On October 16 - 18th, 2009, The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada - Edmonton Chapter will be hosting an astronomy workshop at Camp Maskepetoon, which is a 45-minute drive SW of Edmonton and near Pigeon Lake. The event runs from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon.
For those that do not know what this event is, here is a description. It is basically an astronomy retreat for a weekend. We book a school or scout camp somewhere outside of city limits to take advantage of the dark skies. The event is fully catered; all you have to bring is your bedding, warm clothes and your telescope(s)/binoculars. If you do not own either a telescope or binoculars, you are still warmly welcome to attend. Several of the attendees will have their own equipment and would be more than happy to show you the wonders of the night sky. We bring in a high profile guest speaker, as well as featuring local talent from our Club to assist you in learning more about astronomy. The cost per person is $120 for adults and $90 for children under 15.
This year we are proud to present Stephen James O’Meara as our featured guest speaker. Here is a bio of Mr. O’Meara.
A long-time friend to the amateur astronomical community, Stephen James O’Meara is one of the world’s greatest visual observers. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern University and spent much of his early career on the editorial staff of Sky & Telescope magazine in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Now a resident of Hawaii, Steve shares his love of the sky through his monthly Secret Sky column for Astronomy magazine, for which he is also a contributing editor. Steve has authored or coauthored 10 popular books on astronomy (including his acclaimed Deep-Sky Companion series) and other science topics, namely volcanoes and scary science for youngsters; Steve’s scary science book: Are You Afraid Yet: The Science Behind Scary Stuff, has just been nominated for the 2010 Young Adult Library Services Association Quick Picks for the Reluctant Young Adult Readers List.
Steve’s vision and love for sharing the wonders of the night sky is legendary. The Texas Star Party (TSP) gave him its highest honor, the Lone Stargazer Award, "for setting the standard of excellence in visual observing." The TSP also gave him its Omega Centauri Award for "advancing astronomy through observation, writing, and promotion, and for sharing his love of the sky." He has also been awarded with the Caroline Herschel Award for his greatest visual achievements, including being the first person to sight Halley’s Comet on its 1985 return, the discovery of dark “spokes” in Saturn’s B ring before the Voyager 1 spacecraft imaged them, and being the first person to determine accurately the rotation period of the distant planet Uranus. For these accomplishments, the International Astronomical Union named asteroid 3637 O'Meara in his honor.
When he’s not looking at the sky, Steve enjoys studying bats and alligators, and traveling the world with his wife, Donna, to document volcanic eruptions. National Geographic Explorer produced a movie ("Volcano Hunters") about the O'Mearas' research into finding a correlation being the Moon’s tidal pull and volcanic activity; the film was selected as one of the year’s best National Geographic documentaries and won the Fall 2002 Golden Eagle Award for excellence in documentary. Now a contract videographer for National Geographic Digital Motion and a contract photographer for National Geographic Image Collection, Steve continues his tradition of sharing his love for all things scientific through his lectures.
We will also be featuring our round robin sessions with members of our Club giving presentations on different areas of astronomy designed to teach you different aspects of astronomy, which you might find useful. The following are some examples of round robin sessions, which have been presented in the past. At this time, the round robin sessions have not been finalized. Once the speakers are confirmed for the round robin sessions, the information below will be updated. Registrants do not need to pre-register for the round robin sessions.
Teacher Session
A session designed to provide information for teachers using the Alberta Science Curriculum to assist teachers in their presentation of astronomy in the classroom. Our instructor will provide information and tips on how to present the different astronomical concepts to students in a fun and novel way.
Digital Astrophotography
Astrophotography has come a long way in a short time. Our instructors will help you understand the finer points of digital astrophotography and show you the do's and don'ts.
Meteorites
A few of the members of our Club have an extensive meteorite collection and in the past have given a presentation on different types of meteorites. One member also brings his collection to the Workshop with a microscope so you can view these meteorites up close.
Collimation Clinic
Not sure if the star images you are seeing through your telescope are the best they can be? We have collimation clinics for both Newtonians and Schmidt-Cassegrain styles.
The Edmonton Rocketry Club will be invited to attend the workshop and usually set up a display of model rockets. The Edmonton Rocketry Club may launch a rocket during the Workshop (weather conditions permitting).
Providing the weather co-operates, we will be having night sky viewing through telescopes and binoculars. During the day, several of our members will have telescopes set up outside of the facility to do some solar observing safely through filters.
Our Club also has a telescope-lending program where teachers can sign out a 15cm (8") telescope for a week or two for free to give students an opportunity to learn the operation of a telescope for themselves and view objects in the sky. A "Kidscope" as they are called will be on display at the Workshop. Each telescope comes complete with instructions for assembly and basic operation. All teachers who attend the Workshop will also receive free a copy of Skyways: Astronomy Handbook for Teachers, which is published by The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
A registration form is available for download for registrations to the workshop. As details are finalized, more information will be published on our website at www.edmontonrasc.com If you require more information, please feel free to contact Sherry Campbell at etagem@telus.net or (780) 433-1516.