Grab a blanket, call your friends and pack some snacks. The first Blue Hole Star Party of 2025 is set for Saturday evening, April 26.
“I can’t wait,” said Wimberley Valley Dark Sky chair Greg Webb. “The star parties are uniquely Wimberley gatherings, with great local music, couples and families mingling and kids having fun in the twilight. Then everybody enjoys the telescope viewing of our beautiful starry skies, ending with Jamie Kinscherff’s incredible laser guided tour of the heavens.”
The Spring Star Party takes place from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., on the Blue Hole Park soccer field near the basketball court on the recreation loop drive. Festivities start at 6:45 p.m. with live music from Sam Downing and the Bandits, samdowningmusic. com.
The sky is light until late, so guests can find the right spot to set up their ground blankets or folding chairs and enjoy a picnic meal, while the various telescopes are set up for viewing.
“It’s one of my favorite parts of the star parties,” said Wimberley Valley Dark Sky member Martha Pinto. “It’s wonderful to see the kids out there, running around. Many of them
TO PROTECT THEIR NIGHT VISION, STARGAZERS COVER THEIR FLASHLIGHTS WITH RED CELLOPHANE.
are seeing things through a telescope for the first time. Kids are curious about everything and it’s wonderful to answer their questions and see them discovering things.”
Bring your flashlight; the park will furnish red cellophane to put over the light, to protect everyone’s night vision.
As the sky darkens, Kinscherff, the Wimberley Valley Dark Sky Outreach Coordinator, will briefly describe what will be visible on the celestial stage for the evening. Saturday is the night before a New Moon – when the shadow of the earth completely hides the moon – so the sky will be especially dark and good for viewing planets, stars and their constellations.
“We’re going to see Jupiter that night, and Mars,” said Kinscherff. “We’ll see Spring constellations, such as Virgo and Leo. Also, we’ll see some of the winter constellations, which will be “diving” into the West, Auriga and the Orion Nebula, which is a pretty spectacular thing to see.
“As the earth orbits the sun throughout the year, we have altered views because of our changing position in the solar system. Each season brings special things, especially in the southern part of the sky. The constellations in the north part of the sky are visible all year around,” said Kinscherff.
The last light arrives at approximately 8:30 p.m. and viewing begins. There will be numerous telescopes of varied types and sizes, each aimed at a different sky feature. Guests go from one to another, oohing and aahing. Around 9 p.m., as viewing continues, Kinscherff will lead a laser tour of prominent features.
Telescopes and sky information are provided by members of the Astronomy Club at Texas State University, www.astrotxst. org , as well as individual enthusiasts with their own telescopes.
“Sky conditions permitting, we should see some very cool things,” he said.
A special event preceding this star party is a free seminar for owners of telescopes who want help in setting them up and using them. Those interested owners should arrive at 5:45 p.m., with their telescope, to register for a 45-minute session beginning at 6 p.m.
As always, if sky conditions are not good – usually meaning rain or full clouds – the Spring party will be rescheduled.
The Blue Hole Star Party is co-hosted twice each year by Blue Hole Regional Park and Wimberley Valley Dark Sky. Admission to the park, and to the party, is free.
Blue Hole Park is located at 333 Blue Hole Lane For park information, call 512-660-9111, or visit wimberleyparksandrec. com.
