Stagecoach Observatory (and other) Star Parties

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Stagecoach Observatory (and other) Star Parties

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Upcoming star parties by new moon

In general, we hold star parties at Stagecoach Observatory on the Saturday nearest the new moon ... dates are listed in the following table ... bold dates are confirmed, others are tentative. Dates for other star parties are also listed.

Time of the new moon	Star party at Stagecoach Observatory	Other star parties
31 July 2000 02:26	Sat 29 Jul 2000 We're on for the 29th!	19 Jul 1999 Astrocon 2000 (CA) 29 Jul 1999 Stellafane (VT)
29 Aug 2000 10:20	Sat 27 Aug 2000	?
30 Sep 2000 19:54	Sat 30 Sep 2000	first anniversary star party!

Past star parties at Stagecoach Observatory

Date	Remarks
Sat 11 Sep 1999	First Light!
Fri 1 Oct 1999	Special neighborhood "mini-star-party"
Sat 6 Nov 1999	Mir transit
Wed 22 Dec 1999	"big moon" special
Sat 8 Jan 2000	Orion Nebula was great!
Thu 20 Jan 2000	Total lunar eclipse special
Sat 04 Mar 2000	Whirlpool galaxy early, fantastic seeing and 3C 273 late, clouded out about 3a.
Sat 01 Apr 2000	Snow and broken clouds - telescope iced up after a couple hours! A bust :-(
Sat 06 May 2000	High clouds cleared late. Lots of globulars & got a good fix on Barnard's star.
Sat 03 Jun 2000	Cleared ~10:30. GC's galore and great sunrise with 2 X-class flares.
Sat 01 Jul 2000	Monsoon afternoon, clear but not dark for Milky Way sweep. Fun group, musical!

About star parties at Stagecoach Observatory

No, this isn't a public facility. But it's not hard to get invited, just give us a ring or send us e-mail. This isn't a club or store anything like that, we're just sharing our interest in amateur astronomy with like-minded people. Sure, bring your kids ... but if they're small, please keep good track of them in the dark. Bring a coat for sure, and if you like, a red flashlight, binoculars and telescope.
Stagecoach Observatory is at 1045 Stagecoach Road in Santa Fe. The phone number is 988-7394. From the pink temple at Washington and Paseo De Peralta, go north on Washington (becomes Bishops Lodge Rd) 1.2 miles, turn right onto Camino Manana, go a few hundred yards to the first street which is Stagecoach Road, turn right and it's second house on the left, up a steep driveway. There are two parking areas at the bottom (Please park well off the street and don't block the neighbors' driveways, thanks).
The star parties are from sunset until sunrise. Come a bit early to watch the sunset or to set up your telescope.
Watch your step! Please stay on the concrete paths or patios. The land falls away precipitously into arroyos in some places. If you hang out in front (West) patio, be aware that there is a 5' deep koi pond lurking there; don't fall in.
Power for your telescope is available from two big J-boxes on either end of the wide part of the sidewalk. Feel free to set up as you see fit.
Snacks and hot drinks are up at the house, just through the door with the blue light. Bathroom is just beyond, past the piano up three steps on the left.
Starcharts, coats, garbage can and ashtray are near the storage shed ... if you need 'em, use 'em.

About the SFAC star parties

The SFAC (Santa Fe Astronomy Club) has frequent star parties at dark sky sites in NM. If you have your own telescope and want to see what you can see with it (and how), these are really wonderful; check them out. They are usually an hour or so away from Santa Fe. The group usually meets at Horizons (the Discovery Store on Montezuma) at a given time, then caravans to the observing site. Call John Buting at the store 983-1554 for more information.

Stagecoach Observatory 35.707 N 105.920 W 2022 m MST/MDT