REGISTRATION IS CLOSED FOR THIS YEAR

2025 wINTER sTAR pARTY

January 27th - February 2nd.

Hello everyone and welcome to our wrap up page. The 2025 Winter Star Party is over sadly but what an amazing week it was! How about that weather!!

We hope you all had safe travels back home? Don't forget to mark your calendars with the WSP 2026 dates, February 16th to February 22nd.

We had the best weather that any of us can remember in the 20 years that I have been attending. Clear, blue skies in the daytime and we had 5, pretty much, crystal clear nights in the Florida Keys, under Bortle 3 skies.

For the first time in many years, the wind took a vacation, which made it very wet (dew) a couple of nights and sure, a cloud or 2 drifted by late in the evening once or twice, but there wasn't a drop of rain in any of them. Other than that, it was perfect! Warm days and cool nights.

We all have had a lot of great times together over the years and this year was no exception! It was great to see all of our WSP family again. We had more than our share of first time attendees and several first time vendors and manufacturers. Now you know and understand that the Winter Star Party is something you just can't live without!

We welcomed back Kitchen Thirteen 33 as our food vendor. We are very grateful to them for providing us with outstanding service and they have agreed to return next year with a new and improved menu. This could be the start of the next WSP tradition.

Thank You to Our Team

We want to thank the WSP committee leaders and their respective staff. Winter Star Party would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of the following people:

• Tim Khan, WSP Director
• Charlie Perillo, Host Coordinator
• Russ Brick, Vendor Coordinator
• Neal Kleinman, Speaker Coordinator
• Sergio Fiquero, Video Coordinator
• Jose Cordozo, Sales Coordinator
• David Liles, Registrar

Thank You to Our sponsers and Vendors

The Winter Star Party and Southern Cross Astronomical Society wish to thank all of our vendors that supported us with door prizes this year. Your support makes our amazing door prize drawing possible!

• Agena Astro
• Airy Disk
• Amateur Astronomy Magazine / Charlie Warren
• American Astronomical Society
• APM Telescopes
• Astronomy Shoppe
• Atlanta Astronomy Club
• Barry Christ
• Celestron
• Daystar Filters
• DC-3 Dreams
• Disc Mounts
• Dorothy O'Neil
• Explore Scientific
• Infinitees Scientific Apparel
• Jen Shivak
• Oberwerk
• Oklahoma City Astronomy Club
• Optec, Inc
• Pam Shivak
• Pegasus Astro
• Rouz Astro
• Simulation Curriculum
• Sky & Telescope Magazine
• Starfield Optics
• StarFront Remote Observatories
• Svbony
• Tele Vue Optics

 

2025 Winter Star Party Door Prizes & Winners

 

PRIZE	WINNER	TICKET #
1.25 Omin Barlow	Evan Miller	147
Power Tank Lithium Pro	Ana Garcia	235
Planisphere / Red Light Flashlight	Sergio Figuera	276
8 x 42 Waterproof Binos	Jordanne Brisby	261
Sun Catcher Solar Filter / 2024 WSP Mug	Gorden Schafer	199
Peach State Star Gaze 2025 Tickets / 2024 WSP Mug	James Burgess	272
Sky Safari Pro IOS / 2024 WSP Mug	Lily Bethencourt	136
1.25 Powermate	Elieisbeth Soto	133
Head Lamp / 2024 WSP Mug	Ella Smith	270
Finder Scope	Garrison Smith	224
Encylopidia of Space Book	Joe Barrentes	135
Planisphere / Red Light Flashlight	Sheila Budd	283
Sun Catcher Solar Filter / 2024 WSP Mug	Scott Randall	264
Sky Saferi Pro Android / 2024 WSP Mug	Rae Murphy	117
Okie Tex 2025 Tickets / 2024 WSP Mug	Bruce Hamburger	248
15 x 70 Binoculars	Kevin Criado	206
60 MM white Light Telescope Backpack	Greg Dowers	255
60 mm Doublet	Ken Diller	166
Starry Night Pro / 2024 WSP Mug	Valierie Papadopoulos	105
Sun Catcher Solar Filter and / 2024 WSP Mug	Konstintin Popov	282
$200 Gift Certificate APM Telescopes / 2024 WSP Mug	Gary Perters	229
Okie Tex 2025 Tickets	Miqaela Weller	78
Sky Safari Pro IOS / 2024 WSP Mug	Ruth Smith	223
Planisphere and Red Light Flashlight	Jim Johnson	137
Other Worlds Book	Bob Dorcus	165
Losmandy D Multi Purpose Plate	Barbra Stanton	69
Peach State Star Gaze 2025 Tickets / 2024 WSP Mug	Doug Corry	131
Sun Catcher Solar Filter / 2024 WSP Mug	Kevin Rasso	67
FCD 100 80 mm Triplet	Bill Bahlenburg	64
13mm Nagler Type 6	Tina Cecce	123
Winter Star Party 2026 Tickets / 2024 WSP Mug	Paul Romero	169
Planisphere / Red Light Flashlight	Gay Haldeman	97
2.7 Coma Correcting Barlow	Olga Samoylova	200
Byond Earth Book	Kevin Hanley	258
Pinpoint Lisence / 2024 WSP Mug	Dave Hearn	100
Winter Star Party 2026 tickets / 2024 WSP Mug	Thomas Duff	63
Sky Safari Pro Android / 2024 WSP Mug	Derek Eubanks	247
Sun Catcher Solar Filter / 2024 WSP Mug	Jim Mullen	249
Losmandy D Multi Purpose Plate	Mick Groszko	259
Headlamp & Atlas of the Universe Book	John Stanton	70
90 mm Muskatov	Susan E Smith	185
Pocket Power Box	James Bossert	129
Winter Star Party 2026 Tickets / 2024 WSP Mug	Mikr Partain	29
Infinities Merchandise Bundle	Kim Wilson	303
Hand Made WSP Tee Shirt Quilt	Sam Ficher	74
Stack of Books	Neal Kleinman	44
80 mm Achromat	Alexander Mallon	285
Planisphere / Red Light Flashlight	Lee Wollet	304
Starry Night Pro / 2024 WSP Mug	Bruce Kaczmarek	128
6" Alvin Clark Refractor Miniture	John O'Neal	148
Dovetail Mounting Clamp (2) / Finder Shoe Multi Plate	Kathryn Scott	127
Metal Saddle Handle Bar	Jonn Viscas	170
Pyxix LE Camera Rotator	Carlos Garcia	234
24mm 82 degree Eyepeice	Joe Haldeman	96
60 MM white Light Telescope Backpack	Brian Stankiss	156
Sun Catcher Solar Filter / 2024 WSP Mug	Mikie Usher	140
1.25 Dialectric Diagonal	Rodney Rossell	201
Stars & Atoms Book	Pat Saunders	73
Star Wheel and Binocular Highlights Book	Raul Vergara	233
Planisphere / Red Light Flashlight	John Panek	83
60" Telescope Miniture	Nataly Villa	292
Hand Made Suns And Moons Quilt	Bob Connell	77
60 MM white Light Telescope Backpack	Tony Cecce	124
Light from the Void	John Meggers	154
9mm 100 Degree Eyepeice	Charles Bradshaw	150
Magnificent Aorora Book	Barbra Hauser	53
6" Alvin Clark Refractor Miniture	Beth Yood	290
Planisphere / Red Light Flashlight	Kyle Kennard	186
Sky Safari Pro Android 2024 Mug	James Fischer	227
Winter Star Party 2026 Tickets / 2024 WSP Mug	Steven Smith	184
2" Dual Band Filter	Carli Vansant	32
Astronomy Encyclopedia / Red Light Flash Light	Barbara Williamson	109
60" Telescope Miniture	Jean Patterson	238
60 MM white Light Telescope Backpack	Eileen Fisher	226
Planisphere / Red Light Flashlight	Jeff Thomas	263
Starry Night Pro / 2024 WSP Mug	Libby Elliot	179
First Light 100mm Muscatov Cassagrain w/ EQ Mount	Penelope
Planisphere / Red Light Flashlight	Demetry Popadopoulos	106
Sky Safari Pro IOS / 2024 WSP Mug	Stephanie Comer	155
90 mm Triplet ED w/ Hardcase	Norma Penaloza	220
10 X 42 Binoculars	Patricia Kimpan	116
Vintage Meade 6000 Newtonian Reflector	Mattew Peter	250
Hand made American Flag Quilt	Larry Ciummo	244
StarFront Reservation Coupon	Chris Belenger	208
StarFront Reservation Coupon	Roxanne Kamin	48
StarFront Reservation Coupon	Dorothy Oneal	149

Astro Photography Contest Winners

CATEGORY	WINNER	TICKET #
Wide Field	Matt Peters	250
Deep Sky	Kevin Rasso	67
Solar System	Harold Soto	133
Smart Scope	Matt Peters	250

Finally, we would like to thank you, our patrons for coming down and spending a week with us at our favorite place on the planet. The Star Party would be nothing without you.

Sincerely,
Tim Khan, Director
Winter Star Party

Russ Brick, President
Southern Cross Astronomical Society

Additional Resources

Have a look at this blog post from AstroBackYard. Trevor Jones and Ashley Northcotte made the trip to WSP for the 2nd year. Watch Trevor's WSP adventure with the Boogeyman Nebula.

The Boogeyman

Don't forget next year's dates, February 16th to February 22nd 2026.
Registration will open on or about September 1st, 2025.

See you next year!

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED FOR THIS YEAR

 

 

2025 Winter Star Party

 

January 27th - February 2nd, 2025

PLEASE NOTE BELOW, VERY IMPORTANT CHANGE TO THE GLAM TENTS.

Have a look at this blog post from AstroBackYard.
Astrophotographers and social media influencers both, Trevor Jones and Ashley Northcotte made the trip to WSP for the first time.
What follows are the details of thier experience with us and we thank them for the kind words.

Winter Star Party

Registration will open on or about October 1st, 2024.
Don't forget the dates, January 27th to February 2st 2025.

See you next year!

 

Registration
Scroll down near the bottom of the registration page for the registration form or click the link below:

Welcome back!!
Here at Southern Cross, we are very excited to welcome you back to one of the premiere star parties on the planet.
Planning is underway and we will update this page regularly.

As usual, we will have an excellent lineup of speakers and a few activities for you to participate in and enjoy. Along with the Beachwalk and Laser Tour, we will
once again have SCAS member, and commercial pilot, Martin Caminos returning to present his evening talk: An Introduction to Celestial Navigation.
This year he will be adding 1 or 2 more sessions to take a deep dive into demonstrating how to operate a sextant and its use in navigating the earth by the stars.

We will have our normal lineup of vendors including Explore Scientific, Celestron, and TeleVue to name a few.

Everything has remained essentially the same at both camps. Rustic camping with no facilities or power at Wesumkee. 
The Boys Scouts did erect a new bunk house for staff but it has no impact on the star party. All facilities remain on Camp Sawyer.
More details are below.

The information that follows is essentially the same as last year but we leave it as such for our new guests who have never been to the star party.
This Page will be updated continually.

KITCHEN THIRTEEN 33 IS BACK!

Michelle, G.C, and the gang from Mickie's Kitchen had their "Swan Song" in 2024. It's retirement time for our brave crew who has gone where no one has gone before for us for 20 years.
Southern Cross and Winter Star Party thank G.C. and Michelle for their many years of service and wish them a peaceful, star-studded retirement.

If you were with us in 2023, you will remember our new food vendor, KITCHEN 1333.
They will once again be bringing us their excelllent line up of culinary delights.

Menu and pre orders

Kitchen Thirteen 33

 

Entry to the grounds

Due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict with the Girl Scouts, we will be unable to open the Winter Star Party at our usual time of 10:00 AM on Monday morning. Instead, the gates will open at 4:00 PM that same day. This change only applies to Camp Wesumkee. If you are staying on Camp Sawyer, we will open the gates as planned. Opening ceremonies will be rescheduled for 10 am Tuesday morning.
All other events will take place at their normal posted times and dates. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as we work to resolve this scheduling issue.
Stay tuned for any further announcements.

As with last year and moving forward, there will be
no ticket or camping fees for your children under 16.

Post Storm Update:

Hurricane season has come and gone with no damage to either camp this year.

Post Star Party Update:

If you attended last year's star party, you know the condition was good and we expecting to be able to see the same conditions this year..

We have not had our first visual inspection this year.
When we do, this is were you will find that information. So Stay tuned................

 

COVID Announcement

Dear WSP Attendee,

Some of you may be concerned about COVID and whether we will enforce masks and ask for proof of vaccination. We are not in the position to enforce either masks or vaccinations. We ask that you observe all state and federal protocols with regard to Covid-19 and its variants. We do expect our attendees to be mindful of each other and respect their decision about whether they are vaccinated and/or decide on wearing a mask. We are here to enjoy looking at our favorite southern celestial objects like we have been doing for the past 39 years!

 

The Winter Star Party is famous for the "steady air" over that portion of the keys.
Borrtle 3 skies with an average SQM of 21.76 are a treat for astrophotographers and observers alike.  Bortle Dark-Sky Scale
Click anywhere in the map to see the sky conditions. Light Pollution Map

Sunny days in the 70s and cool, calm nights in the 60s makes for a wonderful experience under the stars.
Take a look at the local weather on Big Pine Key

You will receive the details of your arrival time along with your tickets. We will again reach out to the church in Big Pine to see if you can use their parking lot for your RVs on Sunday night.
Your parking arrangement will be with the church staff. The number to the church is 305-872-2470.  Ask for Geri.

Now for a little about the 2 camps.........

Camp Wesumkee

Since 2017, when Hurricane Irma struck and destroyed Camp Wesumkee, the Girl Scouts have made no attempts at restoring the facility.
It is rustic camping, with only Port-o-Lets. There is no power on the Girl Scout camp except for the vendor area and only for the vendors and Mickie's Kitchen.
We have changed our procedures to now allow small, quiet (below 65 decibels) generators to run 24 hrs. a day for electricity.


Parking is the same as always, you may park in proximity to your campsite as long as you are not setting your equipment up on the berm. For all you first-timers, the "berm" is an area adjacent to the shoreline where we only allow telescopes to be set up so everyone behind the berm can enjoy the southeastern horizon. There is no vehicle traffic allowed after 7 pm and all vehicles parked near the berm must be removed by the same time.
Our Vendor area will be here as well, straight across from Kitchen Thirteen 33. We are expecting reps from Celestron, TeleVue, Disc Mounts, and Starfield Optics, just to name a few.
Kitchen Thirteen 33 is our food vendor. No trip to the Winter Star Party can be complete without a 3 am brownie and hot chocolate!

Camp Sawyer

Camp Sawyer belongs to the Boy Scouts. All bathroom and shower facilities are on Sawyer. 10 private showers and 10 private stalls.
Access from one camp to the other is thru a pass on the west end of Wesumkee. There is no vehicle traffic permitted on the pass or on Camp Sawyer, so you must walk to the showers.
During the day you may also drive to Sawyer on the highway but please remember that if you go late afternoon, give yourself enough time to get back to the park on Wesumkee before 7 pm otherwise, you will have to leave your car on the road.

As advertised, the Glam Tents are on Sawyer. Tent camping available on Camp Sawyer is in limited numbers and we only have enough parking spaces to accommodate 75 cars, Glamping or tenting. Once that number is reached Camp Sawyer will be turned off from the registration system and we will accept no more requests there. To accommodate that many cars, no trailers or RVs are allowed on Sawyer. Sawyer will also have electricity throughout the camp thru extension cords and plug stations. Be aware that you should have a 100-foot extension cord with you to be sure you are within reach of a plug.

We will not be using the same configuration of the Glam Tents as last year.  Six tents will have 2 larger beds in the main room with the 2 sets of bunk beds in the small room.
3 tents will have 1 queen size bed (to be occupied by a couple) in the main room and the 2 metal bunk bed in the small room.
Each person will occupy one set of bunk beds. You may sleep in the lower bunk and stow your gear in the upper bunk.

The Speaker presentations will be on Sawyer in an open-air venue. We are planning to have between 6 & 9 speakers this year. The finalized list will be available below

Some of you have asked us for an aerial map of Camp Sawyer so that you can see the numbers on the glam tents. Please go to the following link. The tents are numbered one through 11 from left to right. Only tents one through nine are available for registrants.

https://satellites.pro/USA_map#24.648173,-81.312974,18

 

 

 

Speakers

The Speaker presentations will be on Sawyer in an open-air venue. We are planning to have 9 speakers this year.

Daily Schedule 2025

Tuesday 1/28
12-1:30 John O'Neil New products in Solar Observation & Imaging
2:00 - 3:00?  John Panek Roman Space Telescope
6:00 – 8:PM   Martin Caminos Celestial Navigation Part I

Wednesday 1/29
10AM Beach Walk with Jay Elliot
12:30 – 2:30 Jon Talbot Pixinsight Latest Updates
3:00-4:00 Ice Cream Social
6:00 – 7:30PM Mike Lockwood Hands on Night Vision

Thursday 1/30
1 – 2 PM Richard Wright TBD
2 – 3 PM Charlie Warren TBD
6:00 – 8:PM   Martin Caminos Celestial Navigation Part II

Vendors

This list will be updated as conformations come in.

Explore Scientific
Starfield Optics
Pentax Eyepieces

Manufacturers

This list will be updated as conformations come in.

Pegaus Astro
Simulation Curriculum
 

Cha-Ching

As always, we will have some fantastic door prizes to give away on Friday. 
Please remember that you must be present at the drawing on Friday morning to be eligable to win a prize.

Please be reminded that on Sunday Feb. 11th, all camp sites and vehicles must be off of both camps by 10 AM.

Have a look at the 2023 star party here.....................
2023 Winter Star Party Recap


Stay tuned for further information.

If there is anything you need to discuss with us or issues with your registration please send an email to wsp@scas.org
Thank you again for your patronage and please stay safe and healthy.

2025 WSP Registration