A First-Timer’s Guide

Jim Mahon, Star Party Chairman

Directions

Take Interstate 5 northbound from the L.A. area. Exit about 35 miles north of Castaic at the Frazier Park off ramp. Turn left (west) at the bottom of the ramp. Continue west, remaining on this road for approximately 21 miles, past Frazier Park and Lake of the Woods, eventually climbing past the McGill and Mt. Pinos campgrounds. The observing site is the large paved parking area at the very end of the paved road. You will see a “Do Not Pass” sign just before the road empties into the parking area. You will hopefully be arriving well before dark. If you don’t intend to stay all night, park your vehicle near the exit facing out so you can pull out without using your white backup lights. Disable your vehicle’s inside lights, either with a switch if you have one or by removing the bulbs. To preserve night vision and avoid ruining astrophotographs, please refrain from using any white light after dark. This sounds extreme, but a night under the stars here, with dozens of enthusiastic amateur astronomers to guide you, is an extreme experience, which requires fully dark adapted eyes. Trust us, the effort is worth it. More about “red light only” below. A National Forest Adventure Pass must be displayed on any vehicles parked on National Forest land. They may be purchased at sporting goods stores, the Shell station at the Parker Road off ramp in Castaic, and many businesses near Frazier Park. Single day passes cost $5.00, with annual passes available for $30.00. The rangers do sometimes check vehicles for passes, and give tickets to those without them.

What to Bring

Warm Clothes

A toasty summer evening at the Pinos observing site (elevation about 8300‘) sees temperatures in the 40 degree range within 90 minutes of sunset. Cooler temperatures are possible, with 20 degrees not unusual in the late fall. Even at 40 degrees, the fact that you’re basically standing around, not generating much body heat, means you can get cold very quickly.

The key to staying warm is not to let yourself get cold in the first place. To keep your body heat in, use multiple layers of clothing to trap warm air. Exposed skin, especially on the head and neck, sheds heat rapidly. This means that hats, mufflers or other neck protection, and gloves are not just highly recommended, they are essential unless you are unusually warm blooded. After-ski boots are popular, although any comfortable shoe with some insulating properties in the sole works. That asphalt gets very cool as the night wears on! Wear socks that are high enough to generously overlap the cuff line, avoiding a band of exposed skin. A thin inner sock combined with outer wool socks works well if your footwear is roomy enough.

Plan on at least two layers on your legs. Long underwear is great if you have it. Ski bibs also work very well. An extra layer can also be made from roomy sweat pants.

For the upper body, a relatively light fabric to “wick” moisture away from the skin works well as a first layer. Sporting goods stores sell a variety of synthetics which excel at this job, but cotton will do. A thin turtleneck is a good choice. Follow that with a sweater or sweatshirt layer (or layers), and cover everything with a warm jacket. Finally, add the head and hand protection mentioned.

If the cold is getting to you, a brisk walk around the parking lot can do wonders, kicking up your metabolic rate and getting circulation where it is needed.

Water

The mountain air is very dry. That makes for great astronomy, but can also lead to chapped lips and a dry mouth.

A hot beverage and a snack

A thermos of coffee, cocoa, or tea can be a lifesaver for adults and kids alike. When you’re staying up very late, a snack to bring your sagging energy up can be helpful. I’m personally fond of oatmeal-raisin cookies for this!

A folding chair or chaise lounge

A comfortable seat relieves fatigue and allows you to just lean back and marvel at that Milky Way blazing above your head. A chaise lounge allows more comfortable naked eye or binocular scanning.

A warm sleeping bag

Even if you’re not planning to spend the night, be prepared to. You may become so enthralled you don’t want to leave. Fatigue, an earthquake or other unusual event might dictate waiting for daylight before driving down the mountain. When in a wilderness area, it’s always smart to be ready for the unexpected.

A red light source

You are entering a temple of darkness, filled with wonders to dazzle the imagination, but your eyes must be adapted to the dark or you’ll miss out on much of the beauty this experience offers. Pure red light, as dim as possible, does the least damage to night vision. On a more practical note, if you don’t let your eyes adapt, you’ll be tripping over power cords and tripods in what appears to be inky blackness. Once your eyes fully adapt to darkness, you’ll be almost literally able to navigate by starlight. There is virtually no place to go at the observing site where using white light is socially OK - you’ll be either destroying someone’s night vision or ruining that astrophoto they’ve been exposing for the last 45 minutes. Astronomers at an observing site get fairly testy when these things happen.

However, observe “light discipline” and you’ll have people calling you over to have a look through instruments which look like they belong in a professional observatory. They may even loan you a red light for the evening.

The best light to have is a small red LED. light with a brightness control. Another common choice is a Mini Maglite with an accessory red lens which fits into a rubber nose cap. These are easy to find in sporting goods stores and are good compact flashlights for normal use as well as astronomy. A cheap alternative is a regular flashlight with multiple layers of dark red cellophane secured with a rubber band or tape. Use enough layers to give just a DIM red glow and attach the edges neatly to avoid “leaks” of white light.

Keep the beam from your red light ON THE GROUND. NEVER shine it into someone’s face or into their telescope unless asked to do so.

Your sense of wonder

Be ready to see some truly beautiful things. You’re going to time travel millions of years, physically contacting tiny bits of light that have been journeying all those millennia from distant galaxies to impact your retina and your mind. You’ll also see bright nearby planets, star clusters, glowing clouds of gas that are literally star nurseries, and the remnants of dead and dying stars. Manmade satellites will glide overhead. Punctuating it all, you’re almost certain to see some bright meteors, caused by tiny grains of dust entering earth’s atmosphere. Stay warm, use that red light, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. More than half of the regulars on Pinos are happy to share their telescopes with anyone interested. Just try to be aware of those doing photography – they are busy, and cannot offer views because their cameras are installed where an eyepiece normally resides on the scope. Enjoy!