Indiana Family Star Party 2024
On Friday August 2nd and Saturday August 3rd you can be a part of the 21st Indiana Family Star Party at Camp Cullom, the largest annual astronomy gathering in the state and one of the largest astronomy events in the midwest.
This is Camp Cullom’s largest fund raiser of the year yet only costs you $5.00 per person or $15.00 per carload for a fun filled day and night packed with family time under the stars.
Camp Cullom (near Frankfort) is under dark rural skies and one reason this is one of the Midwest’s premier star party for families! You can bring your family to learn the constellations, see star clusters, and catch the misty glow of the Milky Way overhead!
Prairie Grass Observatory’s large telescopes will be available to the public for viewing, and amateur astronomers from across the Midwest will have their own telescopes set up on a large observing field. Many telescopes will be available for public viewing. Just ask what object each scope is focused on, and these astronomers will be delighted to show you.
Cost for day visitors is only $5.00 per person or $15.00 per carload. This price includes unlimited Coffee and Hot Chocolate at the Astro Grill run by Chris with American Porkers. Food will also be available at the American Porkers AstroGrill. Price also includes all speakers, space movies, free popcorn and great advice from friendly amateur astronomers on how to get involved in astronomy.
The weekend begins Friday evening with a free ice cream social at 6:30 in front of the Nature Center. Later Friday night, the family can enjoy the “Constellations for Kids” program. Constellations for Kids will be held at the Galileo Gallery at Prairie Grass Observatoryand will include ice cream treats! If it’s cloudy, you can be a part of a cloudy night game and still be a part of prize drawings.
Saturday’s weather forecast looks great all day with clear, starry skies into Saturday night. Saturday daytime activities include kids’ craft activities, grab bags for the kids, interesting and entertaining speakers, an astro-quiz, the prairie grass walk, a silent auction (and a not-so-silent auction), a swap meet, and door prizes!
This year’s speakers include:
- Vandana Ramakrishnan, of the Purdue University Astrophysics Department, who will speak on observational cosmology, galax formation, star formation, and cosmic structure;
- Braden Garretson, also of Purdue University’s Astrophysics Department who will present on extragalactic supernovae and other explosive transients with large sky surveys; and
- Kevin Schindler, historian at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Az who will present on Mulberry, Indiana’s own Slipher brothers (Vesto and Earl).
The IFSP is hosted by three regional astronomy clubs: The Wabash Valley Astronomical Society (Lafayette), the Indiana Astronomical Society (Indianapolis), and the Muncie Astronomy Club.
The event will open to the public on August 2—3 at beautiful Camp Cullom, home of the Prairie Grass Observatory. Camp Cullom is known for its dark, star-studded rural sky, affording excellent views of many celestial objects. Summer is the season of star clusters: tight groupings of stars that allow you to see over 100,000 stars at once through a single telescopic eyepiece! In addition to star clusters, many nebulae—ghostly clouds of dust in space—will be visible, as will several fun asterisms. For those who can stay late enough (midnight to 1:00 a.m.), Saturn and its rings will also appear in the sky!
Every year this regional party attracts curious starry-sky lovers, nature lovers, and actual and aspiring amateur astronomers. Join us and explore the skies!
PUBLIC GATE SCHEDULE:
Friday August 2: 4:00 p.m., gates open. 12:00 midnight, gates close.*
Saturday August 3: 10:00 a.m., gates open. 12:00 midnight, gates close.*
Note: During these times, the registration booth at the single day parking lot will be open. After arrival, visitors may stay at the star party as late as they choose, but shuttle service back to the parking lot stops at 12:00 a.m. Camping for the full event is also available, see details below: Registration and Camping.
*Gates may close earlier if weather is cloudy or rainy.
ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS:
Friday Only:
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.: Daytime solar observing at the observatory buildings.
6:30 p.m.: Ice Cream Social at the Nature Center, followed by an orientation and roundtable discussion at 7:00.
9:00 p.m.: Constellations for Kids at the Galileo Gallery.
Saturday Only:
10:30 a.m.: The Astro Quiz will be given at the Nature Center.
12:00 Noon: Items may be entered into the silent auction at the Nature Center, Bird Watch Area.
1:00 p.m.: Astronomy presentations begin at the Nature Center.
6:00 p.m.: Quiz awards and door prizes will be distributed in the Nature Center.
Friday and Saturday:
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 Noon: Swap meet at the Picnic Shelter.
8:30 p.m.: Beginning Astronomy Workshop
10:00 p.m.: Movies will begin in the Nature Center
See the IFSP website for more details: https://indianastars.com/starparty/.
ADMISSION:
Daily admission on August 2 & 3 is still just $5.00 per person or $15.00 for a carload of three or more people for a single day and evening. Please be prepared to pay cash at the gate or write a check! The remote location of the check-in booth prevents us from being able to accept credit cards. See Registration & Camping below for Admission fees for Full Event (July 30-Aug. 4) campers.
If you want to bring in a telescope for a single day, you can either bring it on the hay wagon or, if you arrive during daylight hours, you can drive it to the observing field, and then return your car to the “single day” parking lot before dark. But then you’ll have to carry your telescope back to the parking lot when you leave (with the hay wagon available until midnight).
PARKING:
Parking, for those not purchasing a Full Event pass (see below), will be on a separate field a few hundred yards from the observing field. During evening hours, the camp’s ranger will be driving a hay wagon back and forth to provide transportation between the parking area and observing field, but only until midnight. This arrangement minimizes car headlight interference on the observing field.
FULL EVENT REGISTRATION & CAMPING:
Camping on the grounds and a 3-day extension of the star party are available for those who are interested. This package includes a 3-day extension of the star party (Jul. 18-23), plus parking/camping on the observing field or one of the camp’s other campsites. Early Registration Discount prices are $25.00/individual or $35.00/family, through July 5. Registration prices after July 5 or at-gate are $50.00/individual or $60.00/family. To park and/or camp on the observing field, you must purchase the full event pass.
If you plan to stay multiple days, but want to stay at a hotel at night, you will have to move your car off of the observing field before dark since driving is not permitted on the observing field after dark. If you plan to leave equipment set up on the observing field overnight, you must purchase the full event pass, even if you park in the single-day parking lot at night.
For more information, go to https://indianastars.com/starparty, or, if you do not have internet access, contact the Wabash Valley Astronomical Society, P.O. Box 2020, West Lafayette, IN 47996-2020 or email to wvasinfo@gmail.com. Registration forms must be postmarked no later than July 5 to avoid the higher late registration fees.
AMENITIES:
Prepared food will be available for purchase at mealtimes starting on Friday afternoon, however, those wishing to bring their own food may do so. Please note that no campfires will be allowed near the observing field, but camp stoves are acceptable before sunset. There are charcoal grills available in most of the non-observing-field campsites.
The camp has restroom facilities with running water and showers. The shower schedule is posted in the event program.
The Nature Center, where many activities and gatherings will take place, is air-conditioned, and close to both the observing field and observatory buildings.
Movies will be shown Friday and Saturday nights in the Nature Center with free popcorn available.
RULES:
ABSOLUTELY NO alcoholic beverages are allowed on the grounds at any time.
Camp Sites: Campers may only reserve ONE camp site next to them for a friend; blocks of camp sites may not be reserved.
Walkie Talkies: Channel 11 is to be reserved for star party communications only. Attendees may use another channel for non-star-party related communications.
Generators must be located on the north side of the road to the Lodge and can only be run from noon to 8:00 p.m. At all other times they must be off.
All net proceeds from the admission fee are applied toward maintaining the Prairie Grass Observatory and Camp Cullom (Clinton County Foundation for Youth), a non-profit United Way Agency.
