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RASC Victoria Centre
held another successful Star Party on the Metchosin Cricket Field and
municipal grounds. This location offered us one of the darker urban areas in the western communities near
Victoria. We very much appreciate
the support from the local community! Thanks to all our volunteers who
make this fun event happen each year. Thanks go to
Island Telescope
and our own members for generously donating door prizes. The
Star Party poster
| The weather was wonderful for Friday night, so there were lots of
happy observers on the field. Saturday night, not so much! There
were some good speakers both nights, and lots of prizes given away, and the usual
camaraderie at our star parties prevailed. |
 Shop Online - RASCals Star Party t-shirts can still
be ordered online after the event. Either arrange for pick-up, or you
will be advised of shipping charges before your order is filled.
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RASCals 2012
Star Party Event Photos |
Friday 17th
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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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8:00pm - Door prize draws |
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8:30 pm - Speaker:
CASTOR, the
scope to 'fill the void of the de-orbiting of the HST' by Dr. J.J.
Kavelaars. Dr. Kavelaars is Senior Research Officer at the NRC
Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics and archive scientist with the
Canadian Astronomy Data Centre, the worlds largest repository (by
data volume) of astronomical imaging data. He is also an Adjunct
Assistant Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Departments at
McMaster University and the University of Victoria. Kavelaars is
part of a team that has discovered several moons of Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, and Neptune.
JJ
Kavelaars
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9:30pm
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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 by Sherry Buttnor |
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Viewing the night sky till dawn - what we all came
here for - clear skies tonight! |
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Saturday 18th
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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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Spectroscopy II - David Lee |
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Observing Lists and Awards - Nelson Walker |
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4pm-6pm - Activities for the kids - thanks Lauri |
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5:00pm-7:00pm - dinner time |
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8:00pm - Door prize draws |
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8:20 pm - Observations you may have missed this
year - a review of what Victoria Centre members have observed
and photographed so far in 2012 - Joe Carr
Online gallery |
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8:30 pm - Speaker: "Space Junk" by Dr. Cassandra
Fallscheer, Postdoctoral, University of Victoria, Herzberg Institute of
Astrophysics Bio
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9:30pm - Guided Telescope Walk and Binocular Tour of the
sky by Scott Mair. Scott did his best, despite the cloudy sky! |
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Viewing the night sky till dawn - Oh well, we had
clear skies last night! |
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Sunday 19th
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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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Our "third annual" RASCals Star Party
was held August 17-19, 2012 on the Municipal Grounds in the village of
Metchosin. Attendance was modest but respectable.
Friday night arrived with clear skies. Prizes were handed out. JJ
Kavelaars from UVic and HIA gave a talk on the upcoming CASTOR telescope
mission. Sherry Buttnor led the telescope/Astronomy walk. With darkness
came the Milky Way, clearly visible, ... not bad for a site 20 minutes
from downtown Victoria. Conditions remained good for observing, although
not without a bit of wind to help us move our telescopes around.
Saturday's festivities included workshops (David Lee - Spectroscopy,
Nelson Walker - Observing Lists and Awards), children's activities (Lauri
Roche), and clouds. Prizes were again handed out. Cassie Fallscheer of
the HIA delivered a fine talk on "Space Junk," but not before we were
all driven up onto the bandstand by rain, a occurrence that led to a
warmly intimate occasion with much more than the usual amount of
audience participation. Scott Mair was on hand to lead Astronomy 101.
Unfortunately, clearing did not occur until the early morning hours, and
even then with high, thin clouds, long after many discouraged observers
had gone home.
Attendance Friday night, according to Bill Weir's count, was nearly
ninety, including many local residents. What looked to be the onset of
foul weather Saturday afternoon sent many visitors a'packin, and, after
the talk, only a large handful (twenty to twenty-five observers)
remained.
Nevertheless, plenty of help was available Sunday morning for cleanup,
and we were gone by noon.........
This year's star party was the first that has been held without charge
to the members. We chose instead to rely on donations to help cover our
costs. An accounting is pending. Thanks once again to everyone who
helped with the event, and to those that donated prizes, especially
those that made what they donated. A huge thank you to the District of
Metchosin, which has made this event possible for us.Nelson
Walker & Sherry Buttnor, organizers |
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Location - The star party is held on the cricket field
& municipal grounds, located behind the Metchosin Fire Hall
in this small rural community.
Street address
4450 Happy Valley Road
Victoria, BC Canada V9C 3Z3
Geographic
position
Latitude: 48� 23' N
Longitude: 123� 32' W
Elevation: 50m
Newton-Godin Observatory Clear Sky Chart - observing
conditions report from the closest reporting station
Things to do in
Metchosin
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Directions using Google
Directions using Bing |
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Camping - a good sized camping area is available on the
Cricket Field - camp on the field with your telescope alongside your
tent, motor home or camper. |
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Parking - lots of space available on the
main observing field and in adjacent parking lots. Please do not park in the
nearby retail parking areas! 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.
No RV plug-ins or full service hook-ups are available. |
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Water - potable water available on-site from a tap.
RVs should bring a full tank of water with them. |
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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`
drive 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
or strong winds may be a factor depending on weather conditions. |
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Horizon - a good 360 degree view of the dark sky.
The only visible light dome is from Victoria to the east. |
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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 - craft-related activities for
kids will be coordinated on Saturday afternoon, and videos will be shown
each night on the big
screen for kids & teens to stave off any boredom. Don't
forget to take your kids swimming, hiking and biking at nearby regional parks
and the Galloping Goose Trail. |
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Regional Parks & Recreation - no fees, gates
generally 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 or
off Happy Valley Road -
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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