Overseas star parties

[bish]

Has anybody been to an overseas star party? I was looking at the Texas Star Party and would love to go somewhere like that. Just wondered if anybody had actually been to one rather than just day dreamed about it?

[alan potts]

I know from reading his reports Dirksteele has been to Namibia on a holiday aimed at astronomy, there are some fabulous reports on his site. All I have seen so far of his latest trip was reports of rather a lot of thunderstorms, always worth a read they are well written.

Alan.

[bish]

Thanks Alan, I will have a look at his site.

I would really like to go to the Texas Star Party. Obviously it wouldn't be cheap, and I don't whether hiring a telescope would be a possibility etc.

[Ant]

I went to the Texas Star Party back in 1989. I can only describe it as one of the most amazing weeks of my life.

If you can, you really should. The skies, back then, had a limiting magnitude of about +7.5 - the Milky way was so bright it looked like cloud rising over the distant mountains. I had been observing for a number of years and was completely lost.

Cheers

Ant

[RichM63]

^ sounds fantastic.

There's always Olly down in the South of France, he has all the kit and caboodle, + a mate with a €6M telescope, IIRC.

For an esoteric experience I've started to regularly mow my adjacent field + am persuading my farmer mate to get a move on with finishing a 14 people holiday cottage affair adjoining 'said' field. Thus, power, beds, loos, kitchens, and bathrooms, central heating, and more importantly Dark Skies, cheap booze, good food, and hundreds of cute wild rabbits thrown in.  

The one place I've always wanted to go to is the Atacama ALMA/ESO site, OK not a star party, but a once in a life time experience.

For USA, why not PM Lowjiber (1 b or 2b?) he is out in the Vegas desert, not very active on here, but very active on the American astronomy forums. 

[bish]

I went to the Texas Star Party back in 1989. I can only describe it as one of the most amazing weeks of my life.

 

If you can, you really should. The skies, back then, had a limiting magnitude of about +7.5 - the Milky way was so bright it looked like cloud rising over the distant mountains. I had been observing for a number of years and was completely lost.

 

Cheers

Ant

Excellent. One of those things I always think about, but should start to do something about it.

[bish]

^ sounds fantastic.

 

There's always Olly down in the South of France, he has all the kit and caboodle, + a mate with a €6M telescope, IIRC.

 

For an esoteric experience I've started to regularly mow my adjacent field + am persuading my farmer mate to get a move on with finishing a 14 people holiday cottage affair adjoining 'said' field. Thus, power, beds, loos, kitchens, and bathrooms, central heating, and more importantly Dark Skies, cheap booze, good food, and hundreds of cute wild rabbits thrown in.  

 

The one place I've always wanted to go to is the Atacama ALMA/ESO site, OK not a star party, but a once in a life time experience.

 

For USA, why not PM Lowjiber (1 b or 2b?) he is out in the Vegas desert, not very active on here, but very active on the American astronomy forums.

Yes Olly's place looks great and has crossed my mind too. Thanks for the tip to ask lowjber. I doubt it will happen until 2016 at the moment though.