Hyman Rim Ranch Star Party

This years Star Party has now had all available slots filled, we are no longer accepting attendees.

The annual star party at Hyman Rim Ranch in North Arizona will be held from the evenings of Thursday, September 18th to Sunday September 21st.

View the full photo album from the last star party here.

Cost is currently estimated at $10/day for each attendee (EVAC members) $15/day for non EVAC members.

Payment: Payment for the event can be made online Here (Please make sure you have been approved for the event before paying).
All Attendees MUST complete the Online Waiver to attend the event. Persons who had previously attended and filled out the waiver do not need to refill the waiver.
Location: Hyman Rim Ranch (approximately 1:10 drive N.E. of Payson)
Event Arrival and Departure
- Thursday September 18, Anytime after 12 Noon
- Monday September 22, Anytime before 12 Noon
Environmental Conditions
- Sky Darkness: SQM = 21.96 | Bortle = Class 2 |
- Elevation: 7,400′
- Average Night time & Day time Temps (Forest Lakes): 51 – 62 degrees F
- Climate Conditions (Payson)
Event Capacity
- 40 observers for a given time
Facilities
- 2 Bathrooms with showers and hot water
- Large Gas Grill
- Limited Electricity
- Sink with hot water
- Limited WiFi
- Out of Cell Phone Range, but can use WiFi for cell phones
- Pavilion with seating
Restrictions
- No Open Flames
- No camping at the ranch before or after the star party event
- No Firearms
- Dogs must be on leases AT ALL TIMES
Eating Arrangements
- Pot Luck Friday & Sunday Evening
- Breakfast will be Provided
Event Payments can be made on the EVAC website here.
EVAC membership renewal can be performed on this page.

Tenative Events – Still under development

We are currently in the process planning the events for the star party.  Items below are tentative, so be aware they may change.

Eating
- All eats and drinks except what is listed below will be the responsibility of each person attending.
- Drinks – Large cooler with lightly flavored water will be provided throughout the event.
- Breakfast Every Morning will be provided by EVAC. (Pancakes, Eggs, Bacon, ect.)
- 09/19 Friday Potluck – Everyone invited to participate in a potluck for dinner
- 09/20 Saturday Cookout – Hot dogs, hamburgers and veggie burgers along with fixings provided by EVAC
Presentations and lectures (Tenative Schedule)
- Thursday, September 18
  - 8:00pm – 9:00pm Bill Dellinges Binocular Tour of the Night Sky
- Friday, September 19
  - 2pm – 3pm Leo Libby (Astrophotographer) – Many of you have probably already seen some of the great deep sky images Leo takes. He will discuss processing images using Astro Pixel Processor and Affinity Photo applications.
  - 8:00pm – 9:00pm James Yoder StarSeek S50 and Celestron Origin Training
  - 8:00pm – 9:00pm Bill Dellinges Binocular Tour of the Night Sky
- Saturday, September 20
  - 10:30am – 11:30am Kevin Legore (SkyWatcher What’s Up Podcast) – Napkin to Reality: How to bring a product to market.
  - 2:00pm – 3:00pm Peter Birren (Author) – Peter will talk about his book Objects in the Heavens, a wonderful book for observational astronomy.
  - 3:00pm – 4:00pm James Yoder – Using AstroPlanner to plan your astronomy session. This software is great for planning Observing sessions and astrophotography targets.
Equipment
- Demonstration on using Celeston Origin, SeeStar S50 Smart telescopes that make imaging super easy! In addition we will provide a signup sheet for you to use this gear to image whatever you want. One hour blocks. This equipment is owned by EVAC and is available for rent for members throughout the year (but not this event).
- Hellostar Introduction and Demo – Kevin will bring the new Sky-Watcher Hellostar for viewing the sun.
- Pegasus Astro SmartEye – May be onsite. This is a new camera/eyepiece that has new technology that should be quite interesting to see.
- Telescope Collimation – Schedule a session with Jerry Hyman to check and adjust your telescope collimation (during the day).

Event Astro Photography