Star Parties! Where to find them?

[CosmicOrangutan]

Hey everyone,

Is there a website that lists star parties that are coming up over 2016? I unfortunately missed SGL11 due to time and money but would really like to start attending these events to mix with the community and build on my knowledge. Can anyone recommend a good starting point? I've joined my local astronomy club and on my first meet up we were lucky enough to have a talk from one of the original Apollo Engineers. He worked on designing the science experiments that were attached to the Lunar Module, absolutely fascinating.

Thanks, 

George

[michaelmorris]

The number and dates of star parties varies from year to year.  The timing mainly partly due to the availability of campsites, weather outlook and when the New Moon falls.

Kelling Heath in Norfolk host large gatherings every April (http://www.starparty.org/) and September (http://starparty.las-astro.org.uk/index.php).Last year they also hosted a Winterfest Star Party in November http://www.winterfestastro.co.uk/.  Be warned, pitches for the Autumn event at Kelling Heath sell out really fast (most pitches for the September 2016 event were taken over a year in advance).

There are loads of other star parties throughout the autumn, winter and spring, including ones hosted at Herstmonceaux Castle, Keilder, the Isle of Wight, Galloway forest, Sixpenny Handley and the Peak district.  Some are held every year and some on slightly more ad hoc basis.  Some are just a gathering of like-minded folk, whilst others are more structured, with talks and traders.

Keep your eyes on our star party forum for further details of many of these events.

https://stargazerslounge.com/forum/45-star-parties/

 

[CosmicOrangutan]

Great, thanks Michael