Etiquette Guidelines to make a Star Party fun for all!
By: JC Willette

1.    The first rule is to have fun. Move around and visit all of the scopes. Chat with the owners and learn about the scope. This will help you in deciding what scope you would like to purchase in the future.

2.    Be very careful with light. Bright lights are fundamentally frowned upon after dusk. Dome lights in vehicles should be switched off and the use of any flashlight should be covered with red plastic or red paint. Red light affects the eye's dark adaptation the least. Use flashlights that have give off red light.

3.    Keep young children under control. There is a lot of expensive hardware around for them to run into.

4.    Most of our sites there will be parking a short distance from the viewing site. Many of the sites are chosen for the accessibility of driving your car to your viewing spot. If you did not bring a viewing instrument, please consider parking a short distance away from the viewing site. If you absolutely need to use a white light please warn everybody, that way they can protect their eyes (at least their observing eye) from the light.

5.    Most of our sites are in the desert and tend to be rather dusty, especially in summer, and dust on a mirror is seldom beneficial. Be careful when driving or walking. When powering your scope from your car, try to tuck the power cord away so as to minimize danger of tripping over it.

6.    Soft music in the background is relaxing and tends to hide the boring noises of the night. If you are going to play music, please check with others to make sure you don't disturb them with your music. Tastes in music differ so violently so please respect others requests to turn it down or even off.

7.    Eventually you will want to view the sky through another person's scope. Before moving another's scope, be sure to ask if you can peer into it. Some scopes have electrical lines running in weird places.

8.    Always bring some extra warm clothing. Few people realize just how chilly it gets out here in the desert nights. In the summer, a light and heavy jacket, warm shirt, jeans may be all you need. The Winter calls for insulated boots, thermal underwear, corduroy jeans, parka, flannel shirt, gloves, and, very important, a warm knit cap! The greatest heat loss is from your head, so you'll want the hood on your coat, too, especially if there's a breeze.

9.    You'll need extra energy to remain effective through an observing session, so you'll want to bring along plenty of sandwiches, snacks, coffee, soft drinks or alcohol. Remember imbibing in alcohol lowers your perception, body temperature and effects your driving abilities. If you use it, please do so in moderation.

10.    Be sure to properly dispose of wrappings, cans, bottle caps, etc. so that we continue to be welcome in the various parks. In most cases we are given special treatment, such as access after hours, and access to parts of the park not open to the public. This has been earned over the years, and not all astronomy groups are allowed the privileges.