Apply to Camp!

Before applying, please study the information, and videos, about your Camp: Teens and Adults.

Note the requirements and directions below.

PLAN AHEAD! Start by considering the following details.

1. Typically, the Teen Camps open for applications in late-November and are full within 2-4 weeks.
2. PARENTS:
  - Carefully consider transportation to and from Astronomy Camp. Your Camper must arrive in Tucson on the first day of Camp before 1 pm Tucson time. On the last day of Camp, we will be driving two hours from a remote mountain site to Tucson to a graduation ceremony, so Campers should depart on airline flights no earlier than 2 pm Tucson time. Airline schedules may make these requirements challenging.
3. STUDENTS:
  - - Reservations are limited to ~30 students between ages 13 and 18 years. Some exceptions are made in special circumstances by Dr. McCarthy, the Camp Director.
    - Prospective students must contact the Camp Director before applying to be sure space is available.
    - Completed applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, based on postmark, not delivery date. Therefore, expedited delivery (FedEx, UPS, etc.) is not necessary.
    - To be successful, applications must follow all the stated directions listed below. We strongly urge students to adhere to the specific entrance requirements, to follow directions exactly, and to do the best job possible on the essay. Applications will be judged competitively based on essay content and ability to follow directions.
    - The Advanced Teen Astronomy Camp is quantitative in its approach. Students are required to have completed satisfactorily either Algebra II or Geometry in school. Graduation from the Beginning Astronomy Camp is not necessary and does not automatically qualify a student for the Advanced Camp.
    - Admission to the Advanced Camp is increasingly competitive. For example, in 2024, only 30% of all applications could be accommodated.
    - Former Advanced Campers may reapply, but preference will be given to new students. As discussed in the essay instructions below, former Advanced Campers must write about a research project which could be accomplished using Camp equipment and which should involve other Campers. We are happy to answer any questions to help improve your project.

TUITION includes meals, lodging, and transportation between Tucson and Mt. Lemmon. As we cannot guarantee clear nights for observing, there will be no refunds due to weather conditions. Camp sessions are scheduled based on historical weather patterns to take advantage of Arizona’s usually clear skies. However, if inclement weather prevents observing, we provide a number of substitute activities including orientation to the night sky in a small planetarium, construction projects (telescopes, spectroscopes), demonstrations, computer simulations & additional lectures.

Need-based SCHOLARSHIPS are available. Funding comes from Camp’s alumni, their families, the Jason Kinnear Memorial Fund, the Franklin Roach Memorial Fund, and the Richard F. Caris Foundation.

QUESTIONS? – Please contact the Camp Director using the “Contact Us!” tab.

Mail completed applications to:
Dr. Don McCarthy
(name of Camp)
Steward Observatory
933 N. Cherry Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85721-0065

Beginning Teen

June 4-10, 2026

[Wait List]

Requirements:

Ages 12.5-15 yrs

Cost:

Tuition $1900

Need-based scholarships

Complete & send 5 items:

- - A handwritten essay (~500 words)“Why I Want to Attend Astronomy Camp,” including a description of the kinds of celestial objects you hope to study at Camp
  - Application form
  - Scholarship form
  - Agreement form
  - Release form

Advanced Teen

June 13-21, 2026

[Wait List]

Requirements:

Ages 14-19 yrs

Completed Algebra II or Geometry

Cost:

Tuition $2000

Need-based scholarships

Complete & send 5 items:

- - - An essay or proposal following these specific instructions
    - Application form
    - Scholarship form
    - Agreement form
    - Release form

Adult

Oct 23-26, 2026

Requirements:

Able to tolerate physical activity at 9200 ft altitude

Cost:

Tuition $1000

Complete & send 3 items:

	August 2026
Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
					1 ⭐Shaula Evening Culmination ⭐Shaula Evening Culmination 01 Aug 2026 The bright star Shaula crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view this star in the evening sky. Shaula is the second-brightest star system in the constellation of Scorpius, and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. See more details	2
3	4 M72 Midnight Culmination M72 Midnight Culmination Messier Object M72 crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) at Midnight Standard Time (1am Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the object. Details	5	6 Last quarter 2:21am Last quarter 2:21am 06 Aug 2026 See more details M73 Midnight Culmination M73 Midnight Culmination Messier Object M73 crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) at Midnight Standard Time (1am Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the object. Details	7	8	9
10 🌞Sun Enters Constellation Leo 🌞Sun Enters Constellation Leo 10 Aug 2026 See more details	11 ☄Perseids Meteor Shower Peaks ☄Perseids Meteor Shower Peaks 11 Aug 2026 The Perseids are the most popular meteor shower as they peak on warm August nights as seen from the northern hemisphere. The Perseids are active from July 17 to August 24. They reach a strong maximum on August 12 or 13, depending on the year. Normal rates seen from rural locations range from 50-75 shower members per hour at maximum.The Perseids are particles released from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle during its numerous returns to the inner solar system. They are called Perseids since the radiant (the area of the sky where the meteors seem to originate) is located near the prominent constellation of Perseus the hero when at maximum activity. https://www.amsmeteors.org/ See more details	12 New moon 5:37pm New moon 5:37pm 12 Aug 2026 See more details	13	14 M15 Midnight Culmination M15 Midnight Culmination Messier Object M15 crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) at Midnight Standard Time (1am Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the object. Details M2 Midnight Culmination M2 Midnight Culmination Messier Object M2 crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) at Midnight Standard Time (1am Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the object. Details M39 Midnight Culmination M39 Midnight Culmination Messier Object M39 crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) at Midnight Standard Time (1am Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the object. Details	15 ⭐Constellation Corona Australis Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Corona Australis Evening Culmination 15 Aug 2026 The constellation Corona Australis crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Corona Australis is a constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere. Its Latin name means "southern crown", and it is the southern counterpart of Corona Borealis, the northern crown. See more details ⭐Constellation Lyra Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Lyra Evening Culmination 15 Aug 2026 The constellation Lyra crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Lyra is a small constellation. It is one of the 48 listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and is one of the modern 88 constellations. Lyra was often represented on star maps as a vulture or an eagle carrying a lyre, an instrument similar to a harp. It's brightest star, Vega, is one of the brightest stars in the sky. See more details ⭐Constellation Scutum Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Scutum Evening Culmination 15 Aug 2026 The constellation Scutum crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Scutum is a small constellation. Its name is Latin for shield, and it was originally named Scutum Sobiescianum by Johannes Hevelius in 1684. It lies entirely in the southern celestial hemisphere and its four brightest stars form a narrow diamond shape. It is one of the 88 IAU designated constellations defined in 1922. See more details	16 M30 Midnight Culmination M30 Midnight Culmination Messier Object M30 crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) at Midnight Standard Time (1am Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the object. Details
17 ☄kappa-Cygnids Minor Meteor Shower Peaks ☄kappa-Cygnids Minor Meteor Shower Peaks For the latest information on meteor showers visit: https://www.amsmeteors.org/ Details ⭐Vega Evening Culmination ⭐Vega Evening Culmination 17 Aug 2026 The bright star Vega crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view this star in the evening sky. Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. This star is relatively close at only 25 light-years (7.7 parsecs) from the Sun, and, together with Arcturus and Sirius, one of the most luminous stars in the Sun's neighborhood. It is the fifth-brightest star in the night sky, and the second-brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus. See more details	18	19	20 First quarter 2:46am First quarter 2:46am 20 Aug 2026 See more details ⭐Constellation Sagittarius Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Sagittarius Evening Culmination 20 Aug 2026 The constellation Sagittarius crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Sagittarius is one of the constellations of the zodiac and is located in the Southern celestial hemisphere. It is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its old astronomical symbol is. Its name is Latin for "archer". See more details	21	22	23
24 ⭐Constellation Telescopium Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Telescopium Evening Culmination 24 Aug 2026 The constellation Telescopium crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Telescopium is a minor constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere, one of twelve named in the 18th century by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille and one of several depicting scientific instruments. Its name is a Latinized form of the Greek word for telescope. See more details	25 ⭐Constellation Pavo Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Pavo Evening Culmination 25 Aug 2026 The constellation Pavo crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Pavo is a constellation in the southern sky whose name is Latin for "peacock". See more details	26	27	28 Full moon 4:18am Full moon 4:18am 28 Aug 2026 See more details	29	30 ⭐Constellation Aquila Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Aquila Evening Culmination 30 Aug 2026 The constellation Aquila crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Aquila is a constellation on the celestial equator. Its name is Latin for 'eagle' and it represents the bird that carried Zeus/Jupiter's thunderbolts in Greek-Roman mythology. Its brightest star, Altair, is one vertex of the Summer Triangle asterism. See more details ⭐Constellation Sagitta Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Sagitta Evening Culmination 30 Aug 2026 The constellation Sagitta crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Sagitta is a dim but distinctive constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for 'arrow', not to be confused with the significantly larger constellation Sagittarius 'the archer'. See more details
31

Apply to Camp!

Apply to Camp!

Beginning Teen

Advanced Teen

Adult

How can we help?

Ask us a question, or submit a comment!