BAS members may also be available to simply offer a tour of the sky by pointing out constellations using a green laser pointer. The night sky changes each month as the Earth progresses around the Sun and the dark side points to a different part of our galaxy, so each star party will have different constellations visible.

There is enough starlight that once your eyes have adapted to the darkness (called “night vision”), you’ll be able to walk around to the various telescopes to look through them. Members will have telescopes pointed at different stars, galaxies, nebulae, or other targets so be sure to walk around and get a look through the different telescopes. If you are lucky, you may even get to see the bright fast-moving reflection of light off a satellite or the international space station as they orbit the Earth, or maybe even a meteor or comet!

Parking for a star party at Harrison Bay State Park is free. However, Cloudland Canyon State Park currently has a $5 per car fee, which can be paid at either the park entrance booth (typically before 5 PM) or in a deposit box at the disc golf course parking area after 5 PM (exact change is required for deposit boxes). See our Locations page for more information about these star party sites.

Here are some general helpful hints, guidelines, and forms of etiquette to ensure a wonderful evening under the stars for yourself and other attendees:

1. Try to arrive before sunset as arriving early allows you to walk around to see the various telescopes and ask our BAS members questions. In addition, and if around, the moon is bright enough to be visible through a telescope, even before dusk.

2. Avoid bright lights to maintain what we call “night vision”, which includes handheld and cell phone flashlights, etc. (red lights are ok though!).

3. It will be dark so please walk slowly and watch out for bumping into your fellow observers and BAS member telescopes.

4. Watch out for tripping hazards such as power cords, telescope tripod legs, etc.

5. While at a telescope setup, a BAS member will be there to help let you know how to safely use and view through it.

6. When looking through a visual telescope, care should be taken not to grab or bump into it, since this will move it away from the selected viewing target. A focus knob is used to sharpen the image for your eye (only small adjustments are needed) and our BAS member will help you locate it before looking into the telescope.

7. Also, for those of us with glasses, removing them prior to looking through the eyepiece usually helps.

8. Some telescopes automatically track what they are pointed at as the earth turns, while others need to be manually adjusted every few minutes to stay centered on a target (this is called re-centering). So, jumping or running around the telescopes is frowned upon. Be sure to ask if it appears the object is not visible anymore and our BAS member will be happy to re-center it for you.

9. If you need to leave early, try to avoid headlights shining on the group as we want to keep everything as dark as possible for those that are still observing. Better yet, if you know you will need to leave early, please park as far away as possible and already have your headlights facing away from the star party.

10. Nighttime can get cool, even in summer, so bring a sweater or jacket. In the spring, fall, and winter, you’ll want hats, mittens, and extra warm coats.

11. Above all……….be courteous and have fun!