10 replies to this topic

[Joe F Gafford]

A lot of Newbies out there asking questions about attending the organized star parties. I've been to a lot of them coast to coast since 1991. Here's is a basic outline of the preparation and etiquette to go to these events. You can get more on the particular star party's site. These preparations, fees and rules will vary from place to place. I made a Power Point presentation 18 months ago for my club's In-reach meeting for the newbies. This presentation was geared for RMSS, but applies to most venues. You may add other things to this thread such as additional general RV/ dry camping prep. As for car lights, use or open a separate thread for that as these remedies vary with make, model and year.

 

Star Party Etiquette and Safety:

Dark skies
a. Observe dark sky etiquette when skies are clear or mostly clear. Solid overcast or storms you may use the white lights as long as it doesn’t bother your sleeping neighbors.
b. If you have to leave in an emergency at night, let your neighbors and the organizers know. They will lead you off of the site for safety.
c. Keep the lights pointing down while walking at night. Use care with the headlamps as these point as you move your head as these are quite bright. Same care if you are using these headlamps while adjusting your gear. A lot of complaints on this.

Roving
a. Day and night: Roving, that’s what star parties are for. You can watch some people observe through their scopes and ask them if you can look through the eyepiece. Daytime is for solar observing, plenty of solar scopes out there. If you see a line, get in the back of the line unless there is a group only such as Boy Scouts attending a certain scope. Ask!
b. Imagers: If you see a scope alone with blinking lights and other equipment, it is probably an imager nearby. You’re not looking through that scope. Some of these imaging scopes are on auto on Bluetooth. Leave these alone.
c. Eyeball observers: Some are doing observing lists for pins and awards. You may ask these people, but you’ll see the same faint fuzzy they are trying to mark off their list.

Lights complaints
a. Imagers: Do something about your screens! Some of you are out in the open and these screens are blinding even with red or light red screen covers on them. The Red screen programs still bring out the shrill light. Not much complaints about imagers in enclosed or portable dome spaces. Some have a box and shroud over the laptop to block most of the light. Also some drive units and power supplies have these bright green or blue pilot lights. A piece of black or red tape will help these.
b. All: As mentioned before, keep the penlights pointing down. When adjusting equipment, be careful that these lights are not intruding into others spaces. Headlamps are one of the major complaints. Turn these off if you’re not using them.
c. Your Vehicle: Be sure the lights are off when you open the door or the internal lights are masked in red. Check with your vehicle make, model, year to prevent headlights coming on when opening the doors. 

Safety
a. Read the star party rules on safety.
b. RMSS is out in an open field in the wild. There are wild animals about. Most of the time these creatures will avoid human contact. Keep your food and pets locked up at night. Keep tabs on the children.
c. Look at the map in the building or online. The site is surrounded by private properties, respect the borders.
d. Show up well before sundown. Showing up at night will not allow access to the site for observing and safety reasons.

 

Example star parties and seasons examples I've been to:

Winter
Winter star party (WSP), February, Check for latest status of site at : https://www.scas.org...ter-star-party/
a. Mostly Retirees, very few students. Primitive with privies on Girl Scout side with no showers, with showers and reserved glam huts on the Boy Scout side. Food truck. Volunteer battery charging service on the Girl Scout side with electricity on the Boy Scout side. On Hurricane damaged sites with repairs. Still with no electricity on the Girl Scout side.
b. Expensive, long haul, hotels in-route. Busiest time in Key West.
c. Tiered non-refundable reservations, but can sell with permission. 
d. Florida Keys, on Boy and Girl Scout land next to US-1, the most southern in the lower 48, 24° N.
e. Plenty of attractions, fishing, private tours, restaurants. Crux visible.

Spring
Texas Star Party (TSP), April-May, Check for latest status of site at: https://texasstarparty.org/
a. Early vacationers, some students. Bundled and tiered costs with dry camping, reserved rooms, reserved male bunkhouses and numbered RV spaces with hookups in a lottery in January. Onsite meals with bundled registration.
b. West Texas, friendly area, on the Prude Guest Ranch. Showers with some added facilities. Electrical cords on fields, Telescope and imaging only.
c. 1-2 day travel from Denver.
d. Fairly south, Omega Centauri visible.
e. Some good attractions. McDonald Obs. tours, Fort Davis historical site (US Parks pass).
f. Hiking and horseback riding on ranch land. Next to Davis Mountains State Park.

Summer
Rocky Mountain Star Stare (RMSS), June-early July, Check for latest status of site at: http://rmss.org/
a. Family oriented. Primitive with facilities and a battery charging station. Plenty of daytime activities. Tiered per-person registration only. Spaces first come, first served. Food truck.
b. Near Gardner, CO. Colorado Springs Astronomical Society (SCAS) owns the land. Paid CSAS members use site as their DSS. Meeting building.
c. 3 hours from Denver.
d. Summer solstice, short nights.
e. Some day trip attractions. Great Sand Dunes National Park (US Parks pass).

Fall
Okie-Tex Star Party (OTSP) September-early October. Check for latest status of site at: http://www.okie-tex.com/
a. Late Vacationers, some students, plus a grade school class bused in a reserved area. Onsite meals separate registration. Camp on Central time. Tiered costs per person/per-night registration. Camping and RV spaces various in a grid first come, first served.

b. Neat Kenton, OK near NW tip of the Panhandle. Camp Billy Joe summer camp. Electrical cords on fields; telescope, imaging and CPAP only. Showers plus the added outdoor facilities with a hand washing station at each. Separate dining and meeting halls. WiFi available, no Bluetooth allowed.
c. Male and female bunkhouses on first come, first served.
d. 6 hours from Denver.
e. Milky Way overhead all night, Zodiacal light and Gegenschein in Pisces visible at site.
f. Some local attractions, hiking at Black Mesa, Capulin Volcano (US Parks Pass).

 

Joe

Edited by Joe F Gafford, 10 December 2024 - 03:18 PM.

[Joe F Gafford]

Preparation:

 

All, Dry Camping or RV: RMSS weighted, but applies to most sites:

 

a. Sleeping bags, tents, warm clothes for nights. Portable tables and chairs. Do dry runs for scope and tent setups at home.
b. Food, plenty of in coolers or boxes, locked at night. No ice at site but in Walsenburg (Check other sites for ice availability nearby). Bring plenty of water.
c. Stoves, Coleman type only. Use in daylight only outside of your tent. No charcoal or gas powered grills or other open flame.
d. No white light or fuel lanterns. Red lights only, dim. Lights pointed down, some complaints on the bright red headlamps and some imagers’ computer screens.
e. Pets kenneled or on leash. Heavy dog restrictions at TSP.
f. Vehicles: Open the doors with the key out of the ignition at night at home. Does the headlights, rear lights come on? Courtesy and overhead lamps on? Most vehicles you can shut these off; depending on year, make and model. Taping a dark red gel over the overhead lamps in some. Removing fuses: Be careful as some newer models may put a check engine lamp on. Google your year, make and model for assistance in shutting off these lights. Fob safety: There have been some complaints of using these as these blink the lights and some accidental alarm button pushing.
g. Generators on only from 11:00 AM till dusk.

RVs:
a. Block windows to keep light in. Turn lights off and use a red battery powered lantern or other battery powered red light when opening door. Red gels over the inside lamps OK.
b. Placement of RVs and pop-ups liberal at RMSS and Okie-Tex. Be careful to park these where It would not interfere with scope viewing. Park on edge of road and scout first and ask the organizers at RMSS. Parking these on edges of the observing fields or in the trees is usual. Plenty of roads in the trees for your RV at RMSS for added privacy with your scope setup on the observing field common at RMSS. First come, first served.

 

Joe

Edited by Joe F Gafford, 10 December 2024 - 03:24 PM.

[Joe F Gafford]

Now for the pictures! 

 

Weather!

 

Tarps:

 

 

[Joe F Gafford]

Stakes types:

 

Have Fun! These images from 1952 and 1991. The 1952 images a few months before I was born, From a scrapbook from the club's inception in 1949 to 1958. 

 

Joe

[drd715]

SCAS Winter star party in the Florida keys this Winter (2025) the arrival is Monday 27 January noon to about 6 pm (gates close to vehicle traffic at sunset -open for walk in), leave time for setting up your scope before dark.  6 nights until last departure 10 am Sunday 2 February. Registration link on the SCAS website.

[Napp]

Winter star party (WSP), February, Check for latest status of site at : https://www.scas.org...ter-star-party/

a. Mostly Retirees, very few students. Primitive, with showers and reserved chickee and glam huts. Food truck sometimes. Volunteer battery charging service sometimes. On Hurricane damaged sites.
b. Expensive, long haul, hotels in-route. Busiest time in Key West.
c. Tiered non-refundable reservations, but can sell with permission. RVs must be there on the first day, loaded first.
d. Florida Keys, on Boy and Girl Scout land next to US-1, the most southern in the lower 48, 24° N.
e. Plenty of attractions, fishing, private tours, restaurants. Crux visible.

 

Updated/Corrected Info on the Winter Star Party

• I don't think there are any more retirees at WSP than at any other major star party. The WSP is held at adjoining Girl and Boy Scout Camps.  Long haul?  That's relative to where you are coming from.  The star parties out west are the long hauls for me.
  The Boy Scout Camp has glamping tents available and a very nice bath house. All hurricane damage was repaired at their camp.  Electricity is available for equipment and charging batteries.  Bring your own 100 foot extension cord.
  The Girl Scout Camp is primitive with portalets - it's a short walk to the Boy Scouts' bath house.  The old bath houses and Chickee huts were destroyed by hurricane Irma and not replaced.  There is no electricity on the Girl Scout side.  Quiet inverter-generators are allowed.  The food truck and vendor area are in the Girl Scout Camp.  RV's park in the Girl Scout camp
• The WSP is held during the height of the winter season in the Keys.  Expensive, yes, but it's the cheapest week you can get in the Keys unless you have good friends or relatives who'll let you crash for free.
• RV's don't have to arrive on any particular day but like most major star parties there is no tiered pricing based on number of days attended.

[PJ Anway]

A lot of Newbies out there asking questions about attending the organized star parties. I've been to a lot of them coast to coast since 1991. Here's is a basic outline of the preparation and etiquette to go to these events. You can get more on the particular star party's site. These preparations, fees and rules will vary from place to place. I made a Power Point presentation 18 months ago for my club's In-reach meeting for the newbies. This presentation was geared for RMSS, but applies to most venues. You may add other things to this thread such as additional general RV/ dry camping prep. As for car lights, use or open a separate thread for that as these remedies vary with make, model and year.

 

Star Party Etiquette and Safety:

Dark skies
c. Keep the lights pointing down while walking at night. Use care with the headlamps as these point as you move your head as these are quite bright. Same care if you are using these headlamps while adjusting your gear. A lot of complaints on this.

Roving

Point "c." seems contradictory. "Keep lights pointing down" and "Use care with headlamps as these point as you move". The only way both can be used with "etiquette", is to "keep lights pointing down". That would require you to wear the headlamp with the strap going over the top of your head and the light under your chin (pointing down). I would hope those using them would wear them this way; otherwise, headlamps would be considerately left at home when attending public events.

Edited by PJ Anway, 10 December 2024 - 07:33 AM.

[Joe F Gafford]

 

Updated/Corrected Info on the Winter Star Party

• I don't think there are any more retirees at WSP than at any other major star party. The WSP is held at adjoining Girl and Boy Scout Camps.  Long haul?  That's relative to where you are coming from.  The star parties out west are the long hauls for me.
  The Boy Scout Camp has glamping tents available and a very nice bath house. All hurricane damage was repaired at their camp.  Electricity is available for equipment and charging batteries.  Bring your own 100 foot extension cord.
  The Girl Scout Camp is primitive with portalets - it's a short walk to the Boy Scouts' bath house.  The old bath houses and Chickee huts were destroyed by hurricane Irma and not replaced.  There is no electricity on the Girl Scout side.  Quiet inverter-generators are allowed.  The food truck and vendor area are in the Girl Scout Camp.  RV's park in the Girl Scout camp
• The WSP is held during the height of the winter season in the Keys.  Expensive, yes, but it's the cheapest week you can get in the Keys unless you have good friends or relatives who'll let you crash for free.
• RV's don't have to arrive on any particular day but like most major star parties there is no tiered pricing based on number of days attended.

 

Changes made, Thanks. Long haul? This was made for us not on the East Coast as there are plenty of us non-snowbird retirees here whom go to these events and come back to the snow! Hotel costs while traveling increases as you go south. 

 

Joe

[Charlie B]

Point "c." seems contradictory. "Keep lights pointing down" and "Use care with headlamps as these point as you move". The only way both can be used with "etiquette", is to "keep lights pointing down". That would require you to wear the headlamp with the strap going over the top of your head and the light under your chin (pointing down). I would hope those using them would wear them this way; otherwise, headlamps would be considerately left at home when attending public events.

No. a lot or red headlamps are on a pivot, so that they can be pointed down.  However, If you are away from your telescope where you don't need two hands, you should take them off your head and carry them pointed at your feet.

 

Regards,

Charlie B

[kas20amc02]

As a visual observer I whole-heartedly that imagers should be more cognizant of their screens and lights on their power cords and other equipment, which are often bright blue.  Star party or just shared observing area, those are really bright!  One was casting a shadow at my local club last week. At Bortle IV, it is hardly pitch black.  It may not bother your camera, but it certainly deteriorates my view.  (I ended up putting a camp chair between it and me, to shield my eyes).

[Keith Rivich]

My opinion of star party etiquette is:

 

If whatever anyone else is doing bugs you then don't do what they are doing to bug anyone else.