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Star Party Survey
The question of what makes a great star party has been discussed many times in many places, including a lot of star parties. The truth is that what is great to one person may not be great to another. However, I believe that there are a number of common traits which most people consider important for any multi-night star party. Obviously these include dark skies, good weather and friendly people. But typical star parties are located and scheduled to provide reasonably dark skies and a high probability of decent weather, although nature sometimes thwarts our plans. The following questions are intended to provide data to rank these traits in order of relative importance for making a great star party. Once I receive enough replies I will summarize and share the results on this web site and other on line forums.
*
Indicates required field
How many years have you attended at least one 3 night or longer star party?
*
0 - 1 years
2 - 4 years
5- 10 years
More than 10 years
How many 3 night or longer star parties due you attend per year
*
0
1
2
3
4 or more
How many nights due you typically stay at a star party
*
I never attended a 3 night or longer star party
1-2 nights
3 - 4 nights
5 or more nights
Check the one that best describes what you do most at a star party
*
Visual
Astrophotography
Video
Sketch
Visit with friends
Other
I have never attended a star party
Check the one which best describes where you sleep at a star party
*
Tent
Car or Truck
Camper, RV, Motor Home
On Site Cabin, Bunkhouse, Yurt, etc.
Off Site Motel/Hotel
Converted Cargo Carrier
Other
I have not yet attended a star party
Please indicate the longest distance in miles or kilometers you are willing to travel to attend a star party
*
Please list the star parties you regularly attend
*
Please indicate which state you live in if from the U.S., otherwise which country.
*
PleaseThe following 4 questions ask you to rank a series of star party features in order of importance. The scale is:
1. "Essential" - those that are most important in deciding to attend a star party and to your overall enjoyment
2. "Important" - those that contribute to your overall enjoyment but are not the most critical
3. "Slightly Important" - those that are nice to have, but ones you would not miss or may seldom use
4. "Not Important" - those that have no impact on your choice of attending or your enjoyment at the
star party
To help differentiate among features, there are limits on the number you can select.
Please do not select the same item in more than one of the following 4 questions
Which items are "Essential" - choose 6 or less
*
Sky Darkness
Length of the Star Party (# Days)
Observing Field Conditions
On site showers
On site cabins, dorms, etc
On site food
On site water/ice
Power on the observing field
RV hookups
# Attendees
Speakers
Nearby Groceries/Gas (30min or less)
Nearby activities (hiking,tours, etc.)
Weather
Costs
360 deg unobstructed views
Shade
No light domes
Length of nights
Time of year
On site activities (Vendors, Swap meet, etc.)
Nearby restaurants/fast food (30min or less)
Altitude
Generators allowed certain hours
Which items are "Important"- choose 10 or less
*
Sky Darkness
Length of Star Party (# Days)
Observing Field Conditions
On site showers
On site cabins, dorms, etc.
On site food
On site water/ice
Power on the observing field
RV hookups
# Attendees
Speakers
Nearby Groceries/Gas (<30min)
Nearby activities (hiking, tours, etc.)
Weather
Costs
360 deg unobstructed views
Shade
No light domes
Length of nights
Time of year
On site activities (Vendors, Swap meet, etc.)
Nearby restaurants/fast food (30min or less)
Altitude
Generators allowed certain hours
Which items "Slightly Important" - choose 10 or less
*
Sky Darkness
Length of Star Party (# Days)
Observing Field Conditions
On site showers
On site cabins, dorms, etc.
On site food
On site water/ice
Power on the observing field
RV hookups
# Attendees
Speakers
Nearby Groceries/Gas (<30min)
Nearby activities (hiking, tours, etc.)
Weather
Costs
360 degrees unobstructed views
Shade
No light domes
Length of nights
Time of year
On site activities (Vendors, Swap meet, etc.)
Nearby restaurants/fast food (30min or less)
Altitude
Generators allowed certain hours
Which items are "Not Important" - choose 10 or less
*
Sky Darkness
Length of Star Party (# Days)
Observing field conditions
On site showers
On site cabins, dorms, etc.
On site food
On site water/ice
Power on the observing field
RV hookups
# Attendees
Speakers
Nearby Groceries/Gas (<30min)
Nearby activities (hiking, tours, etc.)
Weather
Costs
360 degree unobstructed views
Shade
No light domes
Length of nights
Time of year
On site activities (Vendors, Swap meet, etc.)
Nearby restaurants/fast food (30min or less)
Altitude
Generators allowed certain hours
Please list any star party features which were not in the survey which you think should be.
*
Check up to 3 most important On-Site features
*
Showers
Cabins, Bunkhouses, Yurts, etc.
Food
Water
Ice
Power on the field
Charging Stations
RV Hookups
Hospitality tent
None of the above
Check up to 3 most important Activities
*
Speakers
Workshops
Swap Meets
Vendors
Equipment Walk-Abouts
Contests
Raffles
Children's Activites
Nearby Tours
Hands On Training
Public night
None of the above
Check up to 3 most important observing field features
*
Lots of space
Level field
Grass instead of dirt
Shade
360 deg unobstructed view
Ability to sleep next to equipment
Ability to drive on/off field during the day
None of the above
Which one is most important
*
360 deg unobstructed view
Longer nights
More Nights
No light domes
None of the above
Which one is preferred
*
Cool day temps 50-60 deg F
Mild day temps 60 -75 deg F
Warm day temps 75 - 85 deg F
Hot day temps 85- 95 deg F
None of the above
Which one is preferred
*
Cold nights 30 - 45 deg F
Cool nights 45 - 55 deg F
Mild nights 55-65 deg F
Warm nights 65-75 deg F
None of the above
Submit
Home
My Images
EAA
Astrophotography
Equipment
Power Equipment Recommendations
Astro Equipment Recommendations
Power Needs Estimates
My Equipment
Links to Camera Manuals & Software
CCD & CMOS Sensor Specs
EAA Support
My EAA Journey
Why EAA?
EAA for Beginners Series
Analog Camera Setup: No Computer
Analog Camera Setup: Computer
Video Tutorials
Field Rotation
Searching for Early Video Cameras
Blog
Links & Downloads
Videos: Tips & Equipment Reviews
Downloadable Presentations
Links to EAA Sites & Books
Manuals
Telescopes for EAA
Mounts for EAA
Cameras for EAA