Maintaining a dark sky environment is absolutely crucial for the success of the observing sessions run by Atlanta Astronomy Club at Deerlick Astronomy Village (DAV). Even the slightest amount of white light can ruin the darkness needed for optimal stargazing and astrophotography. White light causes our eyes to lose their dark adaptation, severely limiting what we are able to see in the night sky.
These rules(below) are being implemented/enforced due to some unfortunate incidents that have occurred at recent events, where people arrived after dark and drove onto the observing field with their headlights on, went the wrong way, and even drove onto the owners’ field. Additionally, some attendees turned their headlights off without guidance, putting others and their equipment at risk. We cannot allow these types of unsafe and disruptive behaviors to continue.
To that end, we have the following strict rules in place that we ask all attendees (members and their guest) to adhere to:
The gates to the Deerlick Astronomy Village will be open during the day to allow access to the field. However, the gates will automatically close and lock at sunset. Once the gates are locked, there will be no ability to access the field, as there is no parking available outside the gates. All attendees must arrive before sunset in order to participate.
No white lights or other light-polluting devices will be permitted on the observing field. All lighting must be red/amber in color. This includes flashlights, phone screens, camera displays, etc. Maintaining the dark sky is paramount. Astrophotographers must take every possible precaution to ensure their screens remain covered/filtered and do not affect others
Also going forward we will ensure a member of the club will be onsite with the responsibility to run the event. I have recently not been able to attend some of the Dark Sky Observing sessions due to family commitments. I did not want to cancel events just cause I was unable to attend but going forward if we are unable to have a volunteer to run the event it will be officially cancelled (although any members with a gate code would still be able to go)
We are guests at the Deerlick Astronomy Village, and many attendees have driven long distances to enjoy the pristine dark skies. And those that live out there have put a lot of time and money to enjoy the dark skies. We must be respectful of the property and considerate of others.
We appreciate your full cooperation in following these rules. They are in place to ensure we can provide the best possible dark sky conditions for our observing sessions.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
Clear skies,
Daniel Herron
Observing Chair, Atlanta Astronomy Club
(observing@atlantaastronomy.org)