TheSkySearchers

Mike Q wrote: ↑Sun Dec 24, 2023 3:20 pm Oh come on gang. There has to be more people from Ohio here then just me who want to try to put together at least a small party somewhere?

helicon wrote: ↑Mon Dec 25, 2023 9:28 pm

Mike Q wrote: ↑Sun Dec 24, 2023 3:20 pm Oh come on gang. There has to be more people from Ohio here then just me who want to try to put together at least a small party somewhere?

Probably....The Reflector, the Astronomical League's Quarterly Magazine, not the website, mentions some clubs in Ohio as I recall. I get the Magazine because I am a member of WACO (Whatcom Association of Celestial Observers) here in Washington state. Maybe you can subscribe to the publication through the A.L?

https://www.astroleague.org/december-20 ... -magazine/

Mike Q wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 12:48 am Warren Rupp Observatory in Belleville Ohio has out reach the first Saturdays of the month.

The Crawford Park District Lowe Volk Park near Galion and Crestline has outreach every 4th and 5th Saturdays of the month

Mike Q wrote: ↑Sun Dec 24, 2023 3:20 pm Oh come on gang. There has to be more people from Ohio here then just me who want to try to put together at least a small party somewhere?

Mike Q wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2024 7:15 pm It would be nice if we could get a dozen or so folks interested in trying to put something together. Finding a good dark spot would be the challenge

AstroBee wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2024 7:37 pm

Mike Q wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2024 7:15 pm It would be nice if we could get a dozen or so folks interested in trying to put something together. Finding a good dark spot would be the challenge

An absolutely dark location is not absolutely necessary to have a really nice star party. In fact, getting to a dark site is going to be very off-putting for some of the general public.
Our local club, the Las Vegas Astronomical Society, does monthly public star parties every month except for December. We have anywhere between 200 and 1000 people show up, depending on the weather and location.
Some of our locations, Red Rock National Conservation Area - https://bit.ly/3TEIpAd, Spring Mountain Ranch State Park - https://bit.ly/3RQ9P3I, Lake Mead - https://bit.ly/48zTBCk, and even Sky Canyon which is right on the edge of the Vegas valley - https://bit.ly/3S2Q7Tp.
Our parties are usually scheduled for the first Saturday AFTER a new moon. That way we generally have a crescent moon we can share with the public. Then, if there are any planets visible, followed by the very brightest nebulae like M42 or galaxies like M31, and of course any good globular or open star clusters.
My point is, there's plenty you can do if you are not just interested in tracking down NGC and PGC galaxies!

Mike Q wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2024 7:57 pm

AstroBee wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2024 7:37 pm

Mike Q wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2024 7:15 pm It would be nice if we could get a dozen or so folks interested in trying to put something together. Finding a good dark spot would be the challenge

An absolutely dark location is not absolutely necessary to have a really nice star party. In fact, getting to a dark site is going to be very off-putting for some of the general public.
Our local club, the Las Vegas Astronomical Society, does monthly public star parties every month except for December. We have anywhere between 200 and 1000 people show up, depending on the weather and location.
Some of our locations, Red Rock National Conservation Area - https://bit.ly/3TEIpAd, Spring Mountain Ranch State Park - https://bit.ly/3RQ9P3I, Lake Mead - https://bit.ly/48zTBCk, and even Sky Canyon which is right on the edge of the Vegas valley - https://bit.ly/3S2Q7Tp.
Our parties are usually scheduled for the first Saturday AFTER a new moon. That way we generally have a crescent moon we can share with the public. Then, if there are any planets visible, followed by the very brightest nebulae like M42 or galaxies like M31, and of course any good globular or open star clusters.
My point is, there's plenty you can do if you are not just interested in tracking down NGC and PGC galaxies!

Here in Ohio we dont really have great skies. Bortle 4 is about it. So if we can find darker place, that would be a big plus even if it is just going for the easier to see to see stuff.

09blstrek wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2024 2:25 am

Mike Q wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2024 7:57 pm

AstroBee wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2024 7:37 pm
An absolutely dark location is not absolutely necessary to have a really nice star party. In fact, getting to a dark site is going to be very off-putting for some of the general public.
Our local club, the Las Vegas Astronomical Society, does monthly public star parties every month except for December. We have anywhere between 200 and 1000 people show up, depending on the weather and location.
Some of our locations, Red Rock National Conservation Area - https://bit.ly/3TEIpAd, Spring Mountain Ranch State Park - https://bit.ly/3RQ9P3I, Lake Mead - https://bit.ly/48zTBCk, and even Sky Canyon which is right on the edge of the Vegas valley - https://bit.ly/3S2Q7Tp.
Our parties are usually scheduled for the first Saturday AFTER a new moon. That way we generally have a crescent moon we can share with the public. Then, if there are any planets visible, followed by the very brightest nebulae like M42 or galaxies like M31, and of course any good globular or open star clusters.
My point is, there's plenty you can do if you are not just interested in tracking down NGC and PGC galaxies!

Here in Ohio we dont really have great skies. Bortle 4 is about it. So if we can find darker place, that would be a big plus even if it is just going for the easier to see to see stuff.

Bortle 4 really isn't all that bad. I got accustomed to struggling with Bortle 8 - 9 in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The problem here, especially in Northeast Ohio is CLOUDS. However, after perusing NOAA historical cloud cover data, July, August and September clear up fairly well.

A matter of timing.

blach wrote: ↑Tue May 14, 2024 6:26 pm Anyone still trying to organize an Ohio Star Party? A friend of mine has a dark sky spot down by the Ohio River with a 36” telescope who would be interested in hosting.