Entry No. 26 — the Memphis file — filed under: astronomy
Telescope Mentoring Nights at Hinton Park
The Memphis Astronomical Society runs informal, free "telescope mentoring" evenings at this Collierville park — bring your own scope (even one still in the box) and a member walks you through star-hopping and eyepiece basics instead of just letting you look through theirs.
The story
There’s a high probability you or someone you live with owns a telescope currently gathering dust in a closet. It was either bought during a brief phase of ambition or received as a holiday gift, hauled out once to look at a blurry moon, and immediately retired because figuring out equatorial mounts and eyepiece focal lengths felt like taking a high school trigonometry exam in the dark.
The Memphis Astronomical Society solves this without charging you a dime. Roughly once a month, volunteers from the club set up around the soccer fields at Hinton Park in Collierville for informal "telescope mentoring" nights. You can bring your neglected rig—even if it is still sitting inside its original factory cardboard box—and a seasoned amateur astronomer will stand in the grass and teach you how to actually use it.
Instead of just letting you peek through their expensive custom setups, these mentors walk you through the hands-on mechanics: assembling the tripod, aligning your finderscope, picking the right magnification, and star-hopping across constellations to locate targets like the Beehive Cluster or the rings of Saturn.
What it's like
Drive out to Hinton Park off Fleming Road after sunset and look for the scatter of tripods and red-light flashlights near the soccer field grounds. The atmosphere is completely low-pressure and jargon-free; you'll find people ranging from total beginners with department-store refractor scopes to experienced astronomers adjusting tracking mounts. Bring warm layers (standing on open park grass at night drops your body temp quickly) and put red cellophane over your flashlight or phone screen to preserve everyone's night vision. Crucially, check the Memphis Astronomical Society's calendar before heading out—these sessions are monthly and strictly weather-permitting.
The move: Haul out that telescope you got as a gift and never learned to use; a Memphis Astronomical Society mentor at Hinton Park will teach you to actually find the Beehive Cluster or Saturn's rings instead of just aiming and hoping.
- 📍 Collierville
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Hinton Park, Fleming Rd, Collierville, TN 38017
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Asian Night Market — Memphis Agricenter — Fuel up on Asian street food at the Agricenter fairgrounds at dusk before heading further east to Hinton Park for stargazing.
- AutoZone Sharpe Planetarium — Laser Rock — Compare simulated indoor star fields under the Pink Palace dome with real-world eyepiece observing in Collierville.
- Tiger & Peacock Rooftop — The Memphian — Follow up an evening of practical field astronomy with sky-inspired cocktails on a rooftop back in Midtown.
Good to know
Is there any cost to attend a telescope mentoring night?
No. The sessions run by the Memphis Astronomical Society at Hinton Park are completely free and open to the public.
What if my telescope is still in the box and I don't know how to assemble it?
Bring it exactly as it is. Mentors will walk you through unboxing, mounting the optical tube, balancing the tripod, and adjusting optics.
Where in Hinton Park do the mentors meet?
They typically set up in the open areas around the Hinton Park soccer fields off Fleming Road in Collierville.
Do I need to sign up in advance?
No registration is required, but you should confirm the date and clear-sky status on the Memphis Astronomical Society website before making the drive.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: memphisastro.org · memphismagazine.com
last checked: 2026-07-20