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~Steph~
Texas Wildflower
Reged: 06/11/05
Posts: 20931
Loc: North Texas
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This post is intended to be an ongoing list of 2008 star parties and events (open houses, expos, etc.) by date, with links to the parties/events' websites for more information. Our hope is that you'll find this post helpful and will be able to attend an event near you, meet new friends and old friends, and most of all -- have fun! 
Note that some 2008 dates aren't yet set, so those events are currently listed in the month in which they took place in 2007. This post will be updated as more information becomes available.
If you'd like to have a star party or event added, or see something that needs changing, please PM me with the relevant information (website preferred)! 
2008
February
March
- 5-9 - Kisatchie Star Party (near Natchitoches, LA)
- 7-11 - Snake Valley Astronomy Camp (western Victoria, Australia)
- 8-9 - Messier Marathon activities - see note below for 29-30
- 28-Apr 6 - Smoky Mountain Stargaze (Whittier, NC)
- 29-30 - Messier Marathon weekend activities (according to seds.org, 2008 is a tricky year for the Messier Marathon. Full moon is March 21, which is usually the optimal weekend for the marathon. This weekend of the 29-30 will be best for "mid-northern" latitudes, though it will be just around last quarter moon. Low latitudes will likely have a better chance the weekend of March 8-9.)
April
- 2-5 - Mid-South Star Gaze (French Camp, MS)
- 2-6 - Kielder Forest Spring Star Camp (Northumberland, UK)
- 3-6 - Spring Star Party (Norfolk, UK)
- 4-6 - All Arizona Messier Marathon (near Arizona City, AZ) (one of the best known Messier Marathon events!)
- 4-6 - Georgia Sky View (Jackson, GA)
- 4-6 - Tennessee Spring Star Party (Pikeville, TN)
- 4-6 - SJAC Spring Star Party (Belleplain, NJ)
- 4-6 - Stokes Star Party (Branchville, NJ)
- 4-6 - COSMOS Star Party 2008 (Tullamore, Offaly, Ireland)
- 18-19 - 2008 NCRAL Convention (Port Washington, WI)
- 24-25 - Northeast Astro-Imaging Conference (NEAIC) (Suffern, NY)
- 26-27 - Northeast Astronomy Forum & Telescope Show (NEAF) (Suffern, NY)
May
June
- 1-8 - Texas Star Party (Fort Davis, TX)
- 4-8 - Wisconsin Observers Weekend (Hartman Creek State Park, near Waupaca, WI)
- 6-7 - Mulberry Mountain Star Party (Ozark, AR)
- 6-8 - Colorado West Star Party (near Grand Junction, CO)
- 13-14 - Apollo Rendezvous (Dayton, OH)
- 21-28 - Grand Canyon Star Party (near Flagstaff, AZ)
- 25-28 - Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival (Bryce Canyon National Park, UT)
- 26-July 5 - Heart of America Star Party (near Kansas City, KS/MO)
- 27-29 - Buck-Eye on the Sky 2 (CN group) (Lodi, OH)
July
- 2-5 - Golden State Star Party (Adin, CA -- new location)
- 2-5 - Green Bank Star Quest (Green Bank, WVa)
- 2-6 - Rocky Mountain Star Stare (near Colorado Springs, CO)
- 25-Aug 3 - Summer Star Party (Savoy, MA)
- 27-Aug 1 - Nebraska Star Party (near Valentine, NE)
- 29-Aug 3 - EPOCH 2008 Star Party (Beaver City, IN)
- 30-Aug 3 - Mason Dixon Star Party (Wellsville, PA)
- 31-Aug 2 - Table Mountain Star Party (on Table Mountain near Ellensburg, WA)
- 31-Aug 2 - Weekend Under the Stars (near Laramie, WY)
- 31-Aug 3 - Stellafane Convention (Springfield, VT)
- 31-Aug 3 - Almost Heaven Star Party (Spruce Knob, WVa)
- 31-Aug 3 - Indiana Family Star Party (near Indianapolis, IN)
August
- 1-2 - Fourth International Video Astronomy Star Party (Foymount, Ontario, Canada)
- 2-10 - Mt. Kobau Star Party (near Osoyoos, British Columbia, Canada)
- 6-10 - Mt. Bachelor Star Party (near Bend, OR)
- 7-10 - Starfest 2008 (Ayton, Ontario, Canada)
- 22-24 - Astro Conjunction (Northfield, MA)
- 26-Sep 2 - Adirondack Astronomy Retreat (near Plattsburgh, NY; note there are two different sessions during this time period)
- 28-31 - Oregon Star Party (near Prineville, OR)
- 28-31 - Saskatchewan Summer Star Party (Cypress Hills Inter-provincial Park, Saskatchewan, Canada)
- 28-Sept 1 - Shingletown Star Party (Shingletown, CA)
September
- 5-7 - Black Forest Star Party (near Coudersport, PA)
- 5-7 - Arunah Hill Days (Cummington, MA)
- 22-Oct 2 - Autumn Equinox Sky Camp (Norfolk, UK)
- 23-28 - Astroblast (near Franklin, PA)
- 24-27 - Enchanted Skies Star Party (Socorro, NM)
- 25-27 - CalStar (Lake San Antonio, CA)
- 25-28 - Great Lakes Star Gaze (Gladwin, MI)
- 25-28 - Prairie Skies Star Party (near Bourbonnais IL)
- 25-28 - Alberta Star Party (near Caroline, Alberta, Canada)
- 25-28 - Illinois Dark Skies Star Party (near Springfield, IL)
- 26-27 - Orion Nebula Star Party (Table Mountain, near Ellensburg, WA)
- 26-27 - White Sands Star Party (Alamogordo/White Sands, NM)
- 26-28 - SVAAC 2nd It Might be Annual if People Keep Coming Star Party (White Star Park, near Gibsonburg, Ohio)
- 27-Oct 5 - Okie-Tex Star Party (near Kenton, OK)
- 28-Oct 5 - Peach State Star Gaze (Deerlick Astronomy Village near Sharon, GA)
October
- 24-Nov 2 - Chiefland Star Party (Chiefland, FL)
- 24-26 - StarQuest (Hope, NJ)
- 25-26 - All Arizona Star Party (near Arizona City, AZ)
- 27-Nov 2 - Eldorado Star Party (near Eldorado, TX)
- 27-Nov 2 - Mid-Atlantic Star Party (near Robbins, NC)
- 28-Nov 2 - Deep South Regional Star Gaze (near Norwood, LA)
- 29-Nov 2 - Kielder Forest Autumn Star Camp (Northumberland, UK)
- 30-Nov 1 - IceInSpace AstroCamp (Lostock, NSW, Australia)
- TBD - Whirlpool Star Party (Birr, Co Offaly, Ireland)
November
Edited by ~Steph~ (08/19/08 08:52 AM)
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~Steph~
Texas Wildflower
Reged: 06/11/05
Posts: 20931
Loc: North Texas
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The 2007 Star Party season has mostly wrapped up and all of the events that were listed are done, so that thread has now been unpinned. However, if you want to refer back to the 2007 star party calendar for any reason, you can find it here: 2007 Star Parties and Events.
The 2008 dates are starting to fill in, slowly but surely, so keep an eye on this thread for more info!
--------------------
Steph
10" RCX400 ~~ 4" TV102 ~~ WO ZS80FD ~~ PST
Serenity Observatory 
HansenAstro | CN Member Websites
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~Steph~
Texas Wildflower
Reged: 06/11/05
Posts: 20931
Loc: North Texas
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Happy New Year, everyone! 
Lots of 2008 star party dates are starting to fill in, so make your plans now to attend one near you. They're lots of fun and you never know what CN folks you might meet!
--------------------
Steph
10" RCX400 ~~ 4" TV102 ~~ WO ZS80FD ~~ PST
Serenity Observatory
HansenAstro | CN Member Websites
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~Steph~
Texas Wildflower
Reged: 06/11/05
Posts: 20931
Loc: North Texas
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The major 2008 star parties are starting to really get into gear -- look at all the early April dates! I hope everyone is keeping an eye on their favorites and noticing the new ones being added as folks give me new information on the parties they find out about. Get out there and have some fun as the weather starts warming up (really!) - star parties are a blast! 
--------------------
Steph
10" RCX400 ~~ 4" TV102 ~~ WO ZS80FD ~~ PST
Serenity Observatory
HansenAstro | CN Member Websites
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~Steph~
Texas Wildflower
Reged: 06/11/05
Posts: 20931
Loc: North Texas
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Quite a few more dates have filled in through the summer and early fall, and a few new star parties have been added to the list -- including the return of Chiefland Star Party in November (in a somewhat smaller capacity, I think)! Check out one near you if you can!
--------------------
Steph
10" RCX400 ~~ 4" TV102 ~~ WO ZS80FD ~~ PST
Serenity Observatory
HansenAstro | CN Member Websites
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~Steph~
Texas Wildflower
Reged: 06/11/05
Posts: 20931
Loc: North Texas
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One thing to consider if you want to go to one of the big star parties near you but are worried about the rising cost of gas/diesel is ride sharing! You'll get the benefit of sharing the costs of the fuel and also sharing the ride with a fellow astronomer and making new friends. If you're new to things, it's also a great way to hook up with someone who knows their way around star parties that can show you around and help you out with star party etiquette and so on. (Unless of course you're both new to things...  )
One way to try and find someone to rideshare with is to post in the thread here in Star Parties for the star party you want to attend, mentioning that you're looking for someone to share a ride with. Not a thread yet for that party? Feel free to start one!
--------------------
Steph
10" RCX400 ~~ 4" TV102 ~~ WO ZS80FD ~~ PST
Serenity Observatory
HansenAstro | CN Member Websites
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~Steph~
Texas Wildflower
Reged: 06/11/05
Posts: 20931
Loc: North Texas
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The summer is winding down here in the U.S. (don't know about the rest of you but I'm ready for the HEAT to wind down!), but there are still a lot of big star parties left to attend these next few months before winter settles in. Check 'em out in the listing above!
--------------------
Steph
10" RCX400 ~~ 4" TV102 ~~ WO ZS80FD ~~ PST
Serenity Observatory
HansenAstro | CN Member Websites
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