A First-Timer’s Guide

Tom Falconer & Jim Mahon

Note: If you are planning to attend a Star Party at Mt. Pinos, that is a Major League location, and you need to consult a copy of Mount Pinos Star Parties – A First-Timer’s Guide , by Jim Mahon. Among the best “Triple-A” star parties in our area are those hosted by the County Parks at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area in Agua Dulce. These are currently scheduled quarterly: in the “winter” season on Saturdays in the dark of the Moon; in the “summer” season on Saturdays nearest 1st Quarter Moon. The detailed directions below are tailored to Vasquez in particular, but the general guidelines apply to any star party location.

Directions

Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park : From the I-5/Cal-14 split, take Cal-14 NE about 16 miles and exit at the Agua Dulce Canyon Road off ramp. Turn left (N) and go about 2 miles, following the road signs to the park. At about the 1.6 mi point there is a sharp 90° R turn! Continue E past the stop sign about ¼ mile to the park entrance. (If you arrive after dark, the park entrance sign on your right is hard to see. Hint: Look down, not up; the sign is at about knee level.) Enter, and drive slowly. At the foot of the paved driveway, make a sharp Left turn through the inactive pass gate and follow the dirt road for about ½ mile, over the little hill and between the large rocks to the parking areas. The first lot is for late arrivals and early departures. The second lot is for telescopes and early arrivals. No alcoholic beverages. There are portable restrooms in the first lot.
(If more info on Vasquez itself is needed, contact the park ranger at
661-268-0840.)

Before You Start

The most important things you need to bring to a star party are a good attitude and a willingness to see something new & wonderful. But your experience – and that of other attendees – will be enhanced greatly if you make a few preparations and round up a few items of equipment to bring along:

A red light source (flashlight)

While not as dark as a Major League site, Vasquez is a lot darker than your backyard. This means we can see many more and fainter denizens of the sky. 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, tripods, and small children in what appear to be unlighted voids. Once your eyes fully adapt to darkness, you’ll be completely able to navigate by the light of heavenly bodies – and the skyglow from Los Angeles. There is virtually no place to go at the observing site where using white light is socially OK - you’ll either be destroying your own or someone else’s night vision. Astronomers – and other observers — 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.

The best light to have is a small red-LED light with brightness control. Another good choice is a MiniMagLite 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. If you have a MiniMag without the filter kit, try the red cap from a soda pop bottle. (Pepsi’s brands fit best.) 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. If you can sacrifice an inexpensive flashlight to the dark permanently, just paint the clear lens with red nail polish. If you plan to take notes on your experience, you can, even with a dim red light – if you write a little larger than usual.

Water or beverage and snack

While soft drinks or iced tea are welcome in the summer, hot beverages are better choices in the winter. 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. Power bars aren’t required; oatmeal-raisin cookies do nicely!

A folding chair or chaise lounge

A comfortable seat relieves fatigue and allows you to just lean back and marvel at a larger swath of starry sky. A chaise lounge allows more comfortable naked eye or binocular scanning.

Clothing suitable for the altitude (elevation 2500’) and weather
(mild/chilly/cold)

Vasquez Rocks has temperatures similar to the rest of the Santa Clarita Valley. But you are going to be outdoors for several hours, most of it at a very low level of physical exertion. (No running or jogging near the telescopes!) In the summer, temperatures may be a balmy 70°F, comfortable in shirtsleeves, but in the winter at 50°F, the fact that you’re basically standing around, not generating much body heat, means you can get cold very quickly (warm clothes suggested). If the temperature is 40°F or lower, you will definitely want warm clothes.

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. Exposed skin, especially on the head and neck, sheds heat rapidly. This means hats, mufflers, or other neck protection, and gloves are not just highly recommended, they are essential unless you are unusually warm blooded. Boots are not needed, but avoid thin-soled shoes, and especially “open” shoes. If you intend to stay for the entire session, choose your socks carefully. 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.

When You Arrive

Hopefully, you will be arriving well before dark. This allows you to savor the experiences of the fall of night and watching the stars “come out.” You also can see how some of the telescopes are cleverly designed for the portability necessary to bring them to the observing site. If you don’t intend to stay until the end of the star party, park your vehicle near the exit facing out so you can pull out without using your white backup lights! If possible, please disable your vehicle’s inside lights, either with a switch if you have one or by
removing the bulbs.

If you arrive after dark, use the dimmest lights possible to enter the parking area safely, and follow the rangers’ directions. Give your eyes a few minutes to begin adapting to the dark before setting out to trek to the telescopes.

Remember, to preserve night vision, everyone must refrain from using any white light after dark. This sounds extreme, but even a brief flash of white light requires eyes to re-adapt, a process that takes over 20 minutes, time which is lost to observing.

Keep all liquids and crumbly or sticky snacks well away from the telescopes! NO RUNNING OR SCUFFING OF FEET!!! This stirs up dust, which settles on the telescope optics and makes the astronomers more than just testy. Carry your red light, but keep the beam from your red light pointed AT THE GROUND. NEVER shine it into someone’s face or into his or her telescope unless asked to do so.

Look through as many telescopes as possible – not just the largest. Most will be on different objects, but even when several are on the same object, they will generally give differing views, and it’s worth a look. Listen to any particular instructions from the telescope operators. In general, it works best if you put your eye as close as possible to the eyepiece without actually making contact. Remind small children to look through the eyepiece, not
at it.

Give your brain time enough to integrate what your eye sees – at least 10 seconds. Allow free rein to 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 a few 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. The volunteers who bring their telescopes are happy to share the views through those telescopes with anyone interested. Just try to be aware of the need for occasional adjustments or other busy moments and be prepared to wait a hectosecond or two when necessary.

Enjoy