Star Parties

School Outreach Star Parties

Public Outreach Star Parties
(Del Valle Park, Yosemite)

Club Star Parties
(Tesla Vintners, H2O Open House)

Nearby Non-TVS Star Parties
(Golden State Star Party, CalStar, Barcroft, others)


Because of the coronavirus problem, most club parties are subject to the county's rules for shelter in place and curfew restrictions. Consult our calendar to see up-to-date information on which parties are still scheduled and which have been cancelled.

School Outreach Star Parties

During the school year, TVS will conduct outreach star parties for teachers and the students at their school. We also do outreach star parties for other groups, such as boy's and girl's organizations and charitable groups. If you are interested in the club coming to your school or group, send an e-mail to the star party .

Check our home page for any upcoming star parties.

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Public Outreach Star Parties

TVS conducts public outreach star parties every year at such places as Del Valle Regional Park near Livermore. We also conduct a yearly outreach star party at Yosemite for a couple of nights.

Del Valle Regional Park is south of Livermore. Star parties are held at the Arroyo Road Staging Area, mear 5055 Arroyo Road. This location is NOT near the Del Valle main entrance, but is on Arroyo Road (an extension of L Street), past the Wente Restaurant. From Downtown Livermore, take L Street south, and continue as it becomes Arroyo Road. The Arroyo Road Staging Area is on the left, about 0.8 miles past the Wente Restaurant and the turnoff to the Veterans Hospital.

The Yosemite Star Party is held during the summer months. Tri-Valley Stargazers hosts star parties on top of Glacier Point in exchange for free camping at the Bridalveil Creek campgrounds.

Check our home page for public outreach star party details (as they become available).

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Club Star Parties

Our Tesla Vintners star parties are open to members and their guests only. We arrange special after-hours access to the site, usually four times per year. Star party dates are published on our home page as they are scheduled. Although the winery is closed during the star parties, it is still a great location for observing, since it has fairly dark skies for being so close to Livermore. Check their web site for information on wine tasting during the day.

In addition, we generally have two open houses at our dark sky site, Hidden Hill Observatory (H2O). The public is invited to these events as outreach and introduction to TVS resources.

For our H2O Open Houses, various members' telescopes will be available for public viewing. Our main observatory is no longer available because it was destroyed by recent wildfires. We meet at the corner of Mines and Tesla Roads in Livermore, and caravan to the site (a one-hour drive). Do not attempt to drive directly to the site unless you are an experienced key holding TVS member. If you are not a key holding member, and you drive directly to the site, you will not be admitted. To find out about becoming a keyholding member, visit our H2O web page.

To get to the assembly place, from I-580 take the Vasco Road exit and go south on Vasco Road about four miles to the end of the road. Turn right on Tesla Road. Mines Road will be the first left, about 0.4 miles. There is a $3 per car fee at H2O, which is part of our rental agreement for the hilltop. Exact payment please - there is no way to make change.

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Nearby Non-TVS Star Parties

There are several non-TVS star party gatherings in Northern and Central California:

Golden State Star Party
The Golden State Star Party is held near Adin, CA. At an elevation of 4,400', atop a large bluff, the skies are very dark. Tent camping and RVs welcome (no hook ups though). There will be some amenities provided. Curtis Macchioni has provided us with a nice summary of this event.

CalStar
CalStar is a regional dark-sky star party held twice a year in April and September in Monterey County, California. The event format and atmosphere are quite casual, and there are no scheduled activities, vendors, or fees other than the camping fee collected at the park entrance. CalStar is sponsored by the San Jose Astronomical Association and Left Coast Observers.

Barcroft
The Barcroft High Altitude Star Party is sponsored by the East Bay Astronomical Society. It is held at the University of California's Barcroft High Altitude Research Station, located in the White Mountain Range on the east side of the Owens Valley in California. The remoteness of the location, plus an altitude of approximately 12,450 feet above sea level, affords visiting amateur astronomers truly world-class viewing conditions that are relatively affordable and easy to access.

To sign up for this trip, contact . For more information, visit the Eastbay Astronomical Society's events web page.

Other Star Parties
Other west coast star parties include the Death Valley Winter Star Party,
the Oregon Star Party in central Oregon, and the Table Mountain Star Party in central Washington.

Sky and Telescope Magazine published a list of top annual star parties in North America in 2017.

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