Big Meadows Star Gaze Hosted by the Rappahannock Astronomy Club

Big Meadows Shenandoah National Park Skyline Drive Milepost 51 38° 30.969' N      78° 26.407' W 3500 feet elevation

The 2004 Big Meadows Star Gaze is on September 10-11, 2004

Register for Free!

Welcome to the home page for the Third Annual Big Meadows Star Gaze, a two night star pary located at Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.  This is an informal star party which has been approved by the park.  We hope you enjoy the event, and if there is enough interest, we hope to be able to sponsor another one next year-perhaps with vendors or guest speakers!

RAC members at Big Meadows on June, 8 2002.

The park rangers have approved this event.

The BMSG came about as a result of an effort to find a relatively dark observing site in central Virginia that would allow members of the Rappahannock Astronomy Club (RAC) to pursue activities such as visual observing with moderate and large-aperture telescopes, ccd imaging, and public outreach. We wanted a site that was within a couple hours drive of Fredericksburg, and as high as possible to get above some of the summer haze. It is also about 10 degrees cooler in the summer at this site than what is typical on the piedmont. This fact-along with the near absence of mosquitoes makes observing from Big Meadows a real summertime pleasure. Members of the RAC have been using the site now for several seasons, and would like to encourage other amateurs to do so-hence the BMSG.

Although the location is good, it is not perfect. The skies are not pitch black, and there are local lights to contend with; however, despite this, the views of the summer Milky Way are very impressive. On a typical night, stars of 6th magnitude can be seen overhead. This is dark enough to give the impression of a ãsky resplendent with starsä. Many Messier objects are visible to the unaided eye. The diffuse glow of the Lagoon Nebula is obvious, as is M24- the Little Sagittarius Starcloud. Some people have even seen the globular M13 in Hercules with the naked eye from this site. The ãGreat Riftä, a dark swath of interstellar dust which runs along the spine of the Milky Way can be seen from Cygnus all the way to the southern horizon (-47.5 degrees declination). In fact, the southern horizon is so good it is possible to see the grand globular cluster Omega Centauri! Just look to the south above the treeline in early June as the sky gets dark. Meteors can be seen streaking across the sky, the zodiacal light is plainly visible, and telescopes of all aperture classes can be used effectively! Add this to the natural beauty of an Alpine Meadow with hiking trails and waterfalls and the appeal of this site for stargazing becomes obvious!

Facilities

There is an entrance fee of 10 dollars to enter the park per car, but the actual BMSG is free.

The park has camping facilities within a short drive from the telescope field at BMSG, and there is Big Meadows Lodge with very comfortable rooms nearby as well. These facilities usually book up early, so try and make reservations as soon as possible. See the table below for contact and reservation information. No camping is allowed near the telescopes as the park prohibits tents in the meadow. However, observers can bring a reclining chair and rest in a sleepingbag under the stars near their telescope if desired! White lights are discouraged at night in respect to the observers on the field, but can be used when leaving if necessary. There are dining (9am-5:30pm) and restroom facilities at the Big Meadows Wayside across Skyline Drive and within walking distance from the telescope field. The park also has hot showers (pay to use) at the campground.

    Big Meadows Lodge     (http://www.nps.gov/shen/1b4.htm)     1-800-778-2851
    Big Meadows Campground     (http://www.nps.gov/shen/1b1.htm)     1-800-365-CAMP
    Shenandoah Park Visitors Center     1-540-999-3500

The second annual BMSG will be a fairly informal event-with no vendors, doorprizes, or lectures. Our hope is to build this into a larger event in coming years, with hopes of providing some or all of the attractions of the larger regional starparties. We will have dusk constellation and telescope tours for interested attendees, and a small swap table will be available for use. The biggest attraction will be an opportunity to meet other amateur astronomers in the area, and view from a beautiful location under a fairly dark sky. In addition, you can look through a large variety of telescopes set up in public telescope viewing area by the Rappahannock Astronomy Club. There will be 16 and 22-inch reflectors here, as well as a variety of smaller scopes. There is no AC power available on the telescope field.

Parking near the telescope field will be fairly limited, so attendees will probably have to unload their equipment near the field, and park the car across the road in the Big Meadows Wayside parking lot. Members of the RAC will assist with loading and unloading. There will be a shrub cart available for attendees to use for this located at the information desk at the entrance to the observing field.

Directions

To get to the BMSG, enter Shenandoah National Park via Thornton Gap Rt. 211 past Sperryville, Front Royal off I-66, Rt. 33 at Swift Run Gap, or I-64 at the south end of the park near Waynesboro at Rockfish Gap. Big Meadows campground and wayside station are at milepost 51 on Skyline Drive. The telescope field is in the meadow near the entrance of the fire road across Skyline Drive from the wayside station. There is a small parking lot here which can be used to on and off-load equipment, with parking at the wayside station across the drive. Telescopes can be set up along the edge of the road in the meadow.

Here is a map for driving to Big Meadows.

Rules and Infomation

As this event is held in the Shenandoah National Park, all rules of the park are in effect at all times during the BMSG.

• Please be courteous of others-try not to use white lights while observing.
• You can set up your telescope in the meadow near the fire road.  Members of the RAC are happy to help move your equipment to where you want to set up.
• No alcohol is permitted during event.
• Please do not litter, and remember - no tents can be pitched in the meadow.  However, you may sleep ãunder the starsä in a bag near your scope.
• Restrooms are available at the Big Meadow Wayside and Service Station.  Please be careful crossing Skyline Drive.  Hot showers (pay to use) are available at the campground.
• There is no AC power.
• BMSG parking is recommended at the Wayside and Service Station parking lots.  You can load and unload by the meadow in the small lot.
• There will be an informal constellation/skytour from 9-9:45 in the designate area.  We will also have some large telescopes set up in the public viewing area for an observing session from 9:45-10:30.
• If you need medical assistance or have any other needs, please feel free to ask one of the RAC members for assistance.
• Please no smoking or loud music during the night observing sessions.

Register

Registration to the BMSG is FREE (excluding charges for entering the park and lodging).  However, we ask that anyone planning to attend the BMSG register so we can plan accordingly.  To register, please send an email to Myron Wasiuta (mwasiuta@umw.edu) which includes your name, the number of people in your party, and type/size of telescope.

Thank you for attending the second annual BMSG!
The Rappahannock Astronomy Club.

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For more information about RAC, send email to Myron Wasiuta Questions or comments about this site can be directed to Glenn Holliday