Come join the Austin Astronomical Society in viewing stars, planets and galaxies through dozens of different telescopes!
The stars at night are big and bright! Come see them even better with expert and amateur astronomers alike! The Austin Astronomical Society will have multiple telescopes available to visitors at the Star Theater, you just have to bring your own chair! We are located far enough away from major light sources that we'll be able to see multiple planets, constellations and even the Milky Way (weather permitting). PLEASE READ BELOW:
- You will need two things to attend this event. An Eventbrite Ticket, and a normal Day Pass. (Campers check last paragraph below for instructions)
- Eventbrite Ticket – Free ticket but limited. These will be available January 5th at 2pm.
- Day Pass- Free with the Texas State Park Pass, or $6 per adult. Required to enter the park normally. You can purchase these online at our website, or pay at the park using exact cash change.
- Once you have these two items, present them to the staff when entering the park to get entrance to the event.
- Please no lights or cell phones once you enter the viewing area. Each time you look at your cell phone or a blueish light you lose your night vision for up to 40 minutes. This makes it very hard to see the stars even with a telescope!
- If you bring a flashlight, make sure it's a red light or has a red filter on it. Normal lights can mess up your natural night vision and interfere with the telescopes.
- Dogs will NOT be allowed in the viewing area, but are allowed in the parking lot.
- No Smoking in the viewing area. Smoking allowed in the parking lot.
- Many of the telescopes are owned and operated by these astronomers, so please don't touch the equipment unless it's OK with them. Walk on up to any of the scopes and ask what they're looking at! They'll all be happy to share.
- This event is weather permitting. If it's just cloudy we'll still be out there, but rain will force us to cancel the event. Look for updates on our Facebook page.
- Do you want to bring your own stargazing equipment? You are welcome to! However you must have the same ticket and day pass as other attendees to enter the Star Party area. If you want to volunteer your equipment just as the other Astronomers are, please contact Stephen.Garmon@tpwd.texas.gov to apply as a volunteer.
- Camping with us that night? If you already have reservations to camp overnight, you won’t need either the ticket or day pass! Just present your camping permit to the event staff to get free entry!
