Mike, At any of the public star parties, members that bring their own telescopes usually point it on their favorite target to start up with. First thing to remember is everyone of us was new to amateur astronomy at one point. The process of getting to know the night sky is part of the fun and challenge. Members at star parties are usually more than willing to help the newbies find a target that is well suited for their telescope. Things that are my favorite to look at through my 10" SCT might not look so spectacular through a 90 mm refractor. Discovering objects that look very good in your personal telescope is part of the fun. At the star parties, where the volunteers point their telescopes is up to them and is usually dictated by the seeing conditions, darkness of the sky, the type of telescope in use and their personal preference. Don't be intimidated about your unfamiliarity of the night sky but look at it as embarking of an exciting tour of discovery. You will soon find your favorite targets that you will keep gravitating back to show to your friends and people at star parties. In ways, I envy you because you have many exciting personal discoveries to be made. Thanks Rodger C. Fry -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Michael Wells Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2012 7:10 PM To: Salt Lake Astronomical Society Subject: [Utah-astronomy] End of the World Star Party HI, I'd like a few more details on this. I'm still new to my telescope, and not yet proficient enough to confidently say that I can find anything but the moon after setting it up and have people counting on me. :-) How do the star parties work? Do people set up their scopes and someone organizes what objects to observe, or does it all rely on the scope's owner? I would really like to participate as something more than just an observer, but I also don't want to be the person who is constantly having to tell everyone 'Just a sec, a-l-m-o-s-t there...', if everyone understands what I mean. If we're all kind of on our own, then I would greatly appreciate anyone who could help me out. I also understand if an event like this really isn't the time to be taking someone else's time to ask for a lot of help. Eventually I'll be confident enough to say that I can handle this on my own, but it's my first scope and I'm just starting to learn. No matter the outcome, I will definitely be there with my family, and I am really looking forward to the ed of the world. Thanks guys. Mike Wells _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".