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| Alternative names | TSP; TSP Star Party, West Texas Star Party |
|---|---|
| Organization | Texas Star Party (TSP) |
| Location | Prude Guest Ranch Fort Davis, Texas |
| Coordinates | 30°36′30″N103°57′02″W / 30.608381°N 103.950448°W /30.608381; -103.950448 (Site of Texas Star Party observational astronomy event) |
| Altitude | 5,049 ft (1,539 m) |
| Weather | Summer - mild to hot, Winter - cool & crisp - clear dark night skies |
| Established | August 1, 1979 (1979-08-01) |
| Website | Texas Star Party |
  Location of Texas Star Party | |
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TheTexas Star Party (TSP) is a large annualstar party in theUnited States.
TSP was started byDeborah Byrd, members of the Austin Astronomical Society, andMcDonald Observatory in August 1979. It was a weekend gathering of amateur astronomers at Davis Mountains State Park near McDonald Observatory in far west Texas. In 1982, TSP was reorganized as a week-long event and was held at the Prude Guest Ranch nearFort Davis, Texas. For one year only, in 1997, the event was held at Alto Frio Baptist Encampment, on the banks of theFrio River, 40 miles north ofUvalde, Texas. Also in 1997, "Texas Star Party, Inc." was registered as a Texas Non-Profit Corporation.[1] In 1998, TSP returned to Prude Ranch, where it continues to be held annually in late April or in May near the time ofnew moon. By 2007, the event attracted 580 attendees, even though the weather was very poor.[2] Attendees mostly come from across North America, and some from far overseas.[3]
Activities include dark sky observing and imaging, anastrophotography contest, guest speakers, tours of McDonald Observatory, commercial vendors, and the opportunity to view numeroushome built telescopes and gadgets. TSP is well known for its very dark skies due to its elevation in the Davis Mountains of around 5,000 feet (1,500 m) and it remoteness from artificial light sources.[3] It has strongly supported efforts to reducelight pollution. Two annual awards have traditionally been presented at TSP: The Lone Star Gazer Award (for personal achievement, accomplishment, and expertise) and TheOmega Centauri Award (for public awareness and/or promotion of astronomy). Complete lists of all past award winners as well as past guest speakers may be found on the TSP History page listed below. The TSP's observing fields at the Prude Ranch are the central field, the upper field, the upper-upper field, and the lower field. The TSP holds telescope programs of varying levels, binocular programs, a novice program, and an advanced observing program. The programs require the participant to observe a certain number of specified objects, and completion of a program will be awarded by a pin and in some cases another award. The binocular programs are usually a regular binocular program, an advanced binocular program, and a binocular program "from hell".
While at TSP 1996,Brian A. Skiff named one of theasteroids that he had previously discovered. That asteroid,4932 Texstapa (1984 EA1), was discovered on March 9, 1984, and was named for the Texas Star Party on the occasion of its 18th anniversary in May 1996.[4]
The TSP is run by around 50-70 volunteers each year, drawn mostly from amateur astronomy clubs with support from the University of Texas’ McDonald Observatory.[3][5]
The 42nd TSP was cancelled in 2020 caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic. It was deferred to 2021.
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