Overview of a Star Party

Start Party (a.k.a. Stargazing session) is an event conducted by amateur astronomers to spend a night under a star-filled night sky and do observation of celestial entities through naked eye or through telescopes/binoculars. It is normally conducted on a new Moon day when the sky is the darkest bet without the moonlight. Typically, winter is the best time for stargazing, as the atmosphere will have the least convection currents, making the sky that much clear.

What to observe on a typical star party is typically well planned in advance by carefully going through the sky map (a.k.a. star chart) for the location for that day and noting down the celestial objects that would rise and set throughout that night. These entities include planets, stars and deep sky objects like nebulae, star clusters and galaxies. Astronomers make careful planning of how to locate faint deep sky objects through various means including a technique called star hoping.

What to carry?

Given below are the list of things one should carry while attending a star party.

1. Star chart (a.k.a. Sky Map): Fun of star gazing is to hunt for celestial objects that are hard to locate. While there are mobile apps that help you do it easily, we recommend doing it the old-fashioned way, using a paper star chart. Please print the star charts that were shared earlier and bring them along.

2. Notebook and pen/pencil

   1. Star party is never complete without noting down what you saw in the sky. This is called an Observation Log. As we explore the night sky, it will be great to make note of what you saw. A sample observation log is available in this folder.

   2. You may carry a hard writing pad/board for support, while taking notes.

3. Flashlight: Star party is conducted in complete darkness. Lights will reduce the sensitivity of the eyes making observation of faint celestial objects difficult. However you could carry a flashlight with the light covered in a red plastic/paper foil, so that it emits only red light. Red light will not reduce the sensitivity of the eyes. Some DYI examples here: https://www.instructables.com/Astronomy-Hacking-a-Redlight/

4. Waterproof mat: Observation is a tiring activity. You may want to give rest to your body in between. Cary a waterproof mat that you could use to lie down to take breaks in between. Also watching the night sky lying down on your back is an amazing experience in itself.

5. Optical Equipment

   1. DLSR Camera: If you have one and a tripod, you may bring it along to capture the Milkyway.

   2. Intervalometer: For taking star trail photos/videos. Organizers can show you how to do it. It’s not very expensive to buy one if you don’t have one. Ensure your DSLR supports attaching it.

   3. Binoculars with tripod: Will be useful to observe star clusters and bright deep sky objects.

   4. Though we are in summer, we cannot rule out the possibility of dew formation after midnight. So please carry some plastic sheets or bags (to wrap) and dry cloth (to wipe) to protect your equipment from an unlikely wet condition.

6. Clothing

   1. Wear comfortable clothing as you will be awake throughout the night moving around. April will be warm during the day and will be pleasant during night. But it is always better to carry an additional layer just in case it gets a bit colder.

   2. Wear shoes, as loose slippers will not be ideal as the star gazing area will be completely dark and you don’t want to trip and fall.

7. Mosquito Repellents

8. Water bottles: We encourage you to carry water in your own bottles to ensure we don’t generate unnecessary litter of disposable plastic bottles. Campground will have a water refilling station.

9. Foldable table/chair (Optional): If you have a camping table/chair, you may carry it if you want to sit and work on your observation log or simply want to relax in between.

10. Tent: If you have your own tent, you may want to bring it along just in case we run out of them at the campground.

11. Thermoflask: If you want to sip your favourite hot beverage in the middle of the night.

12. Toilet paper if you are particular about personal hygiene in using a common washroom.

13. During the day time there are trekking, kayaking, boating, etc. activities that can be taken up. So please come prepared with the right clothing/footwear for these.

14. Powerbank

15. Toiletries

    
    

What to avoid?

There are certain things that should be avoided to make the star party experience that much better.

1. As mentioned above, any form of light, other than red, is not allowed in the star gazing area. This includes mobile phones, camera flash lights, laptops, etc. If you want to use mobile phones/laptops, it should have the red filter turned on for the display. Here is a sample video on how to do this for iPhone: Turn Phone Screen Red for Better Sleep & Health

2. Smoking: Though we are in the open, please use a spot away from the star gazing area for smoking.

3. Alcohol: Strictly prohibited.

4. Pets: Strictly prohibited as we don’t want any kind of disturbance of the equipment in the dark. Also, not everyone may be comfortable with pets around.

5. Campfire: The smoke from the campfire will impact the quality of the surrounding area and the observation of the night sky. Avoid having a campfire close to the observation area. More instruction will be provided at the campground.