Camping:

Meals, facilities, and everything else:

Water and restrooms are available at the Nature Center.  There are showers in the Lodge basement.
  There is only one set of showers, so there's a shower schedule:

There are campsites scattered throughout the camp.

There is a Wi-Fi antenna on the south side of the Nature Center.  It should cover most of the observing field.

We will run extension cords from the Nature Center to nearer parts of the observing field for those needing ac power.
Bring your own power strip and extra extension cords.

Click here for maps 

There will be an information booth at the Nature Center.

Questions?  Contact Russ Kaspar at rk@kasparradio.com 765-659-4451 or John Mahony jmmahony@hotmail.com.

General Rules:

Campfires are permitted in established campfire rings only, and must never be left unattended.  No campfires in or near the observing field.  Camp stoves are permitted on the observing field before dark, and some campsites have charcoal cooking grills.  There are microwave ovens in the Nature Center and at the observatory.

Children must be supervised at all times.  Please do not leave them unattended even when they are sleeping.

Bag all garbage, dispose of butts, and clean up your campsite.

Well-behaved pets are allowed, but do not walk your dog on the observing field- it would be way too easy for a dog to wrap its leash around a telescope's tripod leg and knock down a scope.  Cleanup after your pet is required.

Star Party Etiquette and tips:
If you've never been to a star party before, here are a few tips:

Most amateur astronomers love to show off what's visible through their scopes, so don't be shy about asking to look through someone's scope.  If the image doesn't appear to be properly focused, ask the scope owner how to adjust the focus.  If you wear glasses for near- or far-sightedness, you will probably find it easier to view if you remove your glasses and adjust the focus for your eyes. 

If the object being viewed appears near the edge of the scope's field of view, or if you can't see it at all, tell the scope owner so he can adjust the aim.  Many scopes today have motorized or computerized mounts which can be damaged if you try to move the scope manually.  However some other scopes have very simple mounts that aren't even motorized to track the object (as the earth rotates beneath it), so the object will slowly drift across the field of view.  That means you may need to occasionally move the scope to keep the object centered.  In most cases, you move it by just physically nudging the eyepiece end of the scope, but check with the owner first.  And since the optics may make the image appear upside-down or mirror reversed, the direction that you need to move the scope may not be what you expect, so try a small nudge first to find out how the image moves.  As a general rule, the skyward end of the scope needs to move gradually towards the west, to counter the earth's eastward rotation.

No white light!  Many astronomical objects are faint, even when viewed through a telescope, so preserving the dark-adapted state of our eyes is very important.  Red-light flashlights are permitted, since red light has less effect on dark-adaptation.  If you don't have a red-light flashlight, we will have a roll of transparent red plastic available at the information booth (at the Nature Center) to put over your flashlight to convert it to red light.  Even then, keep it aimed low, and avoid shining it in people's faces.