Lodging & Leisure
Celebrate the International Year of Astronomy under Western skies
By CHUCK THOMPSON
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• Western star party guide
• Stargazing gear
Dean KetelsenBreathtaking views abound at the annual Grand Canyon Star Party.
At 9:28 p.m., just five minutes from now, the International Space Station will be passing directly overhead.
Around me, a crowd of 40 or 50 amateur astronomers is already scanning the dusky Oregon sky for traces of moving light. After a long, hot day of driving through and hanging out in the kind of territory where country music and gospel stories dominate the radio waves, the assemblage is more than ready to get a jump on the first major highlight of the 2009 Prineville Reservoir Star Party.
Over the course of the evening and into the early morning hours, the crowd in this remote location will explore the skies in search of everything from the Big Dipper to the Andromeda Galaxy. But the sight of a manmade object in the heavens — even at a trifling 250 miles above earth — stirs an immediate primal excitement.
Jim Sugar/CorbisLocated on Arizona's Tohono O'odham Reservation, the Kitt Peak National Observatory offers nightly observation programs and claims the world's largest collection of optical telescopes.
"There it is!" shouts a kid in a Cub Scout uniform. Fifty heads follow his outstretched finger. Even without the dozen or so telescopes set up on the banks of the reservoir, it's easy to pick out the small pulsating object as it hurtles across the sky, a show-stopping reminder for the awestruck spectators not simply of man's triumphant cosmic reach, but of the terra-firma magic right here in their backyard.
Not to be chauvinistic about it — everyone in the United States sees the same sky, after all — but there's a reason that bedrolls, campfires, and horizon-to-horizon starry nights that recall "diamonds on velvet" are such an indelible part of Western mythology. It turns out the night sky really is more spectacular in Western states than anywhere else in the country.
"People in the West often don't realize that they're living beneath this massive asset," says David Nemo, a board member of Portland, Oregon's Rose City Astronomer's Club, one of the largest amateur astronomy organizations in the country. "If you can see the Milky Way from where you live, you have something of value that a lot of people envy."
With 2009 declared the International Year of Astronomy — commemorating the 400th anniversary of Galileo's famous first look through a telescope in 1609 — more and more people are taking advantage of that asset. At star parties such as the one in Prineville, families, astronomy experts, and backyard stargazers are congregating in increasing numbers to share tips, stories, campsites, and, most important, magnificent views of the night skies through each other's telescopes.
Though star parties are held in every state of the Union, there are a number of reasons that the best ones take place in the West.
David HaworthAstrophotography is a popular activity at many star parties. This view of the Milky Way as seen from eastern Oregon required a four-minute exposure.
"For one thing, it's darker," says Nemo. "Look at Google's light-pollution map [available as an overlay with the Google Earth application]. There are hardly any dark spots left in the eastern United States." Light pollution and "urban sky glow" (excess light from population centers that obscures objects in the night sky) are the bane of professional and amateur astronomers — and anyone who's gone camping hoping to catch a little Milky Way and gotten milky city glow instead.
And the problem is getting worse. According to the Prairie Astronomy Club of Lincoln, Nebraska, due to light pollution, "The 100-inch-diameter telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory, which overlooks the Los Angeles Basin, is only 11 percent as effective as when it was built [in 1904]."
Thank goodness the West isn't all L.A.-style population centers. Large tracts of unpopulated land make Western states prime "dark star country" for dedicated sky watchers. The West's higher elevations — which for astronomers mean less pollution and haze to see through — also make skies more dramatic. In states below the jet stream, such as Arizona and New Mexico, consistently smooth Laminar airflow (the opposite of turbulent flow) cuts down on the atmospheric turmoil stargazers in northern states generally contend with.
"Then there are the warm nights, which definitely don't hurt," a mechanic named Jerry from tiny Madras, Oregon, tells me as we exchange astonishingly detailed views of Saturn's rings through a large Dobsonian telescope.
Howard EdinA meteorite streaks through the night during the 2008 Okie-Tex Star Party near Kenton, Oklahoma.
On the eastern side of the Cascade Range, the Prineville Reservoir Star Party has attracted more than 100 people. It's typical of small, loosely organized star parties. In a parking lot behind a sheltering ridge about 17 miles from Prineville (population 9,000), members of astronomy clubs from around the state have erected all manner of telescopes and trained them on favorite objects in the sky. Kids, veteran enthusiasts, and first-timers like me mill around looking through the telescopes and talking with their impressively informed owners about the celestial wonders found in each eyepiece.
With the naked eye, humans can see about 2,000 stars at night. With binoculars, approximately 30,000. With the aid of a telescope, about 600,000 stars are visible. For those considering buying a telescope, star parties are great informal venues for checking out a number of different types in real-world settings, while gaining practical advice from their very chatty owners. Car headlights and other breaches of star-party etiquette are occasionally met with lusty boos, but otherwise the atmosphere is overwhelmingly fraternal and family-friendly.
During an impromptu lecture near midnight, about 20 of us are treated to a piece of homey astronomy humor. "The North Star is actually a double star," an older man with a long gray beard explains as he peers into a telescope. "If you look closely, you can see that it actually has a very dim companion. I'm guessing some of you married folks can relate to that." Not exactly Live at the Apollo material, but the rustle of polite laughter affirms that it'll do for Prineville on a Saturday night.
Dean Ketelsen"Diamonds on velvet" in the Western sky above Arizona
The amateur astronomers at the center of the star-party universe are a fascinating lot. Mostly they're men, 40 years and older. A few teeter on the edge of blowhardom, but most are just deeply and humbly interested in space. In addition to my new mechanic buddy, I end up discussing everything from globular clusters to UFOs to Charles Messier (spend any time at all with amateur astronomers and you'll get to know him) with, among others, a retired cop, freelance journalist, internal auditor, typing teacher, real-estate appraiser, and spooky-smart retired physics professor.
The conversations are as compelling as the stars that inspire them. Many astronomy clubs are set up as nonprofits, and star parties help satisfy the educational planks of their charters, but that doesn't mean anything about their public outreach is perfunctory. As Sky & Telescope editor in chief Robert Naeye wrote earlier this year to kick off the International Year of Astronomy (IYA): "By riding the IYA bandwagon, we can help counteract the pervasive pseudoscience and drivel that is polluting our culture with nonsense, making the public stupider at a time we need to be smarter."
As a member of that ever-stupider public, I will within a week predictably and disappointingly forget the names and locations of several famous constellations I'd promised myself to finally commit to memory. (Gee, how many girlfriends might one have impressed with even a faint knowledge of the stars?)
I do, however, end up leaving Prineville Reservoir feeling at least a little bit smarter about the sky above me — and a whole lot more appreciative of the enveloping western darkness that paradoxically helps to illuminate us all.
Learn more about the International Year of Astronomy at www.astronomy2009.org.
Western star parties
You need three things for a great star party: dark location, friendly people, and clear skies. The events below guarantee the first two and almost always do a stellar job with the third. These are annual gigs, so even if you don't hit them during 2009's International Year of Astronomy, the stars will still be there — along with the parties that celebrate them — in 2010.
Traci Brown
Comet Hale-Bopp in dramatic view over Mt. Hood, Oregon
Okie-Tex Star Party, Near Kenton, Oklahoma
Touting "some of the darkest skies anywhere in the Southwest," the Okie-Tex gathering is entering its 26th year of supreme stargazing augmented by day hikes, workshops, swap meets, prize giveaways, and professional lectures.
• September 12–20; $50 first adult, $25 second adult, under 18 free. www.okie-tex.com.
The Enchanted Skies Star Party, Socorro, New Mexico
Spearheaded by the New Mexico Tech Astronomy Club, this "unique Southwestern astronomy experience" includes lectures from professional astronomers, Southwestern food and entertainment, and spectacular viewing from a rarified elevation of 10,600 feet. Pre-registration mandatory. Warm clothing, too.
• October 14–17; $50 individual, $75 family. http://enchantedskies.org.
Central Montana Astronomy Society Star Extravaganza Party, Great Falls, Montana
Recalling that the Lewis and Clark Expedition relied on celestial observation to chart its course, this Big Sky extravaganza includes plenty of night-sky frontier history, free admission to the adjacent Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center, and indoor activities for kids.
• November 21; free. www.cmasweb.com.
Texas Star Party, Fort Davis, Texas
Held on the magnificent 3,500-acre Prude Ranch in the Davis Mountains, this 32-year-old event claims viewing ops in what might be the darkest skies in the lower 48. "Where else does the Sagittarius Milky Way rise over the mountains with so vivid a presence that you might mistake it for an ominous storm cloud?" asks sponsor Austin Astronomical Society.
• May 9–16, 2010; $50 per person, under 14 free. www.texasstarparty.org.
Grand Canyon Star Party, Grand Canyon National Park
With the nearest city 80 miles away, a reliably dark sky can make the Grand Canyon as spectacular by night as it is by day. Organized by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association in cooperation with the National Park Service, weeklong parties on the South and North Rims of the canyon draw more than 1,000 visitors a night, making lodging or campsite reservations a must. The 2010 party marks the event's 20th anniversary.
• June 5–12, 2010; free. www.tucsonastronomy.org.
Oregon Star Party, Ochoco National Forest
You might associate Oregon with clouds and rain, but east of the Cascade Range, summers are hot, dry, and clear. Amid ponderosa, mountain mahogany, and sage, the Oregon Star Party draws about 700 people to a remote high-prairie location offering a 360-degree horizon 50 miles from the nearest town and 30 miles from the nearest electrical light.
• August 11–15, 2010; $55 adult, $5–$15 kids. www.oregonstarparty.org.
Sierra Summer Star Party, Markleeville, California
In the Eastern Sierras, this low-key gathering lures about 40 to 50 people and their telescopes with exceptionally dark skies and a viewing site easily accessed by car. "We are so informal that we have no boring meetings," jokes the host Great Western Astronomers Observing Group and Telescope Club's website. "We do have a lot of fun, however!"
• September 4–5, 2010; $15 donation suggested. www.sierrastar.org.
McDonald Observatory Star Parties, Fort Davis, Texas
Home to the famed Hobby-Eberly Telescope — with a 36-foot diameter, it's one of the largest optical telescopes in the world — the McDonald Observatory hosts Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday star parties throughout the year. At 6,300 feet above sea level, nights are generally clear and chilly.
• Three times weekly, adult $10, child $8 ($15 and $12 with day pass to observatory). http://mcdonaldobservatory.org.
Louis Psihoyos/Corbis
— C.T.
Stargazing essentials
It doesn't take an astronomical budget to explore the stars. Here are some affordable items that will give you a better view of the skies than Galileo ever had.
Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas
• Buy this atlas
Of the many available books, this classic easy-to-use spiral-bound guide to night skies is considered indispensable by legions of astronomers of all levels ($20).
TheSkyX Student
• Buy the student version
From Software Bisque's highly respected planetarium series, this software package with super-realistic graphics helps novice- to-intermediate stargazers develop a greater understanding of astronomy, track planetary motion, watch solar and lunar eclipses, and search the heavens of the past, present, and future ($100). The module to the right features TheSky6 Serious Astronomer Edition, if you're more advanced.
Orion Resolux 10.5 x 70 Astronomical Binoculars
• Buy these binoculars
More comfortable and easier to maneuver around the sky than a mounted telescope, a good set of binoculars is the starting point for amateur astronomers. The Resolux line is made with all-metal housing and thick rubber armor to ensure durability and comfort. Impressive light-grabbing optics are perfect for wide-field stargazing ($370).
Celestron NexStar 60 SLT Computerized Telescope
• Buy this telescope
From one of the most popular brands in the field, this intermediate scope with a 60mm refractor is great for both celestial and terrestrial viewing. Computer-control technology includes a database that allows the telescope to automatically locate more than 4,000 objects in the sky (up to $300).
Meade LX90-SC
• Buy this telescope
For advanced sky viewing, Meade's Schmidt-Cassegrain optics provide some of the best value for the money. The oversize 8.25-inch primary mirror brings pricks of light and objects invisible to the unaided eye into startling clarity. The scope is also designed to accommodate astrophotography ($1,800).
Product links
• www.oriontelescopes.com
• www.bisque.com
• www.celestron.com
• www.meade.com
Once you have the tools, what do you look at and how do you find it? Visit Astronomy magazine at www.astronomy.com for all kinds of info about the skies and stars, including "eclipse cruises." Registered users can download free podcasts on night-sky targets by calendar date.
— C.T.
Issue: October 2009
