The Fourth Annual Central Nevada Star Party
Sponsored by the Tonopah Astronomical Society
May 1st through May 4th, 2008
38° 2' 29" N, 117° 47' 42" W
Join us for The Fourth Annual Central Nevada Star Party! We will be gathering at Monte Cristo's Castle at an altitude of 5160 feet in the middle of the dark skies of Central Nevada. Monte Cristo's Castle is located three miles off of US95/US6, 24 miles north of Silver Peak and 37 miles west of Tonopah, Nevada.
Join us at the star party where you are not camping on top of your neighbor and you can set up right next to your tent or RV.
Join club member Chip Winkler on Saturday morning for a hiking tour of the geological wonders of Monte Cristo's Castle.
This is a proposed state park that our members have visited during the day for BBQ's and have had several star parties and it never disappoints. The Milky Way with numerous dark lanes blazes from horizon to horizon and galaxies, nebulae and star clusters were clear and steady.
By May Saturn and Mars will be well placed as twilight ends and Jupiter will be rising in the east. Leo Triplet and the Virgo Cluster will be high in the sky with all the deep sky wonders of Ursa Major directly overhead . And that is just what there is to be excited about at the beginning of the dark night.
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 But they will not be arriving until Thursday so do not show up before then unless you have your own facilities. We will be charging a small fee of $10 a person to cover expenses. Last year we actually came up $5.00 short of covering all our expenses. 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 37 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.
About campfires. 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) There is no wood available 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.
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We can fit a lot of telescopes in the amphitheater at Monte Cristo's Castle |
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North end of the amphitheater looking south |
Directions
From the Gazebo in the Best Western Hotel in downtown Tonopah, drive north on US95/US6 34.1 miles to mile marker 25. Nevada State Route 265 goes to the south and heading north is a dirt road going towards the Monte Cristo Range. Turn right onto the dirt road. Drive 2.0 miles and you are at the viewing area.