Next Star Parties March 2nd & 3rd
Several evenings per year, in the period October through March, KNVWS 't Gooi organizes public star parties on the Friday evening in a park near Huizen, NH, which is centrally located in the 't Gooi area & about 30 minutes from both Amsterdam and Utrecht. On Saturday evenings, the star parties are held on the grounds of the visitor's center of Natuurmonumenten in 's Graveland, near Hilversum. All ages are welcome.
The next Star Parties will be held March 2nd & 3rd, starting at 8PM each evening. During the Star Parties, several members of the Workgroup Practical Astronomy will be on hand with their telescopes to give you a guided tour of the night sky and tell you more about the objects we are viewing. We are also happy to answer your questions as best we can. Depending on the time of year, we can view planets, galaxies, star clusters, nebulae and the Moon.
During the evening, Lynn van Rooijen-McCullough, who is a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, will also give a short overview (in both English & Dutch) of the most recent science results from the Kepler Mission's search for exoplanets around other stars. We will also have good views of Jupiter and the Moon, and will discuss NASA's current GRAIL & JUNO Missions.
Entrance to the Star Party is free, but voluntary donations are always welcome. Donations are used solely to support further activities for the public. There are also books and star charts for sale, suitable for both adults and children. You are also welcome if there are light clouds, as Dutch weather is very unpredictable, and it often clears around 20:30. However, the evening will be cancelled if there is heavy cloud-cover, high wind or rain.
During star party evenings, our telescopes are ready by 20:00 (but not earlier!). Depending on the number of visitors and weather, we keep the telescopes set up through at least 22:00, and sometimes later. It is often the busiest at the beginning of the evening, so if you come a bit later, there will probably be more time for viewing and questions.
During the star party...
Clear evenings are usually also very cold. Warmclothes, including gloves, hats and even snow boots, can make the evening more pleasant, especially for the kids.
Please pay attention to your car headlights and any other lights you may have with you. White light destroys night vision, and it will take several minutes for both your and our eyes to readjust to the dark. Even though it may seem dark, you'll be 
surprised how much you can see without any light at all, an unfortunate side-effect of our growing light-pollution.
Red lights do not have such a negative effect, and so a removable red bicycle tail-light or some red cellophane over a flashlight will help considerably if you wish to bring a light with you.
