Guidelines for Astronomers at the Starry Starry Nights Star Parties
Don Machholz  July 2003

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 and for last year‘s Starry Starry Night.  Each observer finds a different object in his/her telescope.  Behind each telescope a short line forms, when each guest has a look he/she moves to the next telescope.  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 10 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 can expect fairly large crowds sat this event.  Mars will be shown near the end of each session and many people will want to see it.  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.
Directions to each are on this Web site, with pictures of most.
End