
Star Party Etiquette
If you’ve never attended a Star Party, please take a moment to read these guidelines. These are meant to help all of us have an enjoyable and safe experience.
- Don’t use white lights! Our eyes take 20-30 minutes to fully adapt to the dark. Looking at white light resets the clock. It will also inhibit your ability to see most detail through the eyepiece.
- Red lights preserve your night vision.
- Headlights, backup lights, and interior car lights ruin your night vision instantly.
- Flashlights that are not covered in red cellophane or red tape are also detrimental to night vision.
- Cell phones will also ruin your “night eyes”. If your are using a planetarium app, like Stellarium, be sure to select Night Mode.
- Please don’t touch the equipment without permission, but don’t be afraid to ask!
- Never touch an optical glass surface such as eyepieces, lenses, or mirror.
- Please watch your step.
- Be careful of tripping hazards near our equipment such as cables and tripod legs.
- Ask a nearby person with a red light if you need assistance seeing where you need to go.
- Dress warmly or bring layers. Temperatures after dark in Colorado, even in Summer, can get chilly.
- Please leave pets at home.
- No smoking, vaping, drinking of alcoholic beverages, or loud music please. Stargazing is a peaceful activity.

Follow these steps to make your whole screen red on your mobile device:
- Android
- Navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Vision Enhancements > Color Filter (or Color Lens)
- Turn it on
- Select Red
- Adjust the opacatiy to maximum
- Optionally, set up an accessibility shortcut to quickly turn the filter on/off
- iPhone
- Navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters
- Toggle it on
- Adjust the Intensity to max – all the way right
- Select Color Tint
- Adjust the Hue all the way to the left
