TSP Rules

The Texas Star Party is well-known for restricting activity and banning all lights after sundown. This provides a unique opportunity for you to become fully dark-adapted and remain so while observing under the dark skies. The Ranch will be dark from Sunday night through the final Saturday night, giving seven nights with no lights on the Ranch. The following rules will be strictly enforced. We hope everyone will cooperate so that we can guarantee "star party dark" skies to each observer.

• Vehicle headlights, parking lights, tail and brake lights, and interior dome lights must remain extinguished.
• All RV, trailer, and camper lights must be extinguished, unless proper shielding is installed on all windows and doors to prevent light escaping. This includes excessive lighting from the interior of open-ended observing trailers, which will require either dark curtains or facing away from observers.
• Coleman-type lanterns, campfires, grills, and outdoor lighting are NOT permitted.
• All flashlights must be equipped with red filters and should be pointed toward the ground at your feet. Red cellophane or fingernail polish is useful. Dim RED lighting for reading starmaps and equipment illumination is allowed.
• Laser pointers and any other form of lighting is not permitted during dark out, as these interfere with the observing/astrophotography by other attendees.
• In the event you must give off some light, give a yell! A precious photograph could be saved with a little warning.

The lighting ban will be in effect when the sky is more than 10% clear. If it is raining, the ban will be lifted. If it is cloudy with the potential for clearing or there are some holes in the clouds, please keep white lights to a minimum to protect other people's dark adaptation. Drive only if you must and use normal headlights.

Exceptions to the ban may be provided to certain persons or vehicles only by consent of the TSP staff. Please understand that Ranch employees have business to conduct from time to time, but will keep driving to a minimum to avoid disturbance.

Driving in the dark is dangerous and can injure or kill people, damage telescopes and other property, none of which is yours to risk.
Normal headlights are justified in true medical emergencies.

For Late Arrivals and Non-Ranch Guests: The front gates of the Ranch are closed at 9:00 PM to restrict traffic and minimize disturbance to observers. DO NOT plan to arrive at night. Park your car outside the gates if you plan to leave during the night.

• Only telescope drive equipment, anti-dew gear, drive correctors, 6 watt or less bulbs, and 75 watt or less laptop computers may be connected to TSP power outlets.
• PERSONAL COMPUTERS and appliances such as hot-plates, coffee pots, fans, heaters, and refrigerators are NOT to be connected to TSP power outlets.
• Use LOW-HEAT setting on hair-dryers and avoid running yours when you hear another one being used nearby.
• TSP reserves the right to limit an observer's power usage to 1 Amp total for all power cords serving your equipment in cases where there are too many users on TSP power circuits. You may also be required to relocate your setup or move your power connection to a less dense area. TSP reserves the right to disconnect your power cords to insert power measurement equipment.

• Laptop computers or viewers (more than 75 watts) are not to be connected to TSP power cords.
• Display screens must be used at very low intensity (0.10 lux when measured 22" from center of screen displaying black starmap)
• Display screens should be covered with red material or sufficiently shielded so light from them will not disturb neighboring observers.
• If you plan to operate your PC or viewer from inside your tent or trailer, install proper shielding to prevent light from escaping.

There will be no tents (sleeping or storage) allowed in the middle of the observing fields. On the North Field, tents are permitted in marked areas of the field perimeters, but not blocking roadways/entrances.

Approved areas for setting up tents on the North field will be marked. A road through the field will also be marked. A map will be available at the Ranch Office. Do not leave cars parked on the observing fields, remove them as soon as you have loaded/unloaded.

We want to maximize the amount of telescope space available, prevent tents from blocking the horizon for telescopes, and to limit the possibility of injuries caused by tripping on tent/awning support ropes and spikes.

Map of the North (Upper) field, showing camping and setup guidelines.
North (Upper) field Rules, if you decide to camp or observe here!

• Do Not operate your own Wireless Router, Access Point, Range Extender, Wireless Print Server, Wireless Peer-to-Peer Network, Wireless Remote Control System or Bluetooth device at TSP. There are a limited number of open frequencies in the area and TSP uses all of them to deliver Internet access across the Ranch. Turning on your Wireless Router (or any device listed above) will slow response times for everyone else unnecessarily (due to radio switching) as the competing routers work out whose computer goes to what router.
  It is okay to use your own
  • wire-only router or switch to build a network
  • built-in or external wireless access adapter or card to connect to the TSP system as a client.
  • USB or similar wireless access device that gives your computer wireless connection to the TSP system as a client.
• Bluetooth devices use the same frequencies as the TSP wireless routers and can cause interference to users connecting with our network. Bluetooth devices include wireless headphones for cellphones, MP3 players and IPods, as well as some remote controllers for telescopes/focussers.
  
  We strongly discourage the use of Bluetooth devices at TSP, due to the interference that they may cause to your neighboring observers access to the Internet. Here are examples of known Bluetooth telescope remote control devices:
  • Meade Wireless Autostar II Computer Controller
  • Starry Night BlueStar Wireless Telescope Controller
  
  
• NOT intended for intensive applications such as video, music, or Internet games, which demand high-bandwidth for GUI or data transfer.
• We reserve the right to disconnect your computer access and/or exclude offending wireless equipment from TSP for this or similar abuse, without notice.

"Starwars" devices are permitted, however you are not allowed to point them at other people. Shoot the sky or nearby mountains by pointing your device above the ground (away from people). While playing with cooperative friends is fine, there are usually innocent (and unhappy) bystanders that get blinded. Obviously, these devices are not permitted during blackout.

Dogs are no longer permitted at TSP. This is due to persistent problems with uncontrolled barking, uncleaned messes (a problem in observing fields at night!), as well as Ranch rules banning dogs in rooms and public buildings. Our check of the local vet ads includes: Ft Davis Veterinary Services at 432-426-3086.

There is no smoking of cigars nor pipes on any of the TSP observing fields after sunset.

On the upper (main north) observing field, the south 1/2 of the field will be a Smoke-Free Zone (marked by a double white chalk line). Non-smokers can appreciate cleaner air by setting up in this area. Please do not smoke in this area after sunset.

The Ranch has also implemented a no-smoking policy for all buildings. If you smoke, please do so outside. Please clean up your cigarette butts from the ground and observing area around your telescope.

Now that you know the rules ... have fun!