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The RASCals Star Party was held on Southern Vancouver Island
at Metchosin (near Victoria), BC, Canada
August 13-15, 2010
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RASC Victoria Centre
has held successful Star Parties annually from 2000 through to present. The RASCals Star Party has a well-deserved reputation of
being a fun and easy-going camping and observing weekend which the whole
family can enjoy. Our friendly group of dedicated volunteers always
ensure this positive experience continues for each year's event! Thanks go to our corporate sponsors for their generous
support:
Island Telescope,
Celestron,,
Farpoint
Astronomical and
Sky-Watcher Telescopes
The star party location changed for 2010 to the Metchosin Cricket Field and municipal grounds.
This location
offered us one of the darker urban areas in the western communities near
Victoria, and gave us good sight lines in all directions. We are thrilled
to have this new location for the RASCals Star Party, and were very pleased with
the support from the local community! Over 200 people attended
this year's star party - thanks to the dedicated astronomers who camped out
for the full two days, and also thanks go to members of the public who dropped
by for a visit. By all accounts, everyone enjoyed themselves.
RASCals Star Party 2010 Poster
(49k pdf) Print one side in colour on 8.5"x14" legal sized paper.
| The new superb dark site for this year's event combined
with the great weather to allow the astro-photographers to image objects not
normally managed from more urban settings. Visual observers were knocking off
objects from their lists, and we were all busy showing the general public
familiar objects both during the night sky viewing and also solar viewing during
the hot, clear days. The Perseid Meteor Shower was still very much visible on
Friday night, and there were a couple of spectacular zingers to elicit a "wow"
from those who were lucky enough to be facing in the right direction.
Night low temperature was running 11.4�C and daytime highs were 27.7�C, with no
bugs, no dew, no dust, and most importantly no clouds! |
Metchosin Sky,
a time lapse by John McDonald
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Admission Fees -
Public welcome free of charge. RASC members and visiting observers $20 per
person, one day or two, kids free. Admission includes tickets for daily
door prizes for children and adults, lectures, access pass to the field and
camping on site. Winners must be in attendance at the time of the draw to
collect their prize. Free public access does not include a
ticket for door prizes (for children or adults).Schedule of Events (subject to change)
Friday 13th
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12:00pm noon til dark - gates open, arrivals |
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5:00pm-6:30pm - dinner time |
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7:00pm - Speaker - "Working with the 8 metre Gemini
Telescopes in Chile and Hawaii" by Dr. Dennis
Crabtree, Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics |
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8:00pm - Door prize draws |
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9:00pm
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Guided Telescope Walk - a walking tour of the
observing field with a guide to explain about all the gear |
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Astronomy 101 - an observing workshop followed by a laser tour
of the night sky |
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Viewing the night sky till dawn - what we all came
here for! |
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Shop Online
for the t-shirt |
Saturday 14th
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8-10am - breakfast time |
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Noon - lunch |
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Solar viewing - all day |
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1:00 pm - Astronomy Swap Meet |
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2:00 pm - Workshops
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Collimation |
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Digital Astrophotography |
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5:00pm-7:00pm - dinner time |
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7:00 pm - Speaker - "The search for extra-solar planets"
by Dr. Brenda Matthews, Herzberg Institute of
Astrophysics |
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8:00pm - Door prize draws |
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9:00pm - Guided Telescope Walk and Binocular Tour of the
sky |
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Viewing the night sky till dawn - what we all came
here for! |
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Sunday 15th
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8:00 am Breakfast |
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9:30 am Site Cleanup - please pitch in and help! |
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12 noon - early departures please |
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Camping - a good sized camping area is available on the
Cricket Field - camp on the field with your telescope along side your
tent, motor home or camper. |
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Parking - lots of space available on the
main field and in adjacent parking lots. Please do not park in the
nearby retail parking! There will be a special parking area for
those of you who plan to leave after dark - our keen observers
will thank you for preserving their night vision and not ruining their
photographs with your headlights. |
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Power - available on the field for telescope-related equipment only.
Sorry, no RV plug-ins or full service hook-ups are available. |
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Water - potable water available on-site from a tap |
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Washrooms - both flush toilets and portable
washrooms will be available (at least one will offer disabled access) |
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Food - there is a coffee shop and restaurant
within a five minute walk of the field. We encourage you to support our
local businesses. |
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Fast food - Order in or pick up
pizza, Chinese, sushi, Tim Horton's or what you wish - we are only 15 minutes away from major
shopping & restaurants! |
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Elevation - the site is approximately 50 metres (165') elevation
and is approximately 1 km from the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean. Some coastal marine air
may be a factor depending on weather conditions. |
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Horizon - a good 360 degree view of the dark sky. |
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Shopping -
Island Telescope will have an on-site sales
counter, should you need a new eyepiece or other accessory. Food, drinks
and sundries are available from small retail
stores within an easy 5 minute walk. Major big box stores, shopping centres and
food markets are located in Langford - a 15 minute drive. |
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Workshops - we offer useful and topical workshops
on Saturday during the day. |
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Kids activities - videos will be shown on the big
screen after dark for kids & teens to stave off any boredom. Don't
forget to take your kids swimming and hiking at nearby regional parks. |
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Regional Parks & Recreation - no fees, gates
locked at sunset
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Witty's Lagoon Regional Park - 2 entrances offering gravel & sand beach
access and/or lagoon access (hiking, wildlife, swimming) -- 5 minute drive, 15
minute walk |
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Devonian Regional Park - hiking, small pond, gravel beach at end of
the trail - 10 minute drive |
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Matheson Lake Regional Park - hiking, swimming, kayaking, canoes
(bring your own equipment) - 10 minute drive |
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Galloping Goose Regional Trail - access near Matheson Lake Park -
walking, running, cycling - 10 minute drive to trail head |
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Astronomy lectures - we always offer interesting
lectures featuring professional and amateur astronomers |
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Door prize raffles - held each night - for the kids and for the
adults - thanks go to our corporate sponsors for their generous support:
Island Telescope,
Celestron,,
Farpoint Astronomical and
Sky-Watcher Telescopes. |
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