Second Annual Central Nevada Star Party
37° 49' 33" N, 117° 20' 15" W
Join us April 26th to April 29th for The Second Annual Central Nevada Star Party! We will be gathering at Alkali, Nevada at an altitude of 5000 feet in the middle of the dark skies of Central Nevada. Alkali is located seven miles off of US95 between Goldfield and Silver Peak and about 20 miles south of Tonopah. Alkali is also known as Alkali Hot Springs and there are Hot Springs at the site which were used extensively last year.
Someone asked about campfires so I called the owner who is letting us use his property for this event and this is what he said. First and safest choice is to use a propane stove. If you do not have a propane stove use a charcoal briquettes grill. As a last resort, a campfire is acceptable provided a) Do not gather wood at the site. You will have to bring in your own. b) Have a shovel and a bucket of water available to douse the fire if needed. Remember that we are out in the middle of the desert and fire fighting resources are limited if a brush fire should get started.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Last year's gathering at Alkali was a great success and we hope to have even more folks show up this year.
Mars and Saturn will be well placed as twilight ends. The Leo Triplet and the galaxies of Ursa Major will be right overhead. Jupiter rises at around 9 PM and will be well placed before midnight. M13 and M57 will both be well up in the east by midnight.
Comet
Schwassmann-Wachmann 3, breaking into several pieces as it approaches the
sun, will be near its closest approach to the earth.
This comet will be rising in the east and visible before midnight.
The down side to having a dark site free of light pollution is that this is a primitive site. There is no water available, so bring your own. There are no garbage facilities so what you haul in, you will have to haul out. We will be bringing in portable toilets and this is the only expense we have to cover. In order to cover the cost of the toilets, we are charging $10 per person to offset this cost. If you plan to attend this star party please email the webmaster so we will know how many people to plan for. If you do not want to camp, lodging is available in Tonopah about twenty miles away. Tonopah also has several restaurants, a Scolari's grocery store, a hospital with 24 hour ER and medical clinic, numerous gas stations and museums.