FOX PARK OBSERVATORY STAR PARTY- Aug. 13-16

The 16th Annual Fox Park Star Party is being held August 13th - August 16th at Fox Memorial Park near Potterville, Michigan, SW of Lansing. All of registration fee goes directly into the Observatory's fund that is used for upgrading, maintaining and operating this fantastic public observatory.

While Fox Park doesn't offer the pristine skies of northern Michigan, the skies are still more than dark enough for serious observing and imaging. Located on the edge of a Bortle 5 / 4 zone, limiting magnitude at the zenith is approximately 5.5 on most nights and a good dry night around 5.7-5.8. The location is close to Interstate's 69 and 96 so it is easily accessible for all the major cities of southern Michigan and beyond. The main purpose of the event is to give all of us obsessed astrophotographers and observers a long weekend to hang out and observe/image our night skies while at the same time helping a great facility continue to introduce our great hobby of amateur astronomy to hundreds of new people every year.

Registration fees include all camping for the entire weekend. Power for any and all astronomical equipment is available at no charge. There is a flat area on the west side of the observatory that is available for scopes only. There is a nice beach, walking trails, decent restrooms (sorry, only an outside beach shower), playgrounds and plenty of room for tents and RV's (generators are allowed as campers cannot be plugged in to the observatory, please keep charging to daytime hours only). If you don't like to camp, there are hotels available within 5-15 miles in Lansing and Charlotte.

We are always looking for ideas to enhance the experience and welcome anyone who wants to present their favorite topics or work while we wait for the skies to get dark. We have a screen and projector in the observatory. While we don’t have a dedicated swap meet as of

now, please feel free to bring any gear you wish to sell!

One Night, no camping $10, Two Nights $18, 3 Nights $25 (If you are not staying the night, you will need to park outside the gate in the lot at the bottom of the hill)

One Night, Individual/family camping: $20

Two Nights, Individual/family camping: $35

Three Nights, Individual/family camping: $50

Registration is 5:00pm to 9:00pm on August 13th and feel free to show up anytime on Friday or Saturday before 9:00pm if Thursday is not on option. Our Star Party is pretty informal so all you need to do is check in at the observatory when you arrive. The gate leading up to the observatory road will be closed at 9:15 pm nightly.

Feel free to reach out to us with any questions. Thanks!