 An example of a party that was crashed by Mother Nature A star party is a gathering of amateur astronomers for the purpose of observing the sky. Local star parties may be one night affairs, but larger events can last up to a week or longer and attract hundreds or even thousands of participants. Many regional star parties are now held annually and are an important part of the hobby of amateur astronomy. Typically a dark sky site away from light pollution is chosen as a location. Participants bring telescopes and binoculars of all types and sizes and spend the nights observing astronomical objects such as planets, comets, stars, and deep sky objects together. Astrophotography and CCD imaging are also very popular. At larger star parties, lectures, swap meets, exhibitions of home-built telescopes, contests, tours, raffles, and other similar activities are common. Commercial vendors selling a variety of astronomical equipment may also be present. As with any other hobbyist gathering, there is much camaraderie and discussion of various aspects of the hobby at any star party. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 812 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Starfest 2006 near Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 812 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Starfest 2006 near Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada. ...
A hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Skygazing. ...
This time exposure photo of New York City shows sky glow, one form of light pollution. ...
A telescope (from the Greek tele = far and skopein = to look or see; teleskopos = far-seeing) is an instrument designed for the observation of remote objects. ...
Porro-prism binoculars with central focusing Binocular telescopes, or binoculars, (also known as field glasses) are two identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes (Binocular vision) when viewing distant objects. ...
There are three main types of astronomical telescopes - and these are divided into subgroups. ...
See also Lists of astronomical objects Category: ...
The eight planets and three dwarf planets of the Solar System. ...
Comet Hale-Bopp Comet McNaught as seen from Swifts Creek, Victoria, Australia on 23 January 2007 A comet is a small body in the solar system that orbits the Sun and (at least occasionally) exhibits a coma (or atmosphere) and/or a tail — both primarily from the effects of...
For alternate meanings see star (disambiguation) Hundreds of stars are visible in this image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of the Sagittarius Star Cloud in the Milky Way Galaxy. ...
Deep sky object (DSO) is a term used often in amateur astronomy to denote objects in the night sky other than solar system objects (such as planets, comets and asteroids), single stars and multiple star systems. ...
Astrophotography is a specialised type of photography that entails making photographs of astronomical objects in the night sky such as planets, stars, and deep sky objects such as star clusters and galaxies. ...
A charge-coupled device (CCD), is an integrated circuit containing an array of linked, or coupled, capacitors. ...
A 22 Newtonian reflector sits in front of the clubhouse at Stellafane, home of the Springfield Telescope Makers The field of amateur telescope making is considered an offshoot of the amateur astronomy community. ...
The idea of a star party is not new and allegedly goes back at least as far as George III of the United Kingdom, who was passionately interested in astronomy and mathematics. On nights when poor weather blocked the view of the real stars and planets, attendants are said to have hung paper lanterns marked with drawings in the trees around the royal palace to provide something else for the King and his guests to spot through their telescopes. George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. ...
A giant Hubble mosaic of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant Astronomy is the science of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earths atmosphere (such as auroras and cosmic background radiation). ...
Euclid, Greek mathematician, 3rd century BC, as imagined by by Raphael in this detail from The School of Athens. ...
Today, some leading regional star parties in the USA include:
Star Parties in Canada include The Stellafane Convention is a gathering of amateur telescope makers and amateur astronomers (star party) every year in Springfield, Vermont, conducted by the Springfield Telescope Makers. ...
The RTMC Astronomy Expo is one of three major gatherings of amateur astronomers in the United States, the other two being Stellafane and the Texas Star Party. ...
The Texas Star Party is one of three major annual star parties in the United States, the other two being Stellafane and the RTMC Astronomy Expo. ...
The Annual Winter Star Party Established in 1984, the Annual WINTER STAR PARTY is held in the Florida Keys, hosted by the SOUTHERN CROSS ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, INC. of Miami, Florida. ...
The Oregon Star Party, founded in 1987, is one of the top annual events in the United States for observational astronomy. ...
A leading Regional star party in the UK
See also
Messier marathon is an attempt undertaken by amateur astronomers to find as many Messier objects as possible during one night. ...
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