The Sun City Oro Valley Astronomy Club is a chartered club of Sun City Oro Valley, Arizona. Membership in our club is open to all residents of Sun City Oro Valley as well as a limited number of outside participants. We are located in the town of Oro Valley, a suburb of Tucson, Arizona.  Club meetings feature prominent guest speakers from renowned local astronomy organizations. Our regular Star Parties often feature  professional astronomers from the Tucson community to lead our events.  These include instruction in identifying constellations, stars and other celestial objects of interest. 

Since 2013, our club has had a very active partnership with Coronado K-8 School in Catalina, AZ.  Club members volunteer to co-teach 5th and 7th grade students key concepts of astronomy, such as phases of the moon and elements of the solar system In addition, the club uses the Arizona Tax Credit program to provide funds toward the purchase of telescopes for all 5th grade students and the University of Arizona Astronomy Summer Camp scholarships for 7th grade students.To date, nearly 1,100 telescopes have been distributed to 5th grade students and over 30 summer camp scholarships for 7th graders. Several of these students have expressed that attending summer camp on Mt Lemmon was a turning point in their career decision-making process. Learn more about this program on our website.

Several Club members are involved in astrophotography, and share their photos on our website.   

The Sun City Astronomy Club supports the adopted policies of Sun City Oro Valley which require all exterior lighting to Pima County and Town of Oro Valley Outdoor Lighting Codes. The purpose of these codes is to minimize Light pollution, preserve the relationship of the residents to their unique desert environment through protection of access to the dark night sky, and to support astronomical activity. More information can be found at DarkSky International, headquartered in Tucson.

The slate of Officers and Board members for 2025 is:

President                                    Helen Salvay

Vice-President                           Lee Hoffman

Treasurer                                   Sherwin Koopmans

Board Members:                        Ed Jacoby, Telescope Coordinator

                                                  Ann MacDonald, School Outreach Coordinator

                                                  Mike MacDonald, Star Party Coordinator

                                                  Steve Nash, Board Member at Large

                                                  Harold Wood, Field Trip Coordinator

                                                  Janet Wood, Board Member at Large

These officers and Board members will serve from January 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026.