Wanted: Tips for organising star parties and public observing sessions

[simonperks]

Hello all,

I'm a freelance science writer based near Bristol, UK, as well as a keen amateur astronomer. I’m writing a feature article for Popular Astronomy magazine about how to organise engaging and entertaining star parties for members of the public and am keen to seek the views of fellow astronomers who have experience of organising public observing sessions.

Consequently, I was wondering whether anyone might be able to spare a few thoughts on some questions about organising star parties. The sort of things I have in mind are (and please excuse the rather long list here):

• Where are the best places to hold a star party? What makes for a good venue?
• When is the best time to hold a star party, in terms of time of year, phase of the moon, etc.? (I’m taking it as a given that ‘at night’ will work well…)
• How do you try to ensure a clear night for star parties? For example, do you have a list of potential dates and issue a ‘go / no go’ each day, or do you choose one date and hope for the best?
• What are the best sorts of observing targets for a public audience? What gets the best reception?
• Do you have a list of targets for telescope operators or do you let the operators choose what to look at? What do you think works best?
• Are some types of telescope better for public observing than others? If so, which? And what about binoculars and naked-eye observing?
• Roughly what ratio of telescopes to visitors works well, do you think?
• Do you use talks or presentations in addition to actual observing? Does this work well?
• How do you get experienced observers involved in running star parties? Is it easy or do you struggle sometimes?
• How do you manage people on-site at star parties? Is there a structure or do people wander freely from scope to scope?
• How do you publicise your events? What gets the best response?
• What advice would you give to someone organising a public star party for the first time?

I'd very much welcome any thoughts or advice on these or any other aspects of organising star parties and public observing sessions. What works well? What doesn't work so well? And what, for you, makes for a brilliant public observing session?

Please feel free to leave your comments here. If you'd prefer to email me directly, or if you'd like to have a chat over the phone or Skype, just message me and we'll sort something out.

With best regards and huge thanks in advance for your help,

Simon.

[estwing]

Somewhere just out of town to get reasonable darkness but close enough for interest and people who want to bring kiddies also not too late in the year because of the cold...you try telling newcomers how fun it is at -8 ! Also nice too have soup hotdogs that sorta thing

[Kropster]

If you are organising a public event you may well need liability insurance, permission from any landowner and / or the local authority.

[Lowjiber]

Not to play semantics with a professional writer, but to most astronomers a star party is much different from a public-outreach event which you seem to be interested in organizing.

To most, a "star party" is a group of astronomers who gather in the darkest areas with little regard for public accessability, as we're not there to "entertain" or "educate" anyone not already associated with the hobby.

A "publc-outreach" type of event is considerably different...

It's usually held in a public park, schoolyard; senior citizen facility; or other easily accessible site.  The goal is to inform/entertain those who don't already practice our "dark art", in the off-chance that a few will actually pursue the hobby further.

My local club (Las Vegas Astronomical Society) organizes and conducts many of both.  Our star parties are held in the remote desert areas, sometimes a hundred miles from civilization... Death Valley is an example.  (Not exactly a "family venue".)

In the highly light-polluted environment of the Las Vegas valley, our club averages about thirty "public-outreach" events each year.  Those are held where people gather easily, as mentioned above.  I generally participate in about five events per year myself.  They can be fun, but they can be downright stupid as well...

A good event is usually held at a park, or similar area, that is well-lit, but not so bright as to detract from the astronomer's ability to display a wide variety of targets to the general public.  I've learned "my lesson" with ill-planned events, from an astronomer's perspective.  For example, our well-meaning "event coordinator" once scheduled a public outreach event in a new park on the north end of the Vegas Valley.  Like an idiot, I and others failed to check out the site beforehand, and showed up with our equipment to find that our location was immediately adjacent to no less than twenty, highly-lit basketball courts.  Between the court lighting and the parking lot lighting, no one was able to see anything... let alone find suitable targets to display to the guests.

I now "scout out" the site beforehand, and don't even bother to show up if the light-pollution is excessive.  The public learns exactly "nothing", and is certainly not "entertained".

From an event timing perspective, be aware of the moon.  A full moon lighting up the sky ruins opportunities to display dimmer objects.  Nothing is so boring to the guests as to have twenty scopes all lined up, with the only targets being the moon or maybe Jupiter... big deal.  Can one hold an event during a full moon?  You bet!  Just schedule the event when a full moon hasn't risen yet, or has already set... simple.

As far as a "list" goes... forget it.  Let the astronomers decide what their equipment can provide on a given night.  The guy with the 16" Dob is gonna be showing off dim DSOs, while the guy with a 90mm refractor is going to have a planet or something like M45 in the eyepiece.

I once had a ninety-year-old lady totter up to my 10" Dob and say, "Sonny, can you show me Sirius with that thing?"  Of course I could, as it was hanging in the southwest at about forty-five degrees and dominating the other stars around it.  It seems as though she had been looking at that star in wonder all of her long life, and wanted to see it through a scope.  She darn near cried when I put it in the eyepiece... defraction spikes and all.  A touching moment for me as well.

Something that really "entertains" and educates the general public is to have a knowledgeable astronomer with a green laser give a presentation of the constellations, and perhaps some obvious visual targets (Saturn, Jupiter, etc.) as well.  Sounds basic, but your guests are often amazed by what we consider simple stuff.

My $0.02 (US) worth.

[Gazabone]

Not to play semantics with a professional writer, but to most astronomers a star party is much different from a public-outreach event which you seem to be interested in organizing.

To most, a "star party" is a group of astronomers who gather in the darkest areas with little regard for public accessability, as we're not there to "entertain" or "educate" anyone not already associated with the hobby.

A "publc-outreach" type of event is considerably different...

It's usually held in a public park, schoolyard; senior citizen facility; or other easily accessible site. The goal is to inform/entertain those who don't already practice our "dark art", in the off-chance that a few will actually pursue the hobby further.

My local club (Las Vegas Astronomical Society) organizes and conducts many of both. Our star parties are held in the remote desert areas, sometimes a hundred miles from civilization... Death Valley is an example. (Not exactly a "family venue".)

In the highly light-polluted environment of the Las Vegas valley, our club averages about thirty "public-outreach" events each year. Those are held where people gather easily, as mentioned above. I generally participate in about five events per year myself. They can be fun, but they can be downright stupid as well...

A good event is usually held at a park, or similar area, that is well-lit, but not so bright as to detract from the astronomer's ability to display a wide variety of targets to the general public. I've learned "my lesson" with ill-planned events, from an astronomer's perspective. For example, our well-meaning "event coordinator" once scheduled a public outreach event in a new park on the north end of the Vegas Valley. Like an idiot, I and others failed to check out the site beforehand, and showed up with our equipment to find that our location was immediately adjacent to no less than twenty, highly-lit basketball courts. Between the court lighting and the parking lot lighting, no one was able to see anything... let alone find suitable targets to display to the guests.

I now "scout out" the site beforehand, and don't even bother to show up if the light-pollution is excessive. The public learns exactly "nothing", and is certainly not "entertained".

From an event timing perspective, be aware of the moon. A full moon lighting up the sky ruins opportunities to display dimmer objects. Nothing is so boring to the guests as to have twenty scopes all lined up, with the only targets being the moon or maybe Jupiter... big deal. Can one hold an event during a full moon? You bet! Just schedule the event when a full moon hasn't risen yet, or has already set... simple.

As far as a "list" goes... forget it. Let the astronomers decide what their equipment can provide on a given night. The guy with the 16" Dob is gonna be showing off dim DSOs, while the guy with a 90mm refractor is going to have a planet or something like M45 in the eyepiece.

I once had a ninety-year-old lady totter up to my 10" Dob and say, "Sonny, can you show me Sirius with that thing?" Of course I could, as it was hanging in the southwest at about forty-five degrees and dominating the other stars around it. It seems as though she had been looking at that star in wonder all of her long life, and wanted to see it through a scope. She darn near cried when I put it in the eyepiece... defraction spikes and all. A touching moment for me as well.

Something that really "entertains" and educates the general public is to have a knowledgeable astronomer with a green laser give a presentation of the constellations, and perhaps some obvious visual targets (Saturn, Jupiter, etc.) as well. Sounds basic, but your guests are often amazed by what we consider simple stuff.

My $0.02 (US) worth.

Very well said and I guess very valuable to the OP. There is a world of difference to the public outreach type event and a group of experienced astronomers getting together. Usually with the latter, the excitement is with someone finding something obscure, not exactly what might turn someone with no experience at all into a wannabe astronomer.

[Stub Mandrel]

From my experience with other types of outreach activity, I'd just comment on the organisation. this is not based on experience of any star parties (the only one I've booked for was called off ):

Don't over-plan things, I can imagine that in the dark any sort of rota or agenda will rapidly fall apart. instead have a strategy for greeting and briefing people so they know what hey can do and anything they shouldn't do (like pointing torches in people's eyes).

Give people a chance to show they already know something - ask them to point out the plough or orion; ask what they can see from home and if they've done any stargazing before - and listen to their answers. Even if their knowledge is really basic this this will help them feel part of the event, rather than just a spectator.

Don't let people feel left out or awkward about asking to take part or to see something specific. Make sure all the experienced people know it's their job to look out for people who look 'lost' and engage them.

Be prepared to advise people on inexpensive ways to get started - telling someone they need to spend £500 or stick to a pair of binoculars is totally demotivating. Why not have a small scope handy to show people it is worth spending £100 on a decent starter scope?

Most vital, I have seen events organised by groups where everyone sees their friends, so they go an chat to them and the new visitors get ignored - total failure.

Finally, from much experience with guided walks, if you're not sure about something ask 'does anyone know what this is?' before sticking your neck out ;-)

[FenlandPaul]

This is a terrific thread with some super advice and experience. I'm about to start writing a regular night-sky column for our village magazine and I'm hoping to have a couple of open observing events later in the year. Never having done one before (except for 100 6 and 7 year-olds for the eclipse earlier this year) this is invaluable stuff!

Thanks

Paul

[simonperks]

Thanks everyone for your comments and ideas, which are all really helpful. The distinction between 'star parties' for experienced astronomers and public outreach events is an important one, as Lowjiber and Gazabone point out. My main interest is in getting members of the public excited about astronomy, so the suggestions in this thread are exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. Thanks again for all your help!

Simon.

[Helen]

Lots of good advice here.  I've been involved in a lot of outreach (primarily solar but some night time).  Perhaps the best thing I have learnt to do is ask people to describe what they see and then nudge them to see extra detail eg with solar I start with what can you see - sometimes the answer is nothing which means either the scope has moved, it has clouded over, or the person is having difficulty getting their eye in the right spot.  I then ask them to describe in a bit more detail - does the outside look smooth or not? can you see any lines or spots etc.... That way they observe rather than look.  It really helps if you can back up what they are seeing with some facts eg 'that spot is twice the size of earth, that filament is half a million km long.  

Helen

[Hobbes]

As a member of my local Astronomical society I usually get involved in our public and outreach events and others in the local area and hopefully the following will help you.

Where are the best places to hold a star party? What makes for a good venue? - Try and find somewhere with good parking and access and where the surrounding area isn't too brightly lit. Countryside parks can be good bets. If you can find somewhere that has some indoor space that you can arrange to use to hold presentations and serve drinks and snacks so much the better. This is also good if the viewing conditions aren’t ideal as there is still something for the public to show up for.

When is the best time to hold a star party, in terms of time of year, phase of the moon, etc.? (I’m taking it as a given that ‘at night’ will work well…) - Autumn - Spring around the quarter moon as you have reasonable darkness but the moon gives a target that can be seen through light cloud

How do you try to ensure a clear night for star parties? For example, do you have a list of potential dates and issue a ‘go / no go’ each day, or do you choose one date and hope for the best? - As these things need to be scheduled well in advance if you want to publicise the event and get good support from amateur astronomers you just have to pick a date and cross your fingers and hope. Multiple dates just don't work well but make sure that you know when you subsequent event is going to be so that you can publicize it and offer it as an alternative if the weather is bad.

What are the best sorts of observing targets for a public audience? What gets the best reception? - Go for the “Lollipop” targets – The Moon, Orion Nebula, Andromeda Galaxy, Alberio, Double Cluster, etc. Astronomers get excited about the more challenging and esoteric targets but the public will be blown away by the sight of the Moon through an low powered eyepiece.

Do you have a list of targets for telescope operators or do you let the operators choose what to look at? What do you think works best? - Usually best to leave it up to the operators but if you notice that everyone is on the same object a gentle word to some of them can work well.

Are some types of telescope better for public observing than others? If so, which? And what about binoculars and naked-eye observing? - Depends on your audience. If a lot of small children are expected then a refractor is good as the eyepiece is lower and they can get to it more easily. Smaller dobs are also good for this. Generally though the bigger the scope the longer the queue. Green laser pointers are very useful. Binoculars rarely work well even when mounted on Parallelogram mounts

Roughly what ratio of telescopes to visitors works well, do you think? - 20 to 1 but try to get someone to backup each of the telescope operators, this person can “work” the queue briefing people on what they are going to see and giving them details about the scope. All to often I have found myself trying to answer detailed questions while also trying to ensure that my scope is still focused and not getting too badly abused and my eyepieces aren’t getting covered in greasy fingerprints. It also means that you can get a better throughput rate while still engaging with the public and answering their questions.

Do you use talks or presentations in addition to actual observing? Does this work well? - Yes and Yes

How do you get experienced observers involved in running star parties? Is it easy or do you struggle sometimes? - Engage with local astronomical societies and give them plenty of notice and make sure that they get credited and thanked.

How do you manage people on-site at star parties? Is there a structure or do people wander freely from scope to scope? - The later.

How do you publicise your events? What gets the best response?- Emails to local schools and press, Flyers posted in local businesses and notice boards, social media, if you can get on local radio that also works well and try and get and posters up near and at the venue.

What advice would you give to someone organising a public star party for the first time?- Make sure that you have additional people to run the event. You need someone on overall charge who is not tied to a scope.

[Stub Mandrel]

Might be worth giving a few H&S tips. Star parties should be pretty safe, but people can always find a way to have an accident, even in the dark. A few suggestion that come to mind would be:

No unaccompanied children - then no child protection issues/hassle.

The 'someone not tied to a scope' suggestion is excellent.

Check for obvious hazards - are you near a road that kids could wander on to in the dark? Or a pond? It may be easy to move a few dozen yards to a safer spot.

Make sure someone has a first aid kit and have enough people so that, if someone needs to leave in a hurry, there's someone to pack up the kit.

Make sure the volunteers and visitors know any safety rules/risks - but keep it short and simple or they won't remember them anyway. You don't need an in-flight safety demo, just things like watch out for wires, keep an eye on your kids in the dark. Try and make the scope owners keep things tidy but don't make safety rules you can't keep to - you are making a rod for your own back. I heard the story of a work party in a wood whose risk assessment said 'identify and mark all trip hazards before starting work'. Now if they didn't put tape markers on every single tree-root and someone tripped... far more sensible just to tell people to watch out for trip hazards as they will be working away from the paths.

[Zakalwe]

Public Liability Insurance will be a must. A risk assessment may be needed to satisfy your insurer.

I'd speak to a local astro society to get their views.  I'd also speak to the local police once you know how many people are likely to turn up.

Protection for yourself, the guests and the public is paramount. It's sad to say it, but if someone turned up, slipped in the dark and then landed you (as the organiser) with a claim then you could be in a world of mess.

[mcolbert]

yet another thing may be to consider a contingency plan.  How would the evening continue if....(insert disaster) happened.

michael

[mcolbert]

another thought- re the advertising.  Other than liaising with the local club / group (who may have gone that path before  ) I've found in the past that where there is a local community radio station you will find more active 'listeners' as it were who are willing to participate.

michael