory Deputy Director for Technology presents: A Pint of Neutrinos

February 6, 2020
Topic: All Things Pluto
6:30 pm  – Doors Open @ Southside Tavern
7 pm – Dr. Will Grundy– Lowell Observatory Astronomer presents: New Horizons Results
7:40 pm – Trivia and prizes!
8 pm – Dr. Gerard van Bell, Lowell Observatory Astronomer presents: “Pluto Vote”

January 2020 – No Event
We have some sad news, unfortunately, AoT Flagstaff will not be hosting an event in January 2020.
AoT Flagstaff’s next event will be held on February 6th @ Southside Tavern
We will be celebrating the 90th anniversary of Pluto’s Discovery with Pluto Themed talks and trivia.

December 5, 2019
Topic: Black Holes
6:30 pm  – Doors Open @ Southside Tavern
7 pm
 – Kyler Kuehn, Lowell Observatory Deputy Director for Technology presents: The recent discovery of a superfast star ejected from a black hole
7:40 pm – Trivia and prizes!

November 7, 2019
Topic: Stargazing Reimagined
6:30 pm  – Doors Open @ Southside Tavern
7 pm
 – Jim Cole, Lowell Observatory Senior Public Program Educator presents: Selecting an optimal suite of telescopes for public viewing
7:40 pm – Trivia and prizes!
8 pm –   Kendall Garippa and Jos Schindler, Lowell Observatory Senior Public Program Educators present: The Messier Catalog

October 3, 2019
Topic: Star Wars and Explosions in Space
6:30 pm  – Doors Open @ Southside Tavern
7 pm
 – Robert Peralta, Northern Arizona University Research Assistant presents: The Science of Star Wars
7:40 pm – Trivia and prizes!
8 pm –   Kevin White, Lowell Observatory Public Programs Supervisor presents: Explosions in Space

September 5, 2019
Topic: Relics from Space
6:30 pm  – Doors Open @ Southside Tavern
7 pm – Maggie McAdam, Northern Arizona University Post-doctoral Fellow presents: Meteorite, Meteor-Wrong
7:40 pm – Trivia and prizes!
8 pm –   David E. Trilling Ph.D., Northern Arizona University Professor presents: Interstellar objects

August 1, 2019
Topic: Near-Earth Objects
6:30 pm  – Doors Open @ Southside Tavern
7 pm – Dr. Nick Moskovitz, Lowell Observatory Astronomer presents: Debunking Armageddon: The true rate of asteroid impacts
7:40 pm – Trivia and prizes!
8 pm –  Dr. Michael Mommert, Lowell Observatory Astronomer presents: Finding Asteroids Now and in the Future

July 25, 2019
Astronomy on Tap takeover @The Green Room
6 pm  – Doors Open @The Green Room
6:30pm – Kevin Schindler, Lowell Observatory Historian & Public Information Office presents: Flagstaff Goes To The Moon
*THIS EVENT’S DATE HAS CHANGED FROM 7/18 TO 7/25

June 20, 2019
Astronomy on Tap takeover @The Green Room
6 pm  – Doors Open @The Green Room
6:30pm –
Dr. Michael West, Lowell Observatory Astronomer presents: Guided by the Night: Can Animals see the stars?

June 6, 2019
Topic: Exoplanets
6:30 pm  – Doors Open @ Southside Tavern
7 pm – Dr. Joe Llama, Lowell Observatory Astronomer presents: Finding and Characterizing Exoplanets
7:40 pm – Trivia and prizes!
8 pm – Dave Sawyer, Lowell Observatory Technical Project Manager presents: Building an Exo-Earth Hunter

May 2, 2019
Topic: Cultural Astronomy
6:30 pm  – Doors Open @ Southside Tavern
7 pm – Dr. Danielle Adams, Lowell Observatory Deputy Director of Marketing and Communications presents: Astronomy Under Arabian Skies
7:40 pm – Trivia and prizes!
8 pm – Misha Pipe, Lowell Observatory Native American Astronomy Outreach Program Educator presents: The Living Navajo Constellations

April 4, 2019
Topic: Dark Skies/ Dark Sky City
6:30 pm  – Doors Open @ Southside Tavern
7 pm – Jeffrey Hall, Director of Lowell Observatory
7:40 pm – Trivia and prizes!
8 pm – Chris Luginbuhl, Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition.

March 7, 2019
Topic: Telescopes
6:30 pm  – Doors Open @ Southside Tavern
7 pm – Dave Sawyer, Lowell Observatory Technical Project Manager presents: Space-Based vs. Ground-Based Telescopes: Under the Microscope
7:40 pm – Trivia and prizes!
8 pm – Dr. Gerard van Belle, Lowell Observatory Astronomer presents:
In-Space Manufacturing of Mega-Telescopes

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AoT Flagstaff is presented by: