A First-timer’s Trip to the Big Ol’ Texas Star Party

In the months following last year’s fabulous total solar eclipse, I made up my mind to make this the year that I attend my first major star party. As a consummate observer of the deep-sky, I wanted it to be within a reasonable driving distance so that I could bring my 16-inch Dobsonian telescope. I also wanted it to be either darker than the observing sites I frequent in northern Arkansas or noticeably farther south. With the Texas Star Party (TSP), held on the historic Prude Guest Ranch in West Texas, I knew I would get all three.

After a multi-day drive, I arrived at Prude Ranch two days early to acclimate to the ranch’s altitude of 5,050 feet and explore the area. In my wanderings, I saw my first pronghorns and javelins and many dust devils.

After a major dust storm on Saturday evening, the star party opened on Easter Sunday with clear blue skies. Astronomers and astrophotographers entered at the gate, where they were given a wristband, name badge, map, schedule of events, and a complimentary 2025 TSP shirt. A hotdog/hamburger lunch was served outdoors around noon. As I chatted with folks, I quickly realized I wouldn’t be winning any awards for farthest attendee — some had driven from coastal states!

Sunday afternoon and evening was spent by many getting either their telescopes and/or imaging rigs set up. The excitement in the air was palpable with no dust in the air and the temperature quickly dropping into the 60s. Plus, the forecast was showing the sky to be cloud-free until at least Wednesday!

That first night, folks were chattering throughout the Upper Field, including people saying they needed to put more layers on! Little did we know, this was to be the best night, with stars visible to the naked-eye right down to the horizon and the temperature dropping into the low 40s. I happily kept my 16-inch aimed within 15° of the southern horizon the entire night and came away with detailed observations of so many southern objects, I think I saved myself an airplane ticket!

With so many clear nights during the week, I wasn’t usually an early riser. But for those that were, there were several astrophotography seminars hosted by Jon Talbot and Don Selle. One of those that did attend was Ward Booth of Houston. He told me this was his first time attending TSP and that he came to see the Milky Way with his unaided eyes and to find out what his new 6-inch Celestron Origin could do under dark skies. At the end of the week, I checked back with him and learned he had accomplished both of his goals and had thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Throughout the week, the Ranch featured a buffet-style meal twice a day (once around noon and the other in the late afternoon). The food was generally excellent, but I must confess I didn’t have as much time to enjoy it, because the meals were the best time to catch up with other astronomers. It was at one of the meals I was shown a copy of the August 1982 issue of Sky & Telescope with an article written by Dennis Milon about the first TSP held at Prude Guest Ranch. The owner was George Ellis, one of the founders of TSP and the president of the Astronomical League from 1984-86. He was excited to be here for the 40th anniversary of TSP being held at the ranch.

The first of a week-long schedule of evening speakers was Larry Mitchell, who explained the astrophysics behind many of the objects found on this year’s Advanced Observing Program, titled “A Little Bit of Everything.” I was impressed by his explanations of such difficult concepts as the Lyman alpha forest, the difference between the flat and open models for the universe, and why we shouldn’t confuse an objects light-travel time with its comoving radial distance. By the end of the week, Mitchell was excited to report that dozens of folks had received pins for completing his program.

On Tuesday and again on Wednesday afternoon, some folks went on an exclusive “technical tour” of nearby McDonald Observatory. They visited the 10-meter Hobby-Eberly telescope and the 107-inch Harlan J. Smith telescope.

On Thursday, I slept well into the afternoon, having gone to bed after the beginning of twilight. But I made sure not to miss Stephen James O’Meara’s evening talk, titled “Invisible Wonders.” He spoke with gratitude for all of the people he’d met while growing up who had taken the time to give him advice and encourage his interest in astronomy. It brought tears to many (myself included), and afterwards he received a standing ovation from the crowd. O’Meara couldn’t remember exactly, but from what I gather, this was his first appearance at TSP in 19 years, and he noted during his talk that it was at TSP, decades ago, that he, a planetary observer, fell in love with deep-sky objects.

On Friday afternoon, the ranch’s Upper Field experienced a major dust devil that tossed around some camping chairs and pushed over a few telescopes. That evening the sky clouded over, which was fortunate because after David Levy’s moving talk, the organizers gave away door prizes in the Great Texas Giveaway. At the end, it was heartwarming for us all to see that the randomly drawn winner of the grand-prize – a ZWO Seestar S30 telescope – was a young girl!

One attendee who had set up her 18-inch Dobsonain near mine was Kara Akgulian. She had driven down from Idaho Falls, where she’s president of her city’s astronomical society. Even though she has been to several other major star parties, she said “it’s the people here that keep me coming back.”

On Saturday, some folks who had the farthest to drive left after having packed up late on Friday. I didn’t leave until Sunday morning and, to be honest, actually felt sad. I had met and made friends with so many people that having to part ways with them so soon was hard. Before I left, I found out that TSP will be held next year between May 10th  and 16th . . . and I fully intend to be there for it.