HAL & Regional Star Parties Plus HAL Outreach

Scheduled Star Parties and Outreach	Pictorial Record of 2008 Events
Impromptu Observing Sessions	Pictorial Record of 2009 Events
Regional Star Parties and Astro Events	Pictorial Record of 2010 Events
Pictorial Record of 2007 Events	Pictorial Record of 2011 Events

HAL Star Parties and Outreach

HAL's star parties at Alpha Ridge Park (held from March through November) feature a relaxed, casual atmosphere where
club members, other amateur astronomers from the area, and the public are all welcome to come and enjoy the wonders
of the night sky. For detailed information about our star partyviewing site and driving directions, click on the
Alpha Ridge-View Sites link.

2012 HAL Star Party Schedule (Preliminary)
The calendar below has been updated for HAL's 2012 star party dates. This is still preliminary but should not change much.
Check back soon for final dates and Host names. In the meantime keep an eye on the Howardastro Yahoogroup e-mail
list for impromptu star parties. If you are not already a member of the e-mail list click here. This is e-mail list is open to
the general public.

(Click link on past dates for Star Party Reports and Photos)

Month	Date	Invitees	Host	Views/Events
March	3	Public		Special unofficial star party for Mars Opposition (TBD)
March	17	Members Only
March	31	Public		Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Moon, M42
April	14	Members Only
April	28	Public		Venus, Moon, Mars, Saturn
May	12	Members Only
May	19	Public		Galaxies (M51, M81+82,Virgo, NGC4565), Mars, Saturn
June	16	Members Only
June	30	Public		Moon, Mars, Saturn, M13,M57, Albireo
July	14	Members Only
July	21	Public		Summer Milky Way, Saturn
August	18	Members Only
August	25	Public		Moon, M57, M13, M15, Albireo
September	15	Members Only
September	22	Public		Moon, M57, M13, M15
October	13	Members Only
October	27	Public		Nearly Full Moon
November	10	Members Only
November	17	Public		Jupiter

2012 Outreach Star Party Events

As a part of our mission to encourage public interest in astronomy and the space sciences, HAL is sponsoring or co-sponsoring
the following events. If there is a separate webpage with more information there will be an active link in the Event column, below.

Event	Co-Sponsor	Where	When	Host
Library Outreach	HoCo Library	Howard County Central Library 10375 Little Patuxent Pkwy Columbia, MD 21044	April 2, 2012, 7:30PM Rain Date: April 3rd	David Stein
Greenfest	HCC	Howard Community College 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway Columbia, MD 21044-3197	April 14, 2012 10AM-4PM	Bob Prokop

A Great Place To Begin an Adventure in Astronomy

HAL members bring all sorts of observing equipment: telescopes of all shapes and sizes, binoculars, solar viewers, and astro-photography and video setups. If you would like a look through our equipment, or if you just bought a telescope and would like some help with it, or even if you are just thinking about getting one and want to check a few out before buying - star parties are the perfect place to get your feet wet.

What Will We Be Looking At?

Observing targets really cover the full range of celestial treasures including the Sun, the Moon, the planets, double stars, deep sky objects such as galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters, and even orbiting satellites and the space station.

Details... details...

Starting time is usually sundown and ending time is officially at 11pm, although on nice evenings members often keep the park open a little later. There is plenty of parking at both parks (directions) and folks can arrive at anytime. Star parties are held twice each month, March to November, on Saturdays, and are scheduled around the lunar calendar - so check the HAL Calendar for upcoming dates.

Before You Head Out

If you are not sure if the weather is cooperating, check the top of the home page for the latest news. If you are on the Howardastro Yahoogroups list also check for notification e-mails there. Be sure to bring an extra layer or two of clothes just in case temperatures drop more than you expect. You can't have fun if you're cold! And check the weather forecast, star parties are assumed to be cancelled if it is completely overcast or if it's raining. The Clear Sky Clock at the top of this page is a great way to check out predicted cloud cover for the next 24-48 hours.

What is Expected Of You At A Star Party?

Absolutely nothing. Whether you own a telescope or not, we encourage folks of all ages to come on out, bring your friends and family, and let us share with you the beauties of one of our most precious natural resources - the night sky - in Howard County's very own public parks. HAL's amateur astronomers come from all walks of life and have a wide range of astronomy experience. We all share a passion for the sky's most stunning sights and love nothing more than to share those sights with others.

Impromptu Sessions at Alpha Ridge or Carrs Mill

HAL members are fortunate to have access to both Alpha Ridge and Carrs Mill parks. Members will often conduct impromptu viewing sessions at one of these locations. Access to the two parks requires a gate key. Carrs Mill remains locked at nearly all times and Alpha Ridge is locked by the County at dusk. HAL has several gate keys, and assigns them to those members most likely to initiate impromptu viewing sessions. When members with gate keys are going to open up one of the parks, they post an e-mail on the HAL e-mail group so that others may join. Gate key members are encouraged to post the e-mail announcement as early as possible prior to the viewing session.

If you are not a gate key member and want to attend impromptu viewing sessions, keep your eyes peeled for the e-mail announcements. Also, if you want to observe from either park on a particular evening, HAL encourages you to post an e-mail asking if any gate key members are interested in opening up one of the parks. If an e-mail request to open up a park is posted but no gate key members want to go, arrangements can often be made for the person to borrow one of the gate keys.

The benefit of access does come with two responsibilities. First, at least one attendee will need a copy of the special use permit. The permit can be downloaded from our Documents Page and must be accompanied by a current HAL membership card to be valid. Second, it is our responsibility to keep any non-astronomers out of the park, since only HAL is granted after sundown access. We absolutely positively must lock the gate behind us when we leave.

Members who are interested in being placed on the key waiting list should contact the HAL Treasurer. A $50 deposit is required when the key is delivered.

2012 Regional Star Parties & Astro Events

Regional Star Party Information	Clear Sky Clock (click for full CSC)
Winter Star Party 28 February 20-26, 2012 Southern Cross Astronomical Society Key West, Florida
NEAF 21 April 28-29, 2012 Rockland Astronomy Club and S&T Rockland Community College, Suffern, New York
Star Gaze XVIII TBD Delmarva Star Gazers Tuckahoe State Park, Queen Anne, MD
Texas Star Party 34 April 15-22, 2012 Astronomical League Southwest Region Prude Ranch near Fort Davis, Texas
The Cherry Springs Star Party TBD The Astronomical Society of Harrisburg Cherry Springs State Park near Coudersport, PA
Greenbank StarQuest IX June 20-June 23, 2012 National Radio Astronomy Observatory Greenbank, WV
23nd Mason-Dixon SUMMER Star Party TBD York County, PA Astronomical Society
Stellafane Convention August 16-19, 2012 Springfield, VT Telescope Makers Annual Convention
NOVAC AHSP TBD Spruce Knob, WV
Black Forest Star Party Sept 14-16, 2012 Central Pennsylvania Observers Cherry Springs State Park, Potter County, PA
No Frills XVI TBD Delmarva Star Gazers Tuckahoe State Park, Queen Anne, MD