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by John McDonald
The big news this month is the progress on our
Victoria Centre
Observatory. We have used funds received from the BC
Gaming Commission to purchase more of the equipment needed
to compete the observatory. That includes a
HyperStar camera lens and
QSI 583 astro camera for remote and local imaging as
well as a
Tele
Vue 127mm scope to complement the 14 inch Meade. In
addition, Bruno Quenneville has organized to get a concrete
pad and walkway with the help of a generous donation of
concrete from TRIO Ready Mix. (Project
Report)
In another significant milestone, the DAO has cleared a
major hurdle we faced in making the VCO remotely accessible.
Thanks to their generosity, we now have the necessary high
speed that is essential for remote use. Their support of the
VCO project has been crucial at every stage of the project
and they have once again been there for us when we needed
help.
Additional bits and pieces needed to complete the facility
will be purchased with the rest of the grant funds through
the summer. Once the new equipment is installed we will have
a flexible facility for remote and local use with state of
the art equipment we can all be proud of.
A big thank you to Sid and all the volunteers who have been
keeping us on track to reach our goal of 20,000 Galileo
experiences by the end of the year. With the year half way
through, we are on target with half of the target already
met. Well done everyone. (IYA
2009 in Victoria)
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