Astronomy at
Lake Taghkanic State Park

Monthly Star Parties

The Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association (MHAA) holds public star parties every month at Lake Taghkanic State Park on the Friday before a new moon (with Saturday as a back-up in case of bad weather). Anyone is welcome to attend, but it is a requirement that participants RSVP in advance and provide the make, model, and license number of the vehicle they will use. This information is given to the Park Police to insure that only authorized visitors are in the park after closing.

You can RSVP for the next star party on the MHAA Meetup page.

Arrival time is close to sunset, but the sky is only just starting to get dark then. The telescope operators like to use this time to set up while they can still see what they are doing. The actual viewing gets better after Civil Dusk. You can show up any time after the arrival time and leave whenever you wish.

No White Lights, Please

Astronomers prefer dim red lights to white lights, because dim red light helps preserve night vision. This can make all the difference between seeing or not seeing a very faint target.

You can easily convert a flashlight for use at a star party by covering the lens with red tape for repairing automobile tail lights, which you can get at any auto parts store. You will probably need two layers. You can also use red plastic tape, like electrician's tape, and you can even get 2" wide rolls at many hardware stores. One layer should be enough.

If you arrive after dark, please dim your lights and try to park so that your lights won't be pointed at the telescopes.

Also, please avoid flash photography whenever possible.