October 2016 Imaging Star Party

“Although there are no fees or registration requirements, sending the following information would be helpful for event planning.”

Name:

Travelling From (City/State):

# In Your Party:

Dates of attendance:

RV/Tent Camping/Other:

Email address (Will only be used to provide information about the star party)

send to Steve Barkes

What: Star Party

Where: Cosmic Campground International Dark Sky Sanctuary

When: October 28 – 30 2016

GPS: 108 55 20.1 West, 33 28 47.2 North, 5318 feet elevation

Contacts: Steve Barkes steve.barkes@gmail.com

Ann Grauer alsannie@mac.com

Al Grauer algrauer@me.com

A star party will be held at the Cosmic Campground International Dark Sky Sanctuary from 28-30 October 2016. Public access to the campground will be limited, and an exclusive use permit for astronomers has been obtained from the US Forest Service. Located in the Gila National Forrest, the Cosmic Campground is the first International Dark Sky Sanctuary in North America.

Visit the Cosmic Campgrounds website for history, images, events, etc.

cosmiccampground.org

Located 8 miles north of Alma, NM off of US 180, a brown Forrest Service sign marks the entrance to the Cosmic Campground International Dark Sky Sanctuary. Turn right at the sign, cross over the cattle guard, and proceed approximately 1.3 miles to the campground.

As can be seen from the IDA light pollution map above, the Cosmic Campground is home to pristine dark skies, perfect for observing or imaging.

On the following pages, a list of rules/guidelines for the star party is provided.

Dates

Although the dates for the formal star party are Friday-Sunday night, feel free to arrive early or stay late as the campground is always open to the public

Camping

Dry camping only at the Cosmic Campground. There is no running water, power or sewer connections for RV’s.

There is a two door, waterless CXT toilet available. Additional Port-a-Johns will be provided as needed.

There are no dumpsters/trash pickup. Be prepared to pack out all of your trash.

The Cosmic Campground is on Forrest Service land, so camping anywhere is permitted. There are several rough-graded RV pull-thru’s. Please reserve these for RV use, and not for parking of other vehicles.

The image below gives guidelines for how to use the campground:

Observing Field

The observing field contains 4 concrete pads that are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

There is to be no camping/parking on the observing field. Please obey the posted sign and only drive onto the field to load/unload equipment.

This use of Sky Boxes or Kendrick Style observing tents is acceptable.

Lighting Restrictions

Dark Out lighting restriction begin each evening at 9:00PM

No vehicles are allowed to travel into/out of the star party site after Dark Out. If you intend to leave after Dark Out, please park in the designated area with your vehicle facing away from the observing field.

No white light permitted after Dark Out. Red-filtered flashlights and filtered computer screens are acceptable.

No laser pointers are permitted during Dark Out.

Power

There is no power available at the Cosmic Campground, so you must be capable of running any equipment off of battery power.

Please restrict generator use to the hours of 12:00pm-6:00pm during the day. The use of generators at night is only acceptable for necessary medical equipment. If you need/intend to run such a generator, please respect other attendees by keep as much distance as possible between your generator and the observing field.

Cellphone Coverage

The Cosmic Campground has a very good Verizon LTE signal for phone calls/data. Those with other carriers (AT&T) will likely have no signal at all so should look to make friends with a Verizon customer.

Fires

No open fires or charcoal style grills are permitted as the smoke is not good for telescope optics. Coleman style stoves or propane grills are OK, but should not be used outdoors during Dark Out.

Many local businesses are committed to supporting the Cosmic Campground and the IDA. If you purchase from a merchant, or use their services, be sure to mention that you are staying at the Cosmic Campground. Let them know that you appreciate their support!!

Fuel, Groceries, Supplies and Food Nearby

ALMA, NM (8 miles from CCIDSS)

GLENWOOD, NM (12 miles from CCIDSS)

A more comprehensive list of business, including lodging, RV campgrounds, outfitters, recreation, etc. can be found at the Business Listings pages linked from:

cosmiccampgroundbusiness