Pumpkinova at Michiana Star Party

Corona Borealis shined both as the constellation in the night sky and as Pumpkinova at the Michiana Astronomical Society's (MAS) 15th Annual Star Party. MSP-15 launched on Thursday and Friday nights with clear skies and multiple telescope setups for astronomy enthusiasts and visitors at Potawatomi Wildlife Park on October 23-26, 2025.

Lit from behind, seven holes drilled into a pumpkin define u-shaped Corona Borealis, with the Northern Crown and Comet Lemmon visible in the background starfield.

In selecting celestial targets to image, some attendees chose Halloween-themed deep sky objects. For example, Damrongsak (Dom) Wirasasaet took a 2-hour exposure of M74, dubbed the Phantom Galaxy. Some of Dom's effort in stacking and post processing are lost in this reproduction.

Below are more images from the observing field, the park, and the community.

A red and a white pumpkin simulate a binary star like T Coronae Borealis, with accreted pumpkin seeds around the dense white star about to "go nova."

Thanks go to the organizers of MSP-15 for their yeoman's work in facilitating the gathering, especially Bruce Miller, Paul and Eileen Surowiec, and Michael Hensley. Joe Adams designed the MSP-15 t-shirt. Joe Hopkins gave introductions to observing the night sky.

Much more needs to be said about MSP-15, the site, the speakers, the door prizes, the volunteers, and the community of observers. For now I share some photos.