15th annual Camping with the Stars

[merle]

The Minnesota Astronomical Society invites you to our 15th annual Camping with the Stars (CWTS), taking place at the MAS Eagle Lake Observatory, located within Carver County Baylor Regional Park.

Speakers are scheduled throughout the day and will give talks on astronomy and what there is to see. Door and raffle prize drawings will be held Saturday evening.  We will be giving away telescopes, binoculars, MAS merchandise, astronomy books, and more. Weather permitting, the evening will conclude with a tour of the night sky and of course stargazing.

Baylor Regional Park is located about 45 minutes Southwest of Minneapolis and 3 miles north of Norwood-Young America. The observatory is a handicap accessible, state-of-the-art facility with computer driven telescope platforms and a 20” reflecting telescope that are ready to show you the skies. Come see the stars through our variety of telescopes that include a 14” and 16” Schmidt Cassegrain telescopes as well as an array of refractors or sit back and enjoy live video of planets, star clusters, galaxies and nebula on the observatory imaging system. Enjoy a tour of the sky by one of our dedicated volunteers or bring your own telescope. There will be talks, prizes, solar viewing, and fun activities throughout the day and into the night.

Call the Carver County Park Office at 952-466-5250 to register and reserve your spot. Call the Park office for questions on campsites available or registration fees. For any CWTS event or observatory questions, post a reply to this forum topic.

Schedule of Events (Subject to change)
Friday July 29th
The observatory opens at 7:00 pm. We will begin with solar viewing and other daytime objects.

7:00- Sarah Devine - Topic: First Light: Exploring with the James Webb Space Telescope
On July 12, the first 5 images from the James Webb Space Telescope were released to the public. These beyond gorgeous images are only a start to what will be uncovered about the universe in the years to come. We'll take a dive into the first images and into the telescope itself. What will you uncover?

8:00- Brad Nasset - Topic: How to find constellations. Brad will talk about getting oriented to the sky, why we see constellations appear to move in the sky, and why we see different constellations at different times of the year. He will end the presentation with a demo of the constellation finder app, SkySafari. 

Saturday July 30th
The observatory will open by 1:00 pm on Saturday for solar viewing and other daytime objects (if clear).

2:00- Colin Kilbane - Topic: Rocket making and launching It's rocket science!  What can you make with some index cards, an easter egg, a paper towel tube. a bit of string and some foam?  Learn how you can build your own model rocket from these unlikely everyday materials.  You will also learn the basics of model rocketry safety and even launch a rocket if weather permits.

3:00PM - Lindsay Emert will teach guests how to make and use planispheres. 

4:00PM - Steve Emert - The Unsung Heroes of Apollo: We’re going to the Moon again with project Artemis, right? Well, over 50 years ago we may not have made it if it weren’t for a number of people you may never heard of. Visionary engineers and program managers who drove the program and flight engineers who fixed problem on the fly, allowing us to accomplish the Apollo Moon landings. We’ll talk about some of them during this hour.

5:00- The MAS will be hosting the annual cookout at the "Prairie" picnic shelter (west of the ball field). The picnic is for registered campers, those who paid the for a single day admission and MAS members. Burgers, hot dogs, chips and bottled water provided.

7:00- Ron Schmit - Topic: "This is BIG!" A zoom out through the cosmos.

8:00 Door prize drawing in the HotSpot Classroom. Registered campers, bring your door prize tickets in your CWTS information packet. MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN

8:30 Raffle prize drawing in the HotSpot Classroom. This year we have an 8" Orion SkyQuest telescope to raffle, along with astronomy binoculars, MAS merchandise, astronomy books, etc.


10:30- Laser show with Ron Schmit - Live Laser Tour of the Night Sky - (Weather permitting) – Step out to the plaza, and get a guided tour of the night sky. Ever wonder how to find the North Star? We’ll show you a neat little trick so you’ll find it every time. Want to find the planets in the sky? We’ve got a trick for that, too! Watch in amazement as we turn the sky into a real live planetarium! If it’s cloudy, we’ll simulate the sky with the digital projector inside the Hot Spot classroom.


Sunday July 31st
The observatory will open by 8:00 am on Sunday for solar viewing and other daytime objects (if clear).

8:00 am Continental Breakfast – Morning coffee & donuts (Juice for the kids) – Celebrate the day of the Sun with views through the solar observing telescopes and binoculars. The observatory will be open throughout the morning and early afternoon. Activities conclude at 2:00 pm.

[Deane Clark]

Ron’s name is spelled wrong.

[merle]

Ron’s name is spelled wrong.

I knew that.... fixed now.

Merle

[merle]

FYI - updated speaker list.

I will update again when I receive more detailed speaker topic descriptions as well.


Merle

[catlover]

Is there is fee just to attend the events and dinner but not stay overnight? If so, call the same number?

[Deane Clark]

Is there is fee just to attend the events and dinner but not stay overnight? If so, call the same number?

Yes. But you don’t have to call if you are not camping.

Walk-ins, not camping, directed to or go directly to the classroom to pay fee for wrist band / door prize ticket
Daily fee is now $10 per person.

[merle]

Just and FYI / update....

I talked with Hope at Carver county and as of today (July 8th), there are 89 people registered for this years CWTS. Only one group so far on the ball field, so still plenty of space available.

She also mentioned the park has an $8.00 registration fee we had not shown on our website.


Merle

[bry73]

Looking forward to attending this event for the first time. I am planning on bringing Laurens C14 with the Compustar system to set-up so others can enjoy this classic system, and hopefully to also learn more about this system myself from some of the other members.

[zimitsj]

I am able to help out with Camping with the Stars and will be there Friday evening and Saturday. I am planning to be there for the scheduled times, but I can arrive earlier if needed. Please let me know.

[Deane Clark]

I am able to help out with Camping with the Stars and will be there Friday evening and Saturday. I am planning to be there for the scheduled times, but I can arrive earlier if needed. Please let me know.

Thanks John
I just created a thread in the ELO Keyholders forum for volunteering to help out.

[soulatomic]

Hi! My family and I are one of the ballfield campers. Do you know if they allow fires at all? I assume not, but wanted to check. Are we ok to use a small propane grill? Any other restrictions/tips/tricks I should know? (This is our first time at this event--but not our first time at the observatory.)

Thanks so much!

[Deane Clark]

Hi! My family and I are one of the ballfield campers. Do you know if they allow fires at all? I assume not, but wanted to check. Are we ok to use a small propane grill? Any other restrictions/tips/tricks I should know? (This is our first time at this event--but not our first time at the observatory.)

Thanks so much!

I woud call the same number you called to make the camping reservation and ask.

[merle]

Hi! My family and I are one of the ballfield campers. Do you know if they allow fires at all?

I believe they have had campfire rings set out on the field in the past, but speaking from experience, a campfire and observing with telescopes when trying to maintain dark adaption do not mix.

But check with the park office as Deane suggests.

Merle

[soulatomic]

Hi! My family and I are one of the ballfield campers. Do you know if they allow fires at all? I assume not, but wanted to check. Are we ok to use a small propane grill? Any other restrictions/tips/tricks I should know? (This is our first time at this event--but not our first time at the observatory.)

Thanks so much!

I woud call the same number you called to make the camping reservation and ask.

Thank you!

[soulatomic]

Hi! My family and I are one of the ballfield campers. Do you know if they allow fires at all?

I believe they have had campfire rings set out on the field in the past, but speaking from experience, a campfire and observing with telescopes when trying to maintain dark adaption do not mix.

But check with the park office as Deane suggests.

Merle

Haha, duh. I keep forgetting that we won't be on the actual camp site.

[JamieH82]

Hello!
I am super new to attending events with MAS. Can I bring a guest with me if they are not a member? We might not do camping, but just attend events one of the days.

Thanks!

[Deane Clark]

Hello!
I am super new to attending events with MAS. Can I bring a guest with me if they are not a member? We might not do camping, but just attend events one of the days.

Thanks!

Anybody can attend, member or not. However, this is a paid event. If you are camping, then call the Carver County Parks number and make a camping reservation. They will take payment and you will get your event packet, including door prize tickets when you check in at the campground office on arrival.
If you decide not to camp, there is a $10 per person fee which you can pay at the observatory when you arrive. I would strongly suggest attending on Saturday, since that is when we do the door prize drawing, and you will also have the opportunity to buy raffle tickets for the raffle prize.

[merle]

Anybody can attend, member or not. However, this is a paid event. If you are camping, then call the Carver County Parks number and make a camping reservation. They will take payment and you will get your event packet, including door prize tickets when you check in at the campground office on arrival.
If you decide not to camp, there is a $10 per person fee which you can pay at the observatory when you arrive. I would strongly suggest attending on Saturday, since that is when we do the door prize drawing, and you will also have the opportunity to buy raffle tickets for the raffle prize.

Correction to part of Deane's post above:

The procedure is...

If you are camping for the Camping with the Stars event:
1- Call the park office number to reserve your campsite - 952-466-5250

2- When you arrive, check-in at the Baylor Park office for your camping assignment (barn like building to the left of the main park entrance). Typically, guests set up their site prior to going to the observatory.
NOTE: If you arrive after 8:00 on Friday evening or Saturday, the park office may be closed. Please call the campground host at 612-209-0109 to get your campsite assignment.

3- When you arrive at the observatory, find a MAS volunteer to receive your CWTS welcome packet which includes information on the weekend activities, agenda, wrist band and a door prize ticket for each member in your group. Bring this ticket with you to the Saturday night door prize drawing (must be present to win).

4- Enjoy a night of observing through some of the finest amateur telescopes available.

If you are NOT camping and just want to attend the events at the observatory:
1- Go directly to the observatory to pay the registration fee. You will receive information on the weekend activities, agenda, wrist band and a door prize ticket for each member in your group. Bring this ticket with you to the Saturday night door prize drawing (must be present to win).

2- Enjoy a night of observing through some of the finest amateur telescopes available.

ALSO NOTE:
All registered campers and attendees are welcome to join us for the MAS cookout on Saturday evening. The MAS is providing hot dogs and hamburgers, drinks, condiments and chips. All those registered should also have a door prize ticket as part of the registration fees. Bring this ticket with you on Saturday evening to the prize drawing (must be present to win).

Everyone is also welcome to purchase raffle tickets. Raffle prizes include MAS merchandise, hats, mug, shirts, Astronomy books, Astronomy binocular and the grand prize of an 8" dobsonian telescope and case. Tickets are $5 each and are available at the observatory. Ask a MAS volunteer to get your tickets. (do not need to be present to win)


Merle Hiltner
Minnesota Astronomical Society
Eagle Lake Observatory Facility Director
Onan Observatory • Sylvia A. Casby Observatory • HotSpot Classroom
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[JamieH82]

Thanks so much for the help!

[merle]

FYI / update....

There are 115 people registered for this years CWTS.

Three groups on the ball field, so still plenty of space available there.


Merle

[merle]

Are we ok to use a small propane grill?

The reply from the park is "Yes, but the grill size is to be small, “table-top” sized."

[merle]

Note that we had a speaker presentation change as Collin will be doing the rocket building at 2:00 on Saturday.

Also note that the cookout this year will be at the "Prairie" picnic shelter (west of the ball field), and not the shelter by the lake.


Merle

[soulatomic]

Are we ok to use a small propane grill?

The reply from the park is "Yes, but the grill size is to be small, “table-top” sized."

Thank you so much!

[merle]

Last update, 121 CWTS guests... and still room for more on the ball field.



Merle

[BradNasset]

What a nice CWTS!! I want to share a story about the young girl that won the big telescope in the raffle. Not sure but maybe she was in middle school?? No older. Earlier Saturday afternoon she and her mother were in the observatory and she was really excited and asking about, well, everything. Dave Johnson told them about becoming a member, and she was beside herself with excitement thinking 'even me, a kid" could become a member. She and her mother debated about a family membership, and they left so excited I thought the girl would start giggling. Well, what wonderful sight to see her win the telescope!