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Star parties are events where people gather together and gaze at thestars.
By Katy Ramirez
Assistant Managing Editor
posted: 30 June 2005
06:48 am
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An accidental star party
The Grand Canyon Star Party -- one of the largest annual gatherings in the American Southwest -- is also a brainchild of John Dobson.
The popular party began in the 1970s, but tourists visiting the Grand Canyon objected to Dobson's controversial views on evolution. In response, the National Park Service halted the annual event in the 1980s.
"Some visitors didn't appreciate being told they evolved from pond scum," explained Dean Ketelsen, who is credited with the party's revival.
Ketelsen, who polishes telescope mirrors for a living, celebrated his first wedding anniversary at the Grand Canyon in 1991 with his wife and a very large pair of binoculars. "There was an instant line of people," Ketelsen said.
"The first [revival] was a pretty small affair," he said. "But now, between 80 and 90 people bring their telescopes to the party each year." About 20,000 people attended the two-week party in 1999, with between 3,000 to 4,000 people viewing the sky at the canyon's north and south rims each night. These visitors range from astronomy amateurs to experts. Some are just Grand Canyon visitors who stumble upon the party in progress.
Amateur astronomers gather at the Grand Canyon Star Party in 1996.
"It's nice to be able to wean people away from their televisions and bring them back to nature," Ketelsen said. "It fires the imagination."
The granddaddy of amateur-astronomy events
Ask any amateur astronomer and they will most likely tell you that the Stellafane Convention is one of the most important events on the star-party calendar. Stellafane was founded by Russell W. Porter in March 1923. This July, Stellafane celebrates its 65th Annual Convention of Amateur Telescope Makers.
The convention, located in the green hills of Springfield, Vermont, features stargazing opportunities, a telescope-making competition, a seminar on astro-imaging with a video camera and several events for children.
Stellafane's Tom Spirock says the group encourages amateur telescope-making so "everyday stargazers" can enjoy the evening sky.
Before the 1950s, Spirock says there were no "commercial" telescopes available to the public. "If a person was not rich enough to commission some optical company to make them a custom telescope, they just had to make their own," he said.
Now that high-quality commercial telescopes are available to the public at reasonable prices, amateur telescope makers (ATMs) are a minority in the amateur community. But Spirock says the Stellafane gathering still captures a diverse, involved audience of about 2,000 each year.
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