Milky Way Voyage Regulations
It would be a mistake to impose too many regulations on an event where informality is a main attraction. That being said, here are a few suggestions that can help to make everyone's visit a positive experience.
No Lights philosophy will be followed at the Milky Way Voyage. Did you know that it takes about 30 minutes to fully dark adapt your eyes, meaning the pupil dilates to its full extent very slowly, but it takes just a second to constrict it when a torch is lighted or pointed towards your eyes. The legendary skies at ARIES, Nainital can fully be appreciated only if no lights are allowed to even blink. Nothing short of a medical emergency should be the reason for lighting any light, even inadvertently. Some of the inadvertent light sources are cell phone rings!, computer screen light, car door lights, brake lights, reverse bright lights. Equip all flashlights with red filters and keep them pointed at the ground. Also, keep your flashlights to a maximum of two D-cell sizes or smaller. Larger lights, even with red gel, produce too much intensity and can ruin your dark-adapted sight. We hope everyone will cooperate so we can guarantee absolute dark skies to everyone.
No-Lights period will begin at on both observing nights at the start of Astronomical twilight, time= 1939 Hrs. The No-Lights period will continue till the end of Astronomical twilight in the morning at 0507 Hrs. All light emitting devices must be turned off when lighting restrictions begin. The only exceptions to this rule will be red-filtered lights and during inclement weather or emergencies. Emergencies may require the use of white light and whenever possible, a warning should be given to avoid interference with astrophotography or observing. If you are using a personal computer on the observing field the screen must be red-filtered, i.e. a triple layer of red cellophane securely over the screen. Laptop screens that are red filtered through the software will not be permitted as they are the cause of inadvertent brightening when the software is shut off or while booting up of the laptop. In an emergency, if you must turn on a light, give a warning yell. Others can then take steps to protect their night vision or astrophoto efforts.
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STAR PARTY ETIQUETTE
This article by Tom Clark appeared in Sky and Telescope a few years ago, and in Amateur Astronomy Magazine. Feel free to make copies if you wish, for distributing to newcomers in your club, or run a copy in your club newsletter. Please mention that it came from Amateur Astronomy Magazine.
Most amateur astronomers live in increasingly light-polluted environments and don't have the opportunity to observe from pristine dark sky locations nearly as much as they would like. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why attending dark-sky events has become so popular in recent years. Where else can you disregard your normal routine, stay up all night, poke your eyes into the far reaches of the Universe, and then sleep till noon, day after day? This is just a small part the magic star parties hold. New star parties are popping up all over the country, while the long established events have grown to gigantic proportions. This is good! Having a few days or a week to enjoy our favourite hobby, while sharing the daytime hours with kindred souls is an experience that is hard to match. At any star party you will meet all types of people. Many have been mainly armchair observers who are taking their first trip into dark skies. In order to fit in.... and to keep from seeming to be completely unenlightened to the more experienced astronomers, there are a few simple things that you need to learn. Etiquette is not something that we are born knowing - it is something that has to be learned. Here are a few tips that will help you make many new friends at your next Star Party, and to keep everyone from pointing at you and saying, "My God! Who is that Geek?"
Come prepared! No matter what temperature you hear it will be, prepare for weather that is at least 20 degrees colder. Make and use a check list to see that you don't leave home without something you need, such as your eyepiece case, or red flashlight. If you bring a telescope, set up a small tool box containing extra batteries, lights, etc. If you want to make friends, avoid having to always borrow things. Bring a cooler or thermos, and something for a late night snack. Even better, bring along some goodies to share with your friends around you. If you are not familiar with the observing site, arrive early enough so that you don't have to drive in, not knowing where you are going, and disrupt everyone with your headlights.
Lights No Green laser pointers are permitted Please do not use green laser 'sky pointers' as they may interfere with other folks astrophotography
Car Lights
If you wish to leave early please park at reception,
or far enough away so you will be able to leave when you wish, without shining
bright lights all over those who are still observing and ruining their night
vision. Almost all the problems that pop up come from people who never read the
star party literature, or those who believe that the rules only pertain to
others. If you would rather not follow the rules... then go observing on your
own, where your method of operation will not bother anyone else.
Bring your telescope! Some amateurs have the idea that they can look through their own telescope any time they wish at home, so when they go to a star party they don't even take their telescope with them, thinking, "I'll spend my time looking through everyone else's telescope." What if everyone on the observing field thought the same thing. Not fair! Unless you are flying to the star party, there is no excuse for not bringing your own telescope - if you have one. Even if you only have a small telescope, it is only fair to every one else to bring it with you, and not just go to look through the largest telescopes. You may have a model that someone else would like to see. Don't expect everyone else to do all the work, so you can be entertained. You should do your share of entertaining too!
Dobsonians Learn how to operate a Dobsonian before you have to embarrass yourself by yelling down from the top of a ladder, "It's moving out of the field!" It's not polite to loose the object being viewed with 25 people standing in line behind you. These large telescopes are so easy to use that you can learn how with just a couple of minutes preparation ahead of time, so don't waste everyone's time by waiting until you are at the eyepiece and then ask what to do. Take the time to learn earlier in the day, as a courtesy to everyone else.
Big Scopes The largest telescopes on the field are not necessarily public property. It is probable that their owners have their own observing programs to carry out. If you would like to look through one, and everyone does, ask first. If possible, ask ahead of time if the scope will be open for public observing during the star party. Find out when, and go during the proper time.
Piggy Don't become an eyepiece hog on someone else's telescope. Of course you should never simply take a two second look at an interesting object, and when you are at your own telescope you should learn to study each object - to train your eye to see all that it can see. But when you are at someone else's telescope, don't get carried away and spending hours hogging their observing time. Keep your visit short, and then move on to the next scope on the field.
Smokers need to be especially considerate of non-smokers. Since you are outside on the observing field, the smoke itself is not usually a problem. The problem is lighting up. The normally insignificant glow of a lighter or match is a killer to the dark-adapted eyes of your friends. Be careful to turn away, and cup your hands around the flash, so the flare of your match won't ruin anyone's eyes but your own. Also keep in mind that eventually someone will have to pick up every cigarette and cigar butt you throw on the ground, so please use an ashtray, or collect your butts before you leave.
Music is a great relaxation to many. To some, it just isn't possible to observe without the proper mood setting musical accompaniment. Many love to scope out the heavens while listening to heavy metal rock at 110 decibels. Others may enjoy an eight hour Elvis session. Great! Enjoy yourself! Turn it up! Play it as loud as you like it.... just wear earphones. The battle of the bands does not belong on the observing field. Many appreciate the new "space music" at a low volume, to set the mood. But if anyone complains...back to the earphones.
Be Helpful Share your knowledge. A star party is a place for learning, and a place for teaching. If you see a novice struggling to locate an object in his telescope, ask if you can be of assistance. Chances are he will appreciate it. Every once in a while take a break and walk around the observing field. You will see both some amazing and some comical sights. Enjoy yourself, and help others to enjoy themselves!
Quiet Mornings Loud talking or other noise before noon is out of place, and rude to those observers who don't retire till dawn. On the other hand, loud talking on the observing field at 4 AM is rude to early risers who may be leaving on a day trip at dawn. Perhaps families with small children, and other early risers, could place their camp in an area where they won't be disturbed by astronomers talking all night, or disturb astronomers who are trying to sleep late the next morning.
Trash belongs in the trash can, not around your site. You would be amazed at how many people think nothing of leaving it lay till "tomorrow", but by morning it has blown over to someone else's space. If you finish a drink while visiting someone else's area, don't leave your trash for them to clean up after you.
Be Nice As the end of a week-long star party nears, you will notice that most of the die-hard observers are becoming a little brain-dead. Observing till dawn night after night, followed by too few hours of sleep, has the tendency of sharpening ones tongue a little. Be careful what you say while in this condition. Nothing worse than looking into someone's 48" Mega Monster telescope, and declaring the view to be much worse than it was in your Super Duper 6" last night. That's not how to win friends. Be considerate. Just because you paid a few dollars registration fee does not entitle you to boss everyone around. The people who run he star parties are just volunteers, not paid servants! Volunteer your services if they need help. Running a star party is a lot of work. When you see a crew setting up chairs to convert the mess hall into the lecture hall, jump in and lend a hand ...it will be appreciated. Never touch or move someone's telescope without first asking permission. A telescope that looks unattended may be in the middle of a difficult star hop to some illusive target, and you may have one angry person on your hands if you act before thinking. Star Parties are for fun. Go in a good mood, and stay in one. Things will go wrong, especially with the complicated equipment amateurs use. You will forget something, or you may not be able to set up exactly how you would like to, or park where you would like. Make the best of it; don't get in a sour mood and spoil it for everyone. As always, the age-old advice "Do Unto Others...." is the best advice, and hard to beat.
Convention or Star Party? There are two major types of conventions that fall under the heading of star parties. The first is an astronomy convention, but observing is not the highest priority, as other activities come first. If you are one of the organizers, be honest in telling the people what to expect. Don't advertise a dark sky, when in reality your site is close to town and has a light dome reaching to the zenith. Honesty is always the best policy. At Dark Sky star parties observing is the major attraction, with other activities built around the observing. Before you decide to attend a star party, check it out to make sure that the party you select will fit your needs. An astrophotographer will not be very happy trying to take astrophotos at a convention where people are walking around with white lights, and an armchair astronomer may not be at his best at dark sky star parties where only dim red lights are allowed
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Take your garbage with you. Littering is the bane of Indian picnickers. Please rise above the common and collect your garbage, cigarette butts and trash it. Plastic bags are not allowed in Nainital town as a rule.
Usable space is limited atop Manora Peak. When choosing a spot to setup your telescope, respect others' setups, Please don't block access to the space around you. Secure your electric cord, lest it be pulled by a feet walking over it. A camping mat placed over the extension cord works well. Once you have chosen or negotiated a spot and gotten your scope set up quietly in the dark, you're ready to look at something. It's fun to find things on your own, either sweeping or working from a chart, so try to find an object by starting at a bright star, one you can find for sure on your chart. Then step carefully from star to star, looking for close pairs, etc, to find your way to the desired object. Remember that some instruments produce an inverted image - be sure you're moving in the correct direction!
Remember, too, that galaxies are usually rather dim, and you'll need to look carefully to see them. Sometimes stepping up the magnification will improve contrast, once you're pretty sure you have the correct field by identifying the surrounding stars. You can gain a couple of magnitudes by using averted vision, which means that you look slightly away from your target, above or to one side as works best for you. With a little practice one can use a small star to provide a resting-point for your eye, then pay attention to the details without moving your eye back to the object. Some planetary nebulae, such as NGC6543, are very tiny and appear stellar at the low power used for searching. For these, switch to higher power, 150x perhaps, once you've found the stars surrounding it.
But if after a diligent search you haven't been able to find it, ask somebody if there's some particular trick - you'll usually get the needed advice, often in the form of "I'll find it for you" or "take a look here in my scope".
After you've been observing for a while, you'll probably take a walk around and see who else is there and what they're doing. It's fun to compare objects as seen in various scopes, and the easiest way to do that is simply to stand near somebody's scope - they'll quickly say "take a look!" Don't be too afraid to ask, after the observer stands up, what object is being observed, or what details to look for; everybody loves to show off a stellar beauty. You might also ask what magnification is being used and, perhaps, mention that you've got your scope on the same object. That will be taken as an invitation to compare if the willingness is there; and if not, you haven't made anyone uncomfortable about saying no.
If you're new at this, you may not have a telescope of your own yet, in which case you don't need to go through all that trouble setting up, etc. Bring binoculars if you have them; they're quite useful, especially for some of the bigger clusters such as the Beehive (M44) in Cancer, the Pleiades (M45), the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), and such bright gas clouds as the Orion Nebula (M42). And for sweeping the Milky Way, binoculars are unequaled. You will quickly want to put them on a tripod, which will enable you to see more, but also because that way you'll be able to show stuff to people!
With or without your own instrument, there's a time when you'd like to try someone else's scope, to see a dim object or to compare optics, etc. This can be a delicate subject, and one should never assume that a seemingly idle scope may be moved. A reasonable way to proceed might be to say to the owner, "I've been looking for the dust lanes in M20 but can't see them in my 8. Will your 12 inch show them?" This gives the owner a free choice of replying, "Put it on M20 and give a try" or to do so for you; or, if in the middle of things, to suggest that you might come back after a bit.
Before moving another's scope, be sure to ask whether there are clamps to release, how to change eyepieces, and which way to turn past the meridian. Some have electrical lines running up to the tube and so cannot be rotated arbitrarily.
As you stroll about the site you may find someone with an eye glued to the eyepiece, never moving, holding a box with some buttons and a stretch cord. You've found an astrophotographer in mid-exposure, electrically guiding the scope to maintain it accurately on target, cross-hairs on guide star. This is basically a non-interruptible activity, at which even dim red lights are decidedly unwelcome! Never walk in front of the instrument. Guiding a fine photo is a painstaking sport; one cannot even let someone else take over for a break. Some astrophotographers like to have someone to chat with during a 30-60 minute exposure; others prefer to be left in solitude. If your tentative hello is met with an enthusiastic greeting, you've found one of the former variety.
Few people realize just how chilly it gets late at night, even in summer. So bring about twice as much warm clothing as you think you'll need. If summer, a light and heavy jacket, warm shirt, jeans. Wear sturdy shoes - most sites are irregular and the pebbles get to bare feet. Winter calls for insulated boots, thermal underwear, corduroy jeans, parka, flannel shirt, gloves, and, very important, a warm knit cap! The greatest heat loss is from your head, so you'll want the hood on your coat, too, especially if there's a breeze.
You'll need extra energy to remain effective through an observing session, so you'll want to bring along plenty of sandwiches and snacks, and coffee or soft drinks. The fire hazards are high, especially in summer, so you must be extremely careful with a camp stove; campfires are not suitable, also due to the stray light produced. The fire hazard is also a good reason to avoid smoking, except when inside your own vehicle.
Be sure to properly dispose of wrappings, cans, bottle caps, etc.
so that we continue to be welcome in the various parks. In most cases we are given special treatment, such as access after hours, and access to parts of the park not open to the public. This has been earned over the years, and not all astronomy groups are allowed the privileges.
If you're subject to bug bites, bring some insect repellent, maybe also a small first-aid kit. The California ecosystem includes rattlesnakes, so heed the warning signs posted by the Park Service. Other wild-life deserves respect, too, such as the "cute" raccoons at Fremont Peak.
Lighting campfires is not permitted at Milky Way Voyage at all anywhere.
As indicated on the registration pages, all registrations are non-refundable. Although it may not be apparent to attendees, there are vast amounts of planning and preparations that go into a Star Party. Along with this, there are large fixed costs that are not refundable for the event organizers.
Flame throwers and fifty-caliber stray light elminators should be equipped with glare shields. Owners of LX-200s must offer coffee to passers-by who mistake the noise of their slewing motors for that of an expresso machine. Hack saws should be checked at the door. (If you cannot find the door, please remain outside of it.) Bears have right of first refusal on anyone's night lunch, except when the observer is very hungry. Abandoned cookies should not be presumed up for grabs, unless nobody is looking. Refrain from pointing out the failings of your neighbor's telescope until your own optics are safely covered.