Night Time Etiquette & Car Lights

Welcome: a quick guide to which night is which
We run three observing nights a month, and the light rules scale to match how dark it actually is:

- Members' night (Saturday closest to the new moon): the darkest sky of the month and mostly visual observers making the most of it. This is the strict one: white light is avoided everywhere except in the imaging section, where laptop screens are fine as long as they're angled away from everyone else.
- Visitors Welcome night (the Saturday before): there's more moon glow around, so it's more relaxed. We still ask you to keep white light to a minimum, but nobody's going to get upset about a genuine mistake.
- Beginners night (nearest 1st/last quarter moon): the moon's doing most of the light-polluting anyway, so white light is completely fine. This one's for beginners and new members first; existing members who come along just work around it.

None of this is complicated once you've been along once so ask any member on the night if you're unsure what applies.

Arrival
Ideally, arrive 30 minutes before sunset as it's easier to set up in the light, and you'll be ready to go as soon as it's dark.
If you do arrive after dark on a members' or visitors' night, park outside the gate and find the evening coordinator, they'll walk you in with your lights off.
Before you get there, switch your car's interior light off so it stays dark when you open the door. If your boot light can't be switched off, ideally cover it with red photographic plastic (not cellophane, since it doesn't block enough light).
Planning to leave early? Park close to the gate rather than next to imagers who are staying all night.

Leaving
On the darker nights, use the handbrake rather than the brake pedal if you can, and don't turn your headlights on until you're clear of other cars. If that's not possible, find the coordinator and they'll walk you out, or give people a moment to cover their eyes.
Please don't lock your car remotely on the way out on a members' or visitors' night: the indicator flash costs everyone 20–30 minutes of dark adaption.

Lights, once you're set up (members' night, the strict one)
Red or orange light only, and only near your own telescope. If you're not at your scope, it's off. White light, including phone screens, isn't used on the field at all. Our Observation Night Light Guide has some good options if you need one.
Imaging section: your laptop screen is as disruptive to visual observers as a torch, so switch to night mode or cover it with red plastic, and group together facing away from everyone else.

That's it: come along, set up, and someone will point out what to look for. Thanks for looking after everyone else's night sky.