Guidelines for Astronomers at the Starry Starry Nights Star Parties
Don Machholz  July 2002

This is not like the average in-the-city public star party. Here we have ~40 objects to choose from and in most cases each object will appear only once in one telescope.
We’ll follow the same pattern that I’ve used for years at my Big Bend Star Parties.  I’ll find an object in one telescope and announce it.  I’ll then go to another of my telescope and find a different object and announce it.  Then I’ll find a third object in my third telescope and announce it.  Behind each telescope a short line forms, when each guest has a look he/she moves to the next telescope.  Often there will be a couple of other astronomers there too, also finding objects.  Each object stays in a telescope for about 10 minutes when we have about 40 guests.  If we have five instruments there, then every 2 minutes a new object appears in one of the telescopes.

Before each session us astronomers will gather and hand out the list of objects we intend to show (also available elsewhere on this Web site). We’ll then divide up the list.  I’d like you to show objects that you are most familiar with and that look good in your telescope.  The number of objects you will get will probably be ~40 divided by the number of telescopes.  If we have eight telescopes, you’ll get about 5 objects.
At ~8:30 I’ll give a short welcome talk and a few suggestions to the guests (like try not to touch the telescopes).  By then it will be fairly dark, with the sun 12 degrees below the horizon.  The Milky Way will be overhead, passing north through south.  We’ll begin showing bright stars and double stars, this gets the guests used to looking through the telescopes.  We then move on to deep-sky stuff.

We do not know what size crowd will appear at Starry Starry Nights.  It is being advertised all over Northern California, and locally near each observing location too.  I have found that the reasons the public attends star parties are because they want see meaningful stuff through telescopes and because they want some questions answered.  Therefore, we’re available early for questions and we show objects from the itenerary of bright astronomical objects on our list.  This list contains a few notes about each item (this list and a star map will be given to the guests too).

Here are some basic guidelines for these star parties:
Be there and pretty much set up by 8PM.  We are encouraging the guests to arrive early and to ask any astronomy-related questions they may have before the star gazing begins at 8:30.
Stick to the list of stuff we say we’re going to show.
Be able to find each object quickly, within about a minute.
Announce each new object you show.
Stay with your instrument.  This is so that you can show them how to look through the eyepiece, explain again what they should be seeing, re-position the telescope (as sure as the earth rotates the guests will want to touch your telescope) and answer any additional questions they may have.
Stay on that object until you’re fairly certain that anyone who wanted to see it has seen it.
You can stay after 10PM if you wish.  Check the moonrise time, which will be at 10:40 the first night and 40 minutes later each night.  There will be a few lights as the public and other astronomers leave.  The best places for private viewing are Dutch Flat, China Wall and Sugar Pine Res. Boat Launch Parking Lot.  Directions to each are on this Web site, with pictures of most.
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