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How to Make Your Star Party Almost Heaven
By: Rod Mollise

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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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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?

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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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