Indiana Family Star Party 2025
On July 25th and 26th, join Camp Cullom and three Indiana Astronomy Clubs for our 22nd Indiana Family Star Party (IFSP)! Come to Camp Cullom (near Frankfort) to enjoy the dark rural skies of the Midwest’s premier star party for families!
Learn some constellations, see star clusters, and catch the misty glow of the Milky Way overhead! Prairie Grass Observatory’s telescopes will be available to the public for viewing the sky, and amateur astronomers from across the Midwest will also have their own telescopes set up on a large observing field, some of which will be available for public viewing, with permission from their owners of course.
Excitement begins Friday evening with an ice cream social. Later Friday night, families will enjoy the new Sky Trekker Lite and Sky Trek Adult Lite program to have some fun under the stars and learn some constellations. The programs will be held at the same time and begin at the Nature Center at our 8:00 p.m. Launch meeting. At 10:10 p.m. Sky Trekker programs will reconvene at Galileo Gallery to complete sky tour. There will be a drawing for a telescope prize for the kids and a binocular prize for adults and ice cream treats for all participants! If it’s cloudy, the entire program inside at the Nature Center.
Saturday daytime activities will include kids’ craft activities, our interesting and entertaining speakers, an astro-quiz, the prairie grass walk, a silent auction (and a not-so-silent auction), a swap meet, and our ever-popular door prizes!
This year’s speakers include:
Bob Morrow of Bob’s Knobs who will speak on telescope selection and performance.
Dr. Steven Case of Olivet Nazarene University who will present on the life of astronomer John Herschel.
Astronomical League president, Chuck Allen, who will give a presentation highlighting the many observing programs offered by the league.
The IFSP is hosted by three regional astronomy clubs: The Wabash Valley Astronomical Society (Lafayette), the Indiana Astronomical Society (Indianapolis), and the Muncie Astronomy Club. The event opens to the public on July 25—26 at beautiful Camp Cullom, home of the Prairie Grass Observatory. Camp Cullom is known for its dark, star-studded rural sky, affording excellent views of many celestial objects. Summer is the season of star clusters: tight groupings of stars that allow you to see over 100,000 stars at once through a single telescopic eyepiece! In addition to star clusters, many nebulae—ghostly clouds of dust in space—will be visible, as will several fun asterisms. For those who can stay late enough (12:30 a.m. and after) Saturn and its slim rings will also appear in the sky!
Every year this regional party attracts curious starry-sky lovers, nature lovers, and actual and aspiring amateur astronomers from several states. Join in and explore the skies! This year’s event happens to fall during the popular annual “Frankfort Hot Dog Festival” only 6 miles away in downtown Frankfort, Indiana. This festival will give Star Party attendees one more exciting attraction to the area. The timing of the Star Party is always dependent on a new moon phase that ensures good viewing of the heavens.
PUBLIC GATE SCHEDULE:
Fri.: 4:00 p.m., gates open. 12:00 midnight, gates close.*
Sat: 10:00 a.m., gates open. 12:00 midnight, gates close. *
Note: During these times, the registration booth at the single day parking lot will be open. After arrival, visitors may stay at the star party as late as they choose, but shuttle service back to the parking lot stops at 12:00 a.m. Camping for the full event is also available, see details below: Registration and Camping.
*Gates may close earlier if weather is cloudy or rainy.
ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS:
Friday Only:
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.: Daytime solar observing at the observatory buildings.
6:30 p.m.: Ice Cream Social at the Nature Center, followed by an orientation and roundtable discussion at 7:00.
8:00 p.m.: Sky Trekker Lite & Sky Trek Adult Lite Launch meeting.
10:10 p.m.: Sky Trekker Lite & Sky Trek Adult Lite at the Galileo Gallery.
Saturday Only:
10:30 a.m.: The Astro Quiz will be given at the Nature Center.
12:15 p.m.: Items may be entered into the silent auction at the Nature Center, Bird Watch Area.
1:00 p.m.: Astronomy presentations begin at the Nature Center.
6:00 p.m.: Quiz awards and door prizes will be distributed in the Nature Center.
Friday and Saturday:
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 Noon: Swap meet at the Picnic Shelter.
8:30 p.m.: Beginning Astronomy Workshop
10:00 p.m.: Movies will begin in the Nature Center
See the IFSP website for more details: https://indianastars.com/starparty/.
ADMISSION:
Daily admission on July 25 & 26 is still just $5.00 per person or $15.00 for a carload of three or more people for a single day and evening. Please be prepared to pay cash at the gate or write a check! The remote location of the check-in booth prevents us from being able to accept credit cards. We apologize for the inconvenience. See Registration & Camping below for Admission fees for Full Event (July 22-27) campers.
If you want to bring in a telescope for a single day, you can either bring it on the hay wagon or, if you arrive during daylight hours, you can drive it to the observing field, and then return your car to the “single day” parking lot before dark. But then you’ll have to carry your telescope back to the parking lot when you leave (with the hay wagon available until midnight).
PARKING:
Parking, for those not purchasing a Full Event pass (see below), will be on a separate field a few hundred yards from the observing field. During evening hours, the camp’s ranger will be driving a hay wagon back and forth to provide transportation between the parking area and observing field, but only until midnight. This arrangement minimizes car headlight interference on the observing field.
FULL EVENT REGISTRATION & CAMPING:
Camping on the grounds and a 3-day extension of the star party are available for those who are interested. This package includes a 3-day extension of the star party (July 22—27), plus parking/camping on the observing field or one of the camp’s other campsites. Early Registration Discount prices are $25.00/individual or $35.00/family, through July 7. Registration prices after July 7 or at-gate are $50.00/individual or $60.00/family. To park and/or camp on the observing field, you must purchase the full event pass.
If you plan to stay multiple days, but want to stay at a hotel at night, you will have to move your car off of the observing field before dark since driving is not permitted on the observing field after dark. If you plan to leave equipment set up on the observing field overnight, you must purchase the full event pass, even if you park in the single-day parking lot at night.
For more information, go to https://indianastars.com/starparty/, or, if you do not have internet access, contact the Wabash Valley Astronomical Society, P.O. Box 2020, West Lafayette, IN 47996-2020 or email to wvasinfo@gmail.com. Registration forms must be electronically submitted by or postmarked no later than July 7 to avoid the higher late registration fees.
AMENITIES:
Prepared food will be available for purchase at mealtimes starting on Friday afternoon, however, those wishing to bring their own food may do so. Please note that no campfires will be allowed near the observing field, but camp stoves are acceptable before sunset. There are charcoal grills available in most of the non-observing-field campsites.
The camp has restroom facilities with running water and showers. The shower schedule is posted in the event program.
The Nature Center, where many activities and gatherings will take place, is air-conditioned, and close to both the observing field and observatory buildings.
Movies will be shown Friday and Saturday nights in the Nature Center with free popcorn available.
RULES:
ABSOLUTELY NO alcoholic beverages are allowed on the grounds at any time.
Camp Sites: Campers may only reserve ONE camp site next to them for a friend; blocks of camp sites may not be reserved.
Walkie Talkies: Channel 11 is to be reserved for star party staff communications only. Attendees may use another channel for non-star-party related communications.
Generators must be located on the north side of the road to the Lodge and can only be run from noon to 8:00 p.m. At all other times they must be off.
All net proceeds from the admission fee are applied toward maintaining the Prairie Grass Observatory and Camp Cullom (Clinton County Foundation for Youth), a non-profit United Way Agency.