(Viewed 779 times)

[RobbW]

Hey all, I've been considering hosting a star party out near my neck of the woods in Elgin. I know it's a bit of a drive for you city folk, and especially for Indy paulie. But I thought it would be fun to get you guys out here for a change of scenery and slightly darker skies.

I drove around to a few potential sites tonight to gauge the nighttime conditions, and I found one that I am extremely interested in. It is the Shoe Factory Road Model Airplane Flying Field in Hoffman Estates. It is part of the Cook County Forest Preserve District. It has perfect conditions for a good night of viewing.

It is an airfield for model airplanes. So it is a ginormous, wide-open field that has a very flat and very short manicured lawn. It has to be smooth and non-bumpy for the planes! The far edges of the field are lined with trees. So it has a natural block from artificial lighting. Also, the airfield is surrounded by more Forest Preserve District land. So there aren't any homes and businesses anywhere near this site. There are absolutely no glaring streetlights, security lights, or house lights within view of the field in any direction.

The field may be surrounded by trees, but it is huge and when standing in the center of it, the trees only block the North and East horizons up to about 20 degrees (If even that. I'm not real good at estimating angles, but the trees are pretty darn low). The South and West horizons are fantastic! There is some light pollution in the sky, but NOWHERE near as bad as in Chicago. However, a good portion of the LP/illumination on the field was from the past-full moon that was pretty bright. Also, it was pretty overcast tonight. So a lot of the suburban skyglow was being bounced back to the ground. I'll bet peanuts to doughnuts that on a clear, moonless night, this field will make a spectacular viewing location!

I just need to find out if there is anything special I need to do to get permission to use Cook County FPD land at night. Of course, all the Cook County parks are closed at night. So I assume we'd have to get special permission.

If anyone would be even half-interested in coming out my way, I will pursue this potential site. Please let me know.

Here is a Google Maps view of the location.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Robb,

It looks like a straight shot up I-90?

I'm game.

Check it out, see what they say and let's see how this may work out.

Thanks for expanding the Chicago Astronomer observation area...

[RobbW]

Choo got it, Joe! Yep, right down I90 to the Barrington Road exit. A left, a quick right, a quick left, around the curve and BAM! You turn left right into the parking lot of the airfield. Couldn't be easier! I'll give Cook County a call from work tomorrow and see what palms need to be greased.

Hmm, actually, I wonder if simply calling from my company phone might be enough to get things rolling...

[RobbW]

I still need to drive by in the daylight to check on fundamentals like bathroom facilities. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that this location probably doesn't have any such luxuries. Although, if worse comes to worse, there are several fast food joints, other local eateries, hotels, and gas stations within more or less a 2 minute drive. Not too bad of a sacrifice for a good observing site!

I'm tempted to sneak past the chained entrance with my scope one of these nights just to confirm it's all it seems to be!

[RobbW]

Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to get in touch with anyone at the CCFPD. So, I'm resorting to good, ol' fashioned nepotism! I'm checking to see if anyone within my company has an "in" with someone at CCFPD.

[Paulie pchris00]

I'm definitely interested, although working midnights, I might need advance warning. With the nights getting shorter though, I could probably even swing it on a work night by the end of August.

[RobbW]

There will definitely be plenty of advanced notice once I get things worked out. I want to try and time it with the new moon to give us as dark of skies as we can possibly get for the area. Of course, the risk with planning an event in advance like that is we have no idea if the weather will cooperate or not. I might have to plan for a time-frame of several days and then hope that one of those nights will work once we get closer.

I'm thinking either the September new moon (Labor Day weekend) or the October new moon. It would be so cool if we could do it on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Maybe have a cookout before the stars come up! However, it'll be darker sooner if we wait until October. So we'd get more viewing time.

[patrickm]

Sounds great. Let me know!

"Tempted?"! I'd be over that thing in a heartbeat if this were anywhere near me! :-)

[RobbW]

Still haven't heard back from the special permits lady at the Forest Preserve District. I think she was probably on vacation this past week. I left one voicemail last Friday, one earlier this week, and then wrote a nice letter on Wednesday requesting special permission to use the field at night. I tried calling again yesterday afternoon but it went to her voicemail again and gave a message saying that this recipient's mailbox is full. If she is on vacation, I'm hoping she'll be back next week and I'll hear from her! Otherwise, I'll start hunting around for a comparable site that doesn't require you to jump through hoops to use it. I'll let you know.

[RobbW]

Okay, I finally got in touch with the permits lady at the Forest Preserve District. Apparently, she's been out on sick leave for the past seven months or so. Anyway, it looks like I'll be searching for a non-Cook County facility to hold a star party, as Cook County wants to charge an arm and a leg for nighttime use of their land. They'll issue a special permit to use the flying field at night, but it'll cost $160. Plus, at night, they require you to rent a security guard at $40/hour! Needless to say, I will not hosting a star party at this venue.

So, my search continues. Currently, I'm checking with the owner of my company to see if we'd be able to use company property for a session. I'm also checking with the owner of the property adjacent to my company's land. The two owners are good friends and they have lots of land between the two of them. There are a few good potential sites. I just have to get permission to check them out at night. I'll keep y'all posted.

[patrickm]

I'll bet you $160 that we could get the use of a site at the Poplar Grove airport where my brother in law lives. Well, he lives on a house adjacent to the airport, but his company runs the thing and it is dark as sin at night, comparatively speaking anyway.

Here's the site:
tinyurl.com/poplarastro

Here's the dark sky map of the site. It's an orange site, which is better than white or red...
tinyurl.com/poplarlight

Let me know and I'll make inquiries. I'd say it's a 98% sure thing, and I know that at least one of the guys with a house near the airport is also an amateur astronomer.
p

[Paulie pchris00]

Wow, that's a heck of a drive. I'm game, if I don't have a work schedule conflict.

[RobbW]

Jeez, patrick, and I thought I was asking a lot from our group to have them drive all the way out here to Elgin!!! Ha! Don't worry, I'm just giving you sh... well, you know!

I'm up for a jaunt out to Poplar Grove. It may only be in an orange zone, but it's still better than anything any of us can get around here in the Chicagoland area! And if you think you can get us access to the property relatively easy, even better!

I'm about ready to give up on my quest for a group event out by me. I can't seem to find anything decent without having to pay through the nose or risking an arrest for trespassing! A coworker of mine gave me a heads-up on a possible site out near their home in Algonquin. I checked it out tonight, and it has some potential. I'll have to check it out again during a new moon. It was just so bright tonight with the full moon that I couldn't get a good read on the conditions of the sky without all the moonlight.

In any event, it doesn't look like I'm going to find a place soon enough to pull off a Labor Day event. Maybe I'll have something by the October new moon. Besides, I'm kind of distracted with my upcoming business trip to Las Vegas. Coincidentally, it coincides with the Las Vegas Astronomical Society's annual star party at Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada. So, I've decided to head out to my business conference a day earlier than planned just so I can drive out to the observation site (dark grey on the Dark Sky Finder map!) and spend the entire evening with like-minded folk staring at the darkest skies I've ever seen in my life! Hey, if anyone is free and needs something to do, my company is footing the hotel bill. You'll just need a plane ticket and coin for food!

[patrickm]

All, I have the go ahead for us to use the Poplar Grove site any time. I just have to make a phone call!

Was out there last Sunday and OF COURSE IT WAS CLOUDY. Didn't even unpack my scope or binos. Julia's family was very understanding of my disappointed crabbiness.

Good horizons and pretty dark skies right near the air strip.

Also found a neighbor there with a small observatory pod set up who I didn't get to meet but who I am told is very nice and welcoming.

Am also planning on setting up at the Willow Bend retirement facility at some point for public astro for the residents. My in-laws live there. Quite a nice place.

All this will have to wait a bit until I am back in Chicago on a weekend, which won't be until end of the month at the earliest. :-(

Will put the word out if anybody wants to join.
p

[Paulie pchris00]

End of the month means the Moon won't be up until the wee hours of the morning, if you're looking to maximize the dark sky.