Texas Star Party 2022: 6 Nights Under the Stars

Join me on a cinematic visit to the great Texas Star Party 2022!
Sights and sounds from the party, local landscapes, McDonald Observatory, and my astronomical images...with some great music.
Please visit my website for more information or to contact me about purchasing prints:
www.earthandsk...
Direct link to Texas Star Party Porfolio:
www.earthandsk...
For detailed image acquisition data, please see my astrobin page.
www.astrobin.c...
The Texas Star Party
texasstarparty...
Prude Ranch
prude-ranch.com
McDonald Observatory
mcdonaldobserv...
Chihuahua Desert Research Institute
www.cdri.org
My camera gear:
Canon EOS Ra amzn.to/3bmNCDu
Canon EOS RP amzn.to/2WFYuYO
Canon 35mm f1.2 for Canon EOS R amzn.to/2WCZbCd
Canon 50mm f1.8 for Canon EF amzn.to/2UslDv8
Canon EF to R lens adapter amzn.to/2xWHljc
Rokinon 14mm f2.8 for Canon EOS R amzn.to/2JmQ6pv
Rokinon 24mm f1.4 for Canon EOS EF amzn.to/2xYOTC4
iOptron SkyGuider Pro amzn.to/2WBNNqg
ZWO ASI294MC Pro amzn.to/3dp4ETi
DJI Mini Drone Bundle amzn.to/33GSeBv
DJI Osmo Pocket amzn.to/2QGcPAW
DJI Osmo Mobile 3 amzn.to/2WFQzL8
Rode Wireless Go Microphones amzn.to/2Uuhy9W
Insta360 One R amzn.to/39kq293
William Optics Redcat 51
Astro-Physics 130EDF
Astro-Physics 92mm Stowaway
Astro-Physics Mach1GTO

[@robertmilby4734]

I came for the ride. LOVED the music!

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you Robert. Clear skies.

[@royfrazor7337]

Yes I've been attending TSP since 1984.

[@jeffballphoto]

That’s great Roy. Bet you’ve seen some wonderful sights Over the years.

[@KimSevern]

Thank you!

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you Kim.

[@OffKilterCrafterIan]

I miss going to TSP every year with my family. My Mom and Dad were founding members of TSP and I had so many great memories growing up on the Prude Ranch. There is nothing like it in the world.

[@jeffballphoto]

Your parents created something special, indeed. Hope you can visit again.

[@danbysoul2630]

Incredible beautiful video. Thanks

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much, Danby.

[@andreasberthold1853]

Thank you for the beautiful film report🤗

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you, Andreas.

[@Diocrew]

Beautiful video! Thank you for sharing!

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you for watching and the kind words.

[@Marrow9000]

I'm going here tonight. Thanks for the preview!

[@jeffballphoto]

Have fun!

[@PC-oz7tz]

Thx a ton...great video!!! Liked.

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you for watching and the like!

[@mosbysmen]

great video ,thanks

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much.

[@DeepSkyDude]

Great video! Looks like you had a good time. I know I did. I hope to see you there in 2023!!

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much, DSD! I won’t be there this year. Have a wonderful time!

[@hamstirrer6882]

I would love to go there, looking at the sky gives me such a sense of sonder, and this is on a whole other level...just one of those tiny specks not even a pixel on the screen could be a whole solar system with planets home to life forms we couldn't even imagine, it truly is amazing.

[@jeffballphoto]

You should definitely go.

[@hamstirrer6882]

@@jeffballphoto would, but I live in the UK and if I was to go to America I'd wanna visit other places before this. In an ideal world though..

[@AstroForumSpace]

What an awesome trip Jeff, and congrats on the fantastic pictures and widefield milkyway timelapses. We don't have many starparties in Europe, but we should change that! Clear skies Jeff!

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much Wido! Come to The states for a star party! Hope all is well and keep up the great work.

[@christopherhandley8068]

I live in Texas and have never been. Thanks for the time and effort you put into this story. I really enjoyed it.

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much Christopher. I hope you get a chance to check it out. Take care and clear skies.

[@MrTivius]

Beautiful presentation. Thank you for taking us along with you!

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much! Have a great day.

[@ed-tech-dad8948]

Beautifully produced - appreciate all of the daytime sights and sounds, in addition to wonderful astro images!

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much, Ed.

[@robertbunge689]

Attended TSP in 1994. Traveled from DC to Alpine, TX via Amtrak and rented a car. Observed the Annular eclipse of the Sun that occurred that year, just a few miles from the Prude Ranch. Observed with some great people. It was a great trip. Very nice video that brings back some great memories!

[@jeffballphoto]

Wow that sounds like a great trip. I am looking to get airline portable for next year. Thank you so much for watching and for the kind words. Clear skies and have a great day.

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

I used to go to 3 or 4 star parties here in the UK although these past couple of years we've only been to one, love these events as you end up meeting new friends & seeing familiar faces from previous events to, some beautiful images you captured there to love the Milky way shots.

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you for watching and the kind words. Hope you get out under a dark sky soon. Yes, you meet wonderful people at star parties. Have a great weekend!

[@Aerostar509]

What a nice dark place for all those ET photons to land. Excellent video. Tim

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much for watching and the kind words, Tim. A very dark place indeed.

[@NoctuaStrigiformes]

That was one of the most beautiful and inspiring star party videos I’ve ever seen. Thank you, so very much, for taking the time and effort to share your experience. Unfortunately, I can already feel my wallet attaining negative mass, lol.

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much Randy for watching and the kind words. Enjoy your new gear! Lol.

[@oldgittarist]

Superb location and amazing images, many thanks!

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much for the kind words and for watching! Have a great day.

[@alandyer910]

Great photos! I really like your time lapse of the ripples of gravity waves in the airglow. Nicely done!

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much Alan! That’s what those are? Very cool. I love taking time lapses…they are a great tool to quantify the quality of the sky throughout the night. Hope all is well and have a great day.

[@alandyer910]

@@jeffballphoto Hi Jeff, Yes, I think those atmospheric waves are created by thunderstorms far away. I think Jeff Dai was one of the first, if not the first, to capture them, from Tibet I believe. I enjoyed your program. I hope to be back to TSP one year. In the meantime I can enjoy the vicarious experience.

[@jeffballphoto]

@@alandyer910 thank you so much. You have peaked my interest. I will research a bit.

[@brianreynolds1098]

Best star party film I've ever seen, hands down. And I've seen a few in my time, Jeff. Thanks so much from all of us out there who've never been there. The object shots were fabulous! If I never make it, I saw the next best thing. Your vid! Maybe if I'm lucky one day....

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much Brian for watching g and the very kind words. I hope you get a chance to visit TSP. I hope to return someday. Clear skies and take care.

[@jcasta13]

This was amazing. Thanks for sharing!

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much, Jorge. Hope all is well.

[@AstroSoundscape]

Loved those shots around the Rho Ophiuchus complex. Awesome images.

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much Ollie for watching and the kind words. I love that area and hope to go to the Southern Hemisphere to have it high overhead someday. Take care.

[@swtexan6502]

Great work, Jeff. Glad to hear that you enjoyed your trip to Texas!

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much. It was a fantastic trip. Take care.

[@janetwillson3502]

Wow! I loved this.

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much Janet. Hope to see you at Greenbank or Blackwater.

[@charlesmartin5565]

Awsome video. I had a blast out there this year and managed to image 7 different targets with just one rig. Great work

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you for watching and the kind words. Congratulations on the successful imaging. Hope to see you in 2023!

[@sajjadahmed46]

Splendid stuff.. Beautiful images and an awesome trip

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much for watching and the kind words!

[@jratino]

Very cool. Will have to plan on making this trip in the future

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much for watching. Definitely worth the trip!

[@thomasmiller8214]

Jeff, that was great! I had the good fortune to belong to the Amarillo Astronomy Club for several year in the 1980’s through 1991. Made TSP several times and absolutely loved it. Moved to Nebraska in late 1991 and a couple of years later we started the Nebraska Star Party at Merritt Reservoir southwest of Valentine Nebraska located in the Sandhills of Northern Nebraska. The skies are pretty comparable to TSP. Hope you can make it to NSP someday.

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much, Thomas. I would love to come NSP! Let me work on that. Writing to you from the Almost Heaven Star Party now. Hope all is well and thanks again.

[@noddyonice]

Brilliant Geoff! Great trip by the look of it and fabulous images! 👍🏻 Noddy

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank so much for watching Noddy and the kind words.

[@ChainsawFilms]

Great video. I attended this very party for the first Annual Dark Sky Fest. Had a blast! Looks like you did too. I camped out like always at the State Park 3 campsites from the Indian Lodge. Ready for next year's party now. Lol.

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you for watching and the nice words. So glad you enjoyed those beautiful skies. Hope to be back next year.

[@starman82]

Beautifully presented video Jeff. I watched it to the finish which I seldom do on You Tube. Hope you will do more.

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much for watching and the kind words Starman. At Spruce Knob right now capturing celestial Images. Clear skies.

[@bobanderson413]

Great astrophotgraphy and a great video. Going back next year?

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you so much, Bob. I think the eclipse is taking up my vacation days in 2024. And then aurora in 2025. Maybe 2026, Lord willing. It’s such a great location.

[@golfertex]

OzSky Star Safari 2019! DIY trip to Hacienda los Andes, 100km from Ovalle, Chile.

[@jeffballphoto]

I believe the Premier will be in HD. If you want to watch the 4k version(which I highly recommend), you may have to watch the video after the premier. Thanks for watching and have a great day!

[@michaeloppenheimer2582]

38 years is a member of the Rochester academy, I have attended hundreds of star parties and other events,but no Texas star people !!!

[@jeffballphoto]

It’s a great event.

[@BTSflyer]

Nice video, I thought those titles style look familiar, I use FCP everyday. Great shots! Would like to seen briefly the other observing fields. I fly a Mavic Air 2 too for my KZbin channel.

[@jeffballphoto]

Thanks for the kind words Brad. I will get more field video next time. I need a producer. I wish I had more time with FCP. I am only using basic features. Like Photoshop and Pixinsight, they are learning black homes. I will check out your channel. Thanks for posting.

[@bengterlandsson7921]

Nice summary. The Timelapse at the end with Milky Way band. What camera lens setup did you use and what was the exposure time?

[@jeffballphoto]

Thank you. I used a Canon Ra with Sigma Art 20mm f1.4 stopped to f2.2. Each exposure 13 seconds. Total exposure was for 4 hours I believe.

[@bengterlandsson7921]

@@jeffballphoto Thanks 🙏

[@cosmoscarl4332]

Too crowded for me. I'd love the equipment but too many red lights running around. I love roughing it on my own out in west Texas. Plenty of remote camps to choose from.

[@jeffballphoto]

Enjoy, wherever you may go.

[@jonathanhansen3709]

My sentiments too. I’ve been in the hobby for 56 years and have been to several organized Star Party events (including the Texas Star Party way back in 1985). I’m totally visual, and don’t image. I can get a better image off the, web without the expense of the camera , or mount. What I find today is, imagers are the greatest source of light pollution on the field with all their red lights and Laptops (even if they are red shielded). I much prefer to get out by myself and experience a truly dark sky without the stray lights.

[@cosmoscarl4332]

@@jonathanhansen3709 I love visual also. I just don't get many chances living near Houston. It takes quite a bit of planning to get far enough out to see the sky the way I like to see it. Also, my equipment demands that I take full advantage of the opportunity while I can. It's a large setup so it's no easy task for a 56 year old. I can't wait to do visual again though. The idea that the photons, having traveled so far, are being converted to electrons in real time inside my head fascinates me. I feel so much more connected to it all that way. We're actually beginning to look at land for sale further west and the four corners region, so hopefully in the next few years I'll be able to do both astrophotography and visual astronomy any time I want. (Every night.) Weather permitting. Clear skies.

[@cosmoscarl4332]

@@jonathanhansen3709 Yes I was reading the Texas Star Party website last spring. What a drag. Especially the COVID requirements. I'm fully vaccinated except for my booster but I thought, man! Seems like a lot of stuff to go through to do this. Still I think it would be good for me and my family. They could see more clearly why I fell head over heels for this thing. The big star parties do have a lot to offer. I'd love to look through a large Dobsonian. You know. A 24" or above. And I think that would blow my wife and kids away.

[@geoffnash3098]

I like astronomy but with today's gas prices not for me. Too far a drive.yes the skies are beautiful no doubt but no thanks maybe another year when gas prices are affordable. I would rather go someday to cherry spring in pa.

[@jeffballphoto]

May you have clear skies, wherever you go.

[@mevansmrichard]

Okay I need to know how you got a filter on your iphone. I have an iPhone 11 and would be interested to see what you see. Please post any info you can get. Thanks!

[@jeffballphoto]

The hand-help iPhone night vision video was taken through a friend’s telescope with a very expensive eyepiece like the one I will link here. www.televue.com/engine/TV3b_page.asp?id=36

[@haywoodjablomi7375]

What phase was the moon in that night?

[@jeffballphoto]

The event is always during new moon and the few days around it.

[@MrMysterious31]

14:57 Sir, can I please use this part as my intro for my new youtube channel with proper credits?

[@jeffballphoto]

Hello. Sure. Thanks for asking.

[@haroldgar12]

i live in texas and would love to take my kids to a place where they are able to see the milky way galaxy without any light pollution. are there places like this in Texas? Can you see, with your naked eye, the milky way galaxy at night or do you need a telescope for this.

[@jeffballphoto]

Hello. Well this video was filmed in west Texas near Fort Davis. I am guessing many of your national and state parks may be great dark sky locations. I would reach out to a local astronomical society for the best locations near you. Please take your children to see the Milky Way. And take along your binoculars. You can see the Milky Way with just your eyes. Enjoy the show!

[@jc4evur661]

Heard the skies aren't legendary as they used to be...true?

[@jeffballphoto]

There is some light to the north low on the horizon. But the south is the best I have ever seen.

[@ever9440]

at 16:27 that is one creepy image if you believe in God and what this stuff actually is. I see a head eyes and a mouth. Very creepy