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Mike Loffland
Web Guru (Astronomics)
Reged: 09/03/04
Posts: 1114
Loc: Norman, Oklahoma
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How to Make Your Star Party Almost Heaven
By: Rod Mollise
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Paul R.
member
Reged: 04/08/07
Posts: 68
Loc: Northern Illinois
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Nice article Rod,
I agree with the majority of all the points you've made. In the midwest we once had an awesome star party called Astrofest. Although Astrofest still exsists, its feeble remnant of its once great stature. At the zenith of its being, it drew nearly 1000 attendees and an average 20-25 vendors, 3 of which were major players in the industry. Unfortunately, I believe greed and ego got the best of all people involved with running the event, and as a result the astro-community at large ended up being the biggest victims.
The Prairie Skies star party still runs every year at the old charming Astrofest location, and is still allot of fun. But, it is no where near the kind of event the original Astrofest once was.
Truly sad indeed.
PR 
--------------------
Paul A. Roy
Obsession 20" f/5 Newtonian, Pegasus Optics #388
Parks/Parallax 6" f/8 Newtonian
Meade 826C GEM
13mm Ethos
Televue Type 4 & 5 Naglers
Pentax XL
Mirador 11X80s
Finders: Telrad, 80mm OTA
Member//Northwest Suburban Astronomers
**************************************
"Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening at the same time." - Adolf A. Schaller
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rmollise
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 1182
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Quote:
Nice article Rod,
I agree with the majority of all the points you've made. In the midwest we once had an awesome star party called Astrofest. Although Astrofest still exsists, its feeble remnant of its once great stature. At the zenith of its being, it drew nearly 1000 attendees and an average 20-25 vendors, 3 of which were major players in the industry. Unfortunately, I believe greed and ego got the best of all people involved with running the event, and as a result the astro-community at large ended up being the biggest victims.
PR
I really, really wanted to make it up to Astrofest some year. Waited too long. Dangit. I'm doin' it too:
I have heard the whold sad story. Shame.
--------------------
Uncle Rod
Watch for Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using the New CATs--coming soon!
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Paul R.
member
Reged: 04/08/07
Posts: 68
Loc: Northern Illinois
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Uncle Rod,
You can still attend Prarie Skies SP in which is run by the original A/fest people. It is still held at the same place; camp Shawanasee, in which still holds the same charm. Unfortunately, few if any vendors attend, and attendence is way down to like 3-400 people instead of the 800-1000 it use to draw.
Its still way better then the new A/fest location in which is held in the same reigon, but at a featureless farm right next to a highway that sports speeding automobiles and high-beam headlights.
I use to save my money during the year so when I went to A/fest I not only had fun observing with so many different people through tons and tons of different scopes, but I always came home with a new toy.
Who knows, maybe one day the two sides can for once and all bury the hatchet and do what is right for the astro-community at large.
PR
PR
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Paul A. Roy
Obsession 20" f/5 Newtonian, Pegasus Optics #388
Parks/Parallax 6" f/8 Newtonian
Meade 826C GEM
13mm Ethos
Televue Type 4 & 5 Naglers
Pentax XL
Mirador 11X80s
Finders: Telrad, 80mm OTA
Member//Northwest Suburban Astronomers
**************************************
"Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening at the same time." - Adolf A. Schaller
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Paul Rix
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/06/04
Posts: 2849
Loc: Zanesville, Ohio,USA
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Nice article. I doubt I will ever attend a true 'dark sky' star party myself (I am one of those night vision destroying Imagers). Personally I enjoy the company of others who have a similar interest in the night sky, friendship and dare I say it, a beverage or two. Any star party that takes itself too seriously (with regard to rigid rules and regs) generates no interest for me.
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Climbing the Learning Curve
Meade 10" LX200 Classic: WO 66SD.
Philips SPC900NC, DMK21AU04.AS, Meade DSI Pro and DSI Pro II.
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auriga
sage
Reged: 03/02/06
Posts: 371
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Quote:
How to Make Your Star Party Almost Heaven
By: Rod Mollise
Hi, Rod,
Great article.
One question: when you go to sleep after a night of observing, what do you do with your telescope? If you are camping, you can sleep close to it, I suppose, but if you are staying in a cabin or off site in a motel, what do you do with the telescope? It is probably not safe to leave it unattended, but if it is a largish scope it is a big job setting it up and taking it down every day.
This makes me think that dark sky star parties are made for people with campers, tents, large RVs they can sleep in, or small telescopes easily set up and taken down.
I am familiar only ith the old Astrofest, and Hidden Hollow, and the old Shingletown Star Party in CA.
What do you think, based on your experience? What scope do you bring and how do you keep it safe and secure when you are sleeping?
Thanks,
Bill
P.S. I have ordered the Urban Astronomer's Guide.
Bill
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14093
Loc: Fleeing Gustav!
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Great article Rod. Man, you are on a roll lately. 
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & Celestial Irons
Gear : Astro-Tech 66ED on custom GEM, assorted binoculars, RKE & UO Ortho eyepieces.
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rmollise
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 1182
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Quote:
Quote:
How to Make Your Star Party Almost Heaven
By: Rod Mollise
Hi, Rod,
Great article.
One question: when you go to sleep after a night of observing, what do you do with your telescope? If you are camping, you can sleep close to it, I suppose, but if you are staying in a cabin or off site in a motel, what do you do with the telescope? It is probably not safe to leave it unattended, but if it is a largish scope it is a big job setting it up and taking it down every day.
This makes me think that dark sky star parties are made for people with campers, tents, large RVs they can sleep in, or small telescopes easily set up and taken down.
I am familiar only ith the old Astrofest, and Hidden Hollow, and the old Shingletown Star Party in CA.
What do you think, based on your experience? What scope do you bring and how do you keep it safe and secure when you are sleeping?
Thanks,
Bill
P.S. I have ordered the Urban Astronomer's Guide.
Bill
It's safe to leave the scope setup at any star party I've ever attended. Oh, in case of wind weather, cover with a "desert storm" style tarp and stake down the tripod legs (leave a dob free to "windvane."). Who wants to setup/polar align a scope every night?
--------------------
Uncle Rod
Watch for Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using the New CATs--coming soon!
Edited by rmollise (08/07/08 11:38 AM)
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David L
super member
Reged: 11/12/07
Posts: 127
Loc: Lee County Iowa
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It is generally safe to leave the scope set up at the observing site, but one should take the small stuff like eyepieces. At Texas Star Party, it is best that you batten down your scope, because the wind can really get strong during the day.
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rmollise
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 1182
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Quote:
It is generally safe to leave the scope set up at the observing site, but one should take the small stuff like eyepieces. At Texas Star Party, it is best that you batten down your scope, because the wind can really get strong during the day.
I'm afraid I have to agree. "It" doesn't happen frequently, but it does happen. The eyepieces go back in the vehicle. Leastways when I'm packin' Nags and Uwans...
TSP = cover scope and stake down with landscaping nails. I have seen a beautiful Orange Tube C8 lifted into the air by one of the legendary Prude Ranch Dust Devils.
--------------------
Uncle Rod
Watch for Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using the New CATs--coming soon!
Edited by rmollise (08/08/08 09:15 AM)
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auriga
sage
Reged: 03/02/06
Posts: 371
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Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
How to Make Your Star Party Almost Heaven
By: Rod Mollise
Hi, Rod,
Great article.
One question: when you go to sleep after a night of observing, what do you do with your telescope? If you are camping, you can sleep close to it, I suppose, but if you are staying in a cabin or off site in a motel, what do you do with the telescope? It is probably not safe to leave it unattended, but if it is a largish scope it is a big job setting it up and taking it down every day.
This makes me think that dark sky star parties are made for people with campers, tents, large RVs they can sleep in, or small telescopes easily set up and taken down.
I am familiar only ith the old Astrofest, and Hidden Hollow, and the old Shingletown Star Party in CA.
What do you think, based on your experience? What scope do you bring and how do you keep it safe and secure when you are sleeping?
Thanks,
Bill
P.S. I have ordered the Urban Astronomer's Guide.
Bill
It's safe to leave the scope setup at any star party I've ever attended. Oh, in case of wind weather, cover with a "desert storm" style tarp and stake down the tripod legs (leave a dob free to "windvane."). Who wants to setup/polar align a scope every night?
Tom Noe, designer and maker of Teleport Telesopces, had a brand new 10 inch model stolen at the Riverside Telscope Makers star party.
I would be afraid to leave a multi hundred or multi-thousand dollar scope unattended for hours.
Regards,
Bill
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Stan Lopata
member
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 69
Loc: Utica, NY area
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Hi Rod,
Wonderful article!! The one thing you didn't mention was swap tables. Vendors from name companies are great - seeing the newest equipment and even some stuff that's not on the market yet, but when it comes to bargains, the amateur swap area excels. At good swap tables one can get everything from older books to back issues of those long gone mags to individual gears, eyepieces, filters, lenses, mirrors, to complete telescopes.
The other thing that you didn't mention was the higher entry cost if you aren't preregistered - some star parties have double the entry cost at the gate. Adding a little to the cost at the gate encourages preregistration - doubling the price of admission just keeps folk away. And, what's the sense if there's plenty of room??
Again, thanks for the great article!!
Stan
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Astrosetz
sage
Reged: 10/05/03
Posts: 216
Loc: Wisconsin
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I love the article and as I get older I tend to agree with the "comfort over absolute black sky" sentiment. Nebraska Star Party is unbelievable for dark skies but you pay dearly in terms of comfort -- it's simply brutal.
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-Astrosetz
www.astrosetz.com
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rmollise
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 1182
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Quote:
Hi Rod,
Wonderful article!! The one thing you didn't mention was swap tables. Vendors from name companies are great - seeing the newest equipment and even some stuff that's not on the market yet, but when it comes to bargains, the amateur swap area excels. At good swap tables one can get everything from older books to back issues of those long gone mags to individual gears, eyepieces, filters, lenses, mirrors, to complete telescopes.
The other thing that you didn't mention was the higher entry cost if you aren't preregistered - some star parties have double the entry cost at the gate. Adding a little to the cost at the gate encourages preregistration - doubling the price of admission just keeps folk away. And, what's the sense if there's plenty of room??
Again, thanks for the great article!!
Stan
HI Stan:
I guess I didn't mention 'em cause I haven't seen much interest in 'em of late. Even at TSP the swap tables are bare. It may be different at Stellafane and RTMC, I hope.
As for "more for walkins" or "more for folks who don't register by X date." I'm torn on this. While I don't want to see anyone left out, it's only right IMHO that the "Let's see how the weather looks before we send our money" crowd be penalized in a small way.
I mean, a star party is about the gull-derndest cheapest vacation you will find. While admittedly I DO do many as a guest (as a speaker, that is), I also do quite a few as a "private citizen;" I'll be attending Chiefland that way in October, driving home, and picking up Miss Dorothy and heading to the Deep South Regional Star Gaze the next weekend. Yeah, I am eat up with it.
--------------------
Uncle Rod
Watch for Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using the New CATs--coming soon!
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Astrogranny
journeyman
Reged: 08/18/06
Posts: 8
Loc: Mid-Atlantic
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I attend as many star parties as I can. I've never felt my equipment was in danger, although small, valuable items like my laptop, eyepieces, and small refractors get put away. Once I left my laptop out - it was still there in the morning - soaked with dew. One thing I quickly realized was that a lot of people had much fancier equipment than mine. Also there are LOTS of people around 24/7.
If you are worried about security, just take a tent, lawn chair, and binoculars and walk around and look through other peoples scopes. One guy I know NEVER bothers with a telescope - and has a wonderful time.
Going to a star party is totally fun for a bunch of reasons. I encourage it. The worst problem I've had is freezing - it can get darn cold out there.
Martha Gay
SV90TBV
14" TScope
Pop-up camper with furnace 
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rmollise
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 1182
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Quote:
If you are worried about security, just take a tent, lawn chair, and binoculars and walk around and look through other peoples scopes. One guy I know NEVER bothers with a telescope - and has a wonderful time.
Going to a star party is totally fun for a bunch of reasons. I encourage it. The worst problem I've had is freezing - it can get darn cold out there.
And I think this is an OK way to do a star party for some folks. Keep in mind, though, that while plenty of people will be only too happy to let you look through their scope, quite a few folks, who don't get to dark sites often, will be trying to do serious observing projects and will NOT appreciate someone looking over their shoulder and constantly intoning, "Watcha lookin' at mister? Watcha lookin at? Can I have a peep? Huh? Can I?"
--------------------
Uncle Rod
Watch for Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using the New CATs--coming soon!
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Astrogranny
journeyman
Reged: 08/18/06
Posts: 8
Loc: Mid-Atlantic
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And one never EVER bothers people who are imaging. The protocol here is to hang out and find someone who wants to show off their new stuff. They can usually be heard saying "Hey, wanna see ....". But you have to be really nice and praise their setup, which probably cost more than your car. And if they're not worried about security, why should you be?
Great article, Rod. Made the NOVAC folks deservedly ecstatic.
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wirenut
sage
Reged: 09/21/06
Posts: 416
Loc: m'dale Pa
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nice article rod & thanks for talking about almost heaven star party. I never heard of it before. it's a lot closer then cherry springs and on the way towards family. that means I'll have better chance of getting to it then cherry springs
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8"GSO dob
8,17 mm hyperions & FT rings
21mm stratus
25,15,9 mm plossls
ultima barlow
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auriga
sage
Reged: 03/02/06
Posts: 371
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Quote:
Quote:
Nice article Rod,
I agree with the majority of all the points you've made. In the midwest we once had an awesome star party called Astrofest. Although Astrofest still exsists, its feeble remnant of its once great stature. At the zenith of its being, it drew nearly 1000 attendees and an average 20-25 vendors, 3 of which were major players in the industry. Unfortunately, I believe greed and ego got the best of all people involved with running the event, and as a result the astro-community at large ended up being the biggest victims.
PR
I really, really wanted to make it up to Astrofest some year. Waited too long. Dangit. I'm doin' it too:
I have heard the whold sad story. Shame.
Uncle Rod,
This is a wise and helpful article on star parties, and I understand a lot of it despite being a street urchin from New York rather than a good ol' boy.
But I have just come upon your new book, The Urban Astronomer's Guide (Springer-Verlag, London, 2006. What has happened to the Uncle Rod, whose earthy columns and posts in dialect from Possum Swamp we have come to know and love?
Have Rod the poet, and Rod the engineer, eluded the Dementors, escaped from Azkaban, and taken over, perhaps with the help of Springer?
The Urban Astronomer's Guide is written in elegant, lucid and flowing English. I would say no more than ten percent of the people writing books and columns for amateur astronomers can surpass that writing style. (Robert Burnham Jr. and Craig Crossen are of course in another class altogether from us mortals). Perhaps the book should be titled, The Urbane Astronomer's Guide.
I ordered the book merely to look at your comparative tests of aperture in urban light pollution, but found that the book is far more astute and detailed than anything I have seen on urban observing.
I noticed that in the second half of the book a lot of suggested observing tours of the deep sky are set forth in detail, and I thought to myself, here we go again, the usual lists and the usual data. I was startled to find instead a very original approach to each object, one that will really help the urban observer appreciate it.
An outstanding book.
Please don't send Rod the poet and Rod the engineer back to Azkaban.
Bill Meyers
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George N
sage
Reged: 05/19/06
Posts: 239
Loc: Binghamton & Indian Lake NY
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Quote:
..... Keep in mind, though, that while plenty of people will be only too happy to let you look through their scope, quite a few folks, who don't get to dark sites often, will be trying to do serious observing projects and will NOT appreciate someone looking over their shoulder and constantly intoning, "Watcha lookin' at mister? Watcha lookin at? Can I have a peep? Huh? Can I?"
A star party is a social event that’s for sharing the universe with others of all backgrounds, including folks who have no idea what is going on. I have no sympathy for the ‘leave me alone, I’m doing my observing project’ types. If they can’t share their views they really need to be at a private observing location, not a star party. I’ve been attending major star parties since 1995 and I always bring several scopes, including my Obsession 20 or 10-inch RC Cass, 20x80’s, h-alpha solar scope, etc. I have no problem with anyone looking thru my scope, asking for an object, and for experienced observers, using the focuser, keeping the object in view, etc. I would object to someone just walking up to my scope and start using it, or start picking up eyepieces, etc, on my observing table. I also expect parents to insure that their children behave in a safe manner that respects the equipment. However, I also expect that I’ll only personally get a third or less of the eyepiece time on my own scopes.
While anyone at a star party should realize that they shouldn’t monopolize the views, demand to see their favorite object, etc, I would have no problem with walking up to a scope owner in the dark and asking what they were looking at and could I have a look. People should also understand that the owner might be involved in some critical task, like setting up digital read-outs, screwing on some small scope piece, or downloading an image, and that could mean the owner has to be given some space for a time. However, to tell people that they shouldn’t expect a warm welcome when walking up to an observer in the dark is not in the spirit of what star parties are all about.
--------------------
George N
Obsession 20
Optical Guidance Systems 10" F/9 R-C Cass
6" F/5 & 8" F/8 home-made Newts
MI-250 mount
SBIG STL-1301E CCD
Member, International Dark-Sky Association
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