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

February 28th, 2023
Topic: Titan Underground
6 pm  – Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Anna Engle, Lowell Observatory PhD Candidate presents: Saturn’s Moon Titan
7 pm – Trivia and prizes!

February 16th, 2023
Topic: Cheers to Pluto! Beer Unveiling and Astronomy on Tap
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 & Public Information Office present: Clyde Tombaugh’s Magnificent 9″ Homemade Telescope
7:30 pm – Trivia and prizes!

January 24th, 2023
Topic: DIY Telescope Control System
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: How We Teach Science
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: The Successful NASA’s DART Mission
6:00 pm  – Doors Open @ Mother Road
6:30 pm – Dr. Teddy Kareta, Lowell Observatory Postdoctoral Associate presents: 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 & Public Information Office presents: The Telescope Made by Pluto Discoverer Clyde Tombaugh
7 pm – Dr. Danielle Adams 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 Programs 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: