Connecticut Star Party 36
Edmund D. Strang Scout Reservation, Goshen CT
September 11-13, 2026
By Donna Pursley
Friday was a really nice day. The set-up for CSP for more relaxed for me this year because we had a few very helpful volunteers helping out. There was a nice row of tents on one side of the field and campers on the other. The ‘back 40’ turned into a camping field with lots of campers and people viewing near their tents. I think this setup turned out very well. Every year the arrangement is a little different. The warming tent in its closer location to the field was a big hit with all the snacks. The kids especially liked the hot chocolate at night. Next year we will need to have more hot water so the adults can have some hot chocolate later at night.
The sky was good for Friday night. It wasn’t too cold, or windy. We still had to deal with the city sky glow, but that is Connecticut. People set up as close to or far away from other people as they saw fit. The field is way big enough for everyone.
Saturday had some terrific talks. Pete Kandefer of the Litchfield Hills Amateur Astronomy Club talked about meteor showers and meteor storms have been studied over the centuries. Dr. Roy Kilgard of Wesleyan University gave a presentation about his research on x-ray binaries and the evolution of black holes. Dr. Rob Zellem from the NASA Godard Space Flight Center, presenting via Zoom, gave us an exciting preview of the newly-launched Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and it future observing programs. We appreciate Dr. Zellem’s patience as we struggled through a series of technical problems with our audio and video connections.
As the day went on, there was talk of rain coming in by Sunday morning. Forecast were for as much as 1 inch an hour. Because of this, most people packed up their scopes during the day on Saturday. No one wants to pack up in the rain. By nightfall, even all the tents were packed up. People either went home after dinner or stayed in one of the bunk houses to stay dry. I don’t know if anyone was able to get any viewing in. It looked like there were holes in the clouds.
There were many children this year. The kid’s raffle had something for everyone. Al and Greg made the calling of the numbers very enjoyable. All the kids were so excited to win something.
There were many, many door prizes. It is nice to see how excited adults can get when they win a prize. The raffle included binoculars, eyepieces, excellent reference material, meteorites, a Meade 4.5-inch Lightbridge scope, and the grand prize, a SeeStar S30 Pro smart telescope.
Right after the raffle, the ASNH board had a special announcement. Since Greg Barker is retiring at the end of 2026 after 22 years as ASNH President, we awarded him with a beautiful cake, a lifetime membership, a plaque and a gift card to his favorite restaurant. It is difficult to express how grateful we all are for Greg’s long tenure as president and his dedication to ASNH.
While we only had one good night of viewing, CSP is not just about the dark skies and great observing field. We always enjoy the terrific speakers and the comradery of other amateur astronomers from all over the area that we only get to see once a year.
