Volunteering
at the Grand Canyon Star Party
I’ve done
some volunteering at a field centre here in Britain, but it’s mainly involved
just giving talks huddled around a blazing fire in the sitting room. Why? The
weather, of course. So, I thought I would try a bit of volunteering where the
weather, at least, wouldn’t spoil things. One of the biggest US star parties is
the one held at the Grand Canyon every June (henceforth just the ‘GCSP’), so I
signed up last year as part of a bigger astronomy trip I was planning to the
area. The Grand Canyon has – by British standards – almost guaranteed decent
weather in June; in fact the biggest problem turned out to be that intense
desert heat, but at least it made a change from hearing rain beat against the
field centre windows when I’m supposed to be out showing visitors the night
sky.
Why choose
the GCSP?
The Grand
Canyon is one of the world’s great scenic wonders – you know this already.
There’s nothing quite like that initial view from the rim, but a walk on the rim
trail or a hike deep into the canyon deepens the sense that this is a truly
special place. So, obviously, the Grand Canyon is well worth a visit, despite
the crowds of tourists (in summer anyway). But what’s special about it from an
astronomy point-of-view?
For one
thing, the air is thin and dry: the canyon rim is basically part of the larger
southwestern desert and so rainfall and humidity are low, whilst the south rim
is at roughly 2000m and the north rim is even higher. This means that both
seeing and transparency are often good to excellent. For me this meant really
good conditions for high power viewing of planets, especially Mars just past
opposition. I found the seeing conditions much better than at the Bryce Canyon
Star Party a few days earlier, though this could have been coincidental. I
ended up having some really memorable views of Mars at the GCSP, even with just
my 4” refractor.
For most
astronomers, though, the real draw is the darkness: The Grand Canyon has long
been a national park and in 2016 (while I was there) it was awarded provisional
Dark Sky Park status by the International Dark-Sky Association. What little
light pollution remains is mainly from the Park’s own lights and these are now
being improved prior to getting the full-fat Dark Sky Park status. I can tell
you that it’s already really dark by European standards – the only town around
is Flagstaff and it’s about 100 miles away. The Milky Way is just astoundingly
bright from the canyon rim. Worth noting that though June may not be your idea
of dark skies at home, at this latitude it’s completely dark from 9 pm or so.
Another
reason to come to the GCSP is the location and the camaraderie. This is a big
star party and a lot of people attend, both other volunteer astronomers and
members of the public. The volunteers are a friendly bunch. I got an ovation as
thanks for attending, which was a really kind touch. The visitors were great
too – unfailingly engaged, enthusiastic and friendly. I found the kids in
particular much more interested and respectful than a typical bunch of British
kids (as a British parent myself, I’m sorry, but it’s true), something that
made the outreach work – demonstrating and explaining a variety of planets and
DSOs - a real pleasure. Be warned, though, the queue (‘line’ in American) at
your scope may get quite long at peak times and you’ll have to work hard,
interpreting what you’re viewing to all those enthusiastic visitors! I found
the demonstrating great fun, but I had to brush up my knowledge to answer all
the questions! I was expecting that I wouldn’t get much interest with my
smallish scope, but not so.
A more
selfish reason to enjoy the GCSP would be the huge variety of telescopes on
display and in use. You can wander around and check out other volunteers’ gear
during lulls in the visitors. I was set up next to a C14 and had some fantastic
views of Mars, Saturn and various DSOs through it (thanks, Lee!) that included
structure in the DSOs I had never seen before. Elsewhere were all sorts of big
Dobs and high-end refractors to enjoy.
It’s also a
great spot for some landscape astrophotography, if that’s your thing, or to
take some stunning deep sky frames during lulls and then stack them back home.
During the
day, you could explore the park trails and nearby attractions, like the desert
country to the north (Bryce and Zion canyons are reachable in a day). The GCSP
organisers also put on some day-time activities, like visits to the Imax
theatre.
Takahashi
Sky90 set-up to view canyon rafters from the rim
Another
clear night awaits telescopes large and small, at the GCSP
Single frame
of the Milky Way from the GCSP (23mm Fuji lens, 40mm full-frame equivalent,
13s, ISO 3200, F1.4)
What to
expect
There are
two parts to the GCSP - one on the South Rim, one on the North Rim. Both are held
at the same time. The Saguaro Astronomy Club in Phoenix coordinates the North
Rim, the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association the South Rim. I only attended the larger (and easier to get
to) South Rim event. The whole event lasts a week.
The main
South Rim GCSP takes place at a big tarmac car park behind the Visitors’
centre, though some volunteers set up small scopes to view the Sun and the
inner canyon from the rim trail during the day (I had stunning views of rafters
on the Colorado river a mile below through some guy’s battered old Sky-90). The
tarmac area has loads of space and rangers provide red-lit cones to help people
navigate around in the pitch black later.
Every
evening at around 6 pm, 50-70 astronomers set up their gear on the car park and
then leave their vehicles at another nearby car park. There is a meeting and
registration at 7 pm (with free ice lollies – yum) and then the observing and
interpreting starts as visitors begin to arrive. For the first hour or two it’s
planets (and perhaps the Moon), then over to deep sky as the darkness thickens.
A thousand or more visitors often turn up, so it’s a hectic (but fun) night
ahead.
Visitors
dwindle from 1030 and people pack up and leave from perhaps 11 pm to Midnight,
though some stay on longer.
Logistics
Signing up
You sign up
just by letting the coordinator – currently the very friendly Tucson astronomer
Jim O’Connor – know in plenty of time. Jim then sends out an information pack
in late May. The pack includes all the instructions you need, but is quite
heavy on forms to fill in (the park is a Federal facility and you will be a
kind of employee whilst there). These forms will have to be given in at
registration on your first night of volunteering. The upside is that you get free
park entrance, and some free goodies when you register as well.
Accommodation
The thing to
understand about accommodation is that it’s hot at the Grand Canyon in June, so
the obvious way to stay – camping at one of the nearby campgrounds – isn’t much
fun if you’re not used to camping in the heat. It cools down nicely by bedtime,
but gets hot uncomfortably quickly after sunrise.
If you
commit to doing the six days or more as a volunteer, you may be entitled to a
free campsite, otherwise you’ll have to pay (currently about $20 per night at
the nearby Mather campground). The sites are typical national park, i.e. big
and clean, with a picnic table and a fire pit and a turnout big enough for any
car. There are plenty of clean toilet blocks scattered about and showers near
the entrance. However, you will need to book months in advance and the online
booking system is currently pretty cumbersome: you will have to wade through
all the numerous sites to find one that is free for all your dates. Use a
campground map to choose one not too far from the entrance if you can – driving
back late at night is a chore otherwise.
I rented a
minivan with the intention of sleeping in that with the seats folded away,
instead of bothering with a tent. It worked, up to a point, but the floor
wasn’t as flat as I’d have liked and I would struggle to recommend it. A
campervan would obviously be a more comfortable (and costly) alternative if guy
ropes and canvas aren’t your thing. When I was there, quite a few folks had
rented a type of lurid green mini-campervan from Jucy that looked easier to
manoeuvre than a traditional Winebago.
The other
way to stay is in ‘luxury’ at the Yavapai Lodge, which is handily located near
the shops, the rim trail and reasonably close to the star party. Again, you
will need to book well in advance, especially if you’re planning to stay more
than one or two nights, and it isn’t cheap ($175 per night or more). For
campers, the Yavapai Lodge offers a good restaurant and (perhaps more
importantly) free WiFi in the lounges and … aircon’ to cool off a bit! Lots of
frazzled GCSP-ers were to be found hanging out there during the day and nobody
seemed to mind.
There are
other hotels around, both in the park (including the exclusive El Tovar resort
on the rim) and in Tusayan, but these will inevitably mean lots more driving
around late at night (when you’re tired and the deer are roaming).
Typical
Mather Campground site at Grand Canyon
Transport
Public
transport to and around the canyon is available, but you will struggle getting
to and from your accommodation (whether the lodge or campsite) late at night
with your gear. Note that it is possible, but definitely not recommended to leave your scope setup between nights - my
neighbour’s Dobsonian was knocked over and damaged, probably by the wind,
possibly by a careless driver.
I would
overwhelmingly recommend hiring a car, preferably one with plenty of luggage
space. I went for a minivan to camp in and it worked a treat for hauling all my
gear, with a cavernous load space and big doors. America is an easy place to
drive, all rental cars are automatics and gas is still very cheap by European
standards.
When driving
out in the desert it’s well worth always making sure you have lots of gas (i.e.
petrol) and drinking water. The latter can be bought cheaply in gallon bottles
everywhere. Distances between services can be very long in the desert and
getting stranded could be nasty. Not only does it get very hot, but the high,
dry air positively sucks the moisture out of your body. You will need plenty of
drinking water for GCSP nights too and if you take a daytime hike down into the
canyon be prepared to carry a gallon with you.
The cheapest
international airport to fly into will probably be LAX. Driving out of LA isn’t
too bad and once you’re in the desert it’s a more-or-less straight drag on the
interstate as far as Williams in Arizona and then a good road all the way to
the Grand Canyon.
There are
loads of things you could do on the way to break the journey. Whatever your views
on the gambling (I just don’t), everyone should see nearby Vegas once. I
checked out the Space Shuttle in LA and spent a few days exploring the
Extra-terrestrial Highway too. There are loads of famous observatories not far
away, including Lowell down at Flagstaff (itself a much more interesting and
attractive Western town than most).
Mars and the
sky-glow of Vegas (90 miles distant) from the ET Highway south of Rachel, NV
What to bring
You will
need to bring a telescope to volunteer, but space and weight will be at a
premium if you’re travelling from Europe, so it doesn’t have to be a monster.
Lots of people turn up with 3-4” refractors, smaller SCTs etc, which can be
carried on board a plane. You would still have a lot of fun with, say, a little
3” APO, or a 5” SCT or Maksutov.
I took my
Astro Physics Traveler and Vixen SX2 mount – both proved a great choice. The
mount was easy to carry and quick to set-up, ran well for several nights on a
single set of readily available (mine from Wal Mart) ‘D’ batteries. Meanwhile,
the Traveler gave great views of the Moon and Planets at high power with a
Nagler zoom (a good choice because it covers a range if magnifications in one
compact eyepiece) and some nice views of brighter DSOs with a 25mm TV Plossl. I
wished I’d had an intermediate power, and perhaps a 2” wide-field eyepiece, as
well; but I just didn’t have the space, really!
One thing you will definitely need is
a red torch. It’s
strictly red lights after dark. Many astronomers also attach small red lights to
their scope and mount to help avoid collisions in the dark. The small clip-on
lights dog walkers use work well; others use disposable chemical light bands to
good effect.
You could
bring more gear – extra eyepieces, CCDs, binoculars etc - but you will probably
need to pay for excess baggage and may struggle getting it around the airport
if you are travelling on your own.
I strongly
recommend a trial pack, including all your personal belongings, well in advance
of your trip. My astro’ gear took up a lot more weight and space than I had
thought it would and shoe-horning it all in took ages. Camping gear takes up a
lot of space too. I bought a lot of cheap stuff – camping mats, tableware and
batteries, as well as most of my clothes - from WalMart and dumped it all at
the end of my trip. It’s a trick I’ve used before: less to carry, less time
washing undies and cheaper than the excess baggage both ways.
Do remember
that though it will be hot during the day, it can get cold at night, so you
will need a few warm things to wear. At the start of the evening it’s still
roasting hot at the star party car park, even in shorts and T-shirt; they
kindly dish-out ice lollies to all the volunteers. But by Midnight it can be
quite cold – body warmer and long trousers cold, yes really.
Summary
The GCSP is
a great experience and many astronomers volunteer year after year. I found the
enthusiastic youngsters particularly rewarding – you might just end up
inspiring the next Elon Musk! It’s also a good way to enjoy some near-perfect
observing (and or imaging) conditions.
You could
plan to add it to your summer holiday, or make it part of a bigger
astro’-themed trip; alternatively, a flight and car with a free campsite and
camp food shouldn’t prove too expensive if you commit to six days’ of
volunteering.
First view
of the evening at the GCSP – a crescent Moon