Star Party
at Dedication Point.
Who can attend:
The event is open to any and all, with or without a telescope!
Where is it:
South Swan Falls Road Melba, ID 83641
Latitude/Longitude:
43.27666667, -116.3938889
43°16'35"N 116°23'38"W
Directions: From Interstate 84 take exit #44 (Meridian) and travel south on Meridian Road. Travel approximately 7 miles and the road will bear right for 1 mile as E. Avalon as you come into the small community of Kuna, Idaho. Turn south on Swan Falls Road and travel approximately 16 miles south to Dedication Point (on your right)
Other things to consider: Stay tuned to the following the day before, or the morning of a star party event for the GO or NO-GO status: this will be an email/post from our Groups.io community, our Facebook page, and the BAS website. When we announce a NO-GO, the event has been cancelled, usually due to weather, e.g., high winds, very cold temperatures, clouds, or another issue.
We suggest you dress in layers - It gets cold very quickly after sundown.
We request you bring a red filtered (or LED) flashlight as it helps maintain our dark-adapted vision for optimal viewing
Try to back in or park in such a way that your headlights won't flood the scope field with bright white light. Some times it is unavoidable but usually it can be minimized. Perhaps, as you approach the area, turn off your headlights, leaving only your parking lights on while you park your car (if safe to do so).
The start time listed is a few minutes before sun down.
If you want to setup your scope in daylight, plan to arrive before a star party’s ‘start’ time. It will take about 2 hours after the ‘start’ for the sky to darken to what we call ‘Astro Dark’. During that twilight, folks will be finishing the setup on their scopes, looking for planets, etc.
