From gary at bendun.net Tue Jul 10 13:52:46 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2012 13:52:46 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Armchair Astronomy - CANCELLED for tonight Message-ID: <00d101cd5ec4$d0bcaf80$72360e80$@net> Hi Folks, Armchair Astronomy is supposed to be tonight, but unfortunately we going to have to cancel. We have quite a few people that would normally host Armchair Astronomy night who are engaged in non-astronomy Summer activities and are not able to make it out tonight. Next Wednesday @ 9:30 is Public Night. During Summer we hold this as a clear sky only event so stay tuned for the go/no-go announcement. Gary Bennett NOTE: This is coming to you by way of our "Announce List" and is a 1-way email. Please direct replies to "astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca" -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Mon Jul 16 17:41:03 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:41:03 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Public Night - Wednesday 9:30 Message-ID: <020901cd639b$b37b37d0$1a71a770$@net> Hi Everyone, This Wednesday, July 18 is Public Night. 9:30 at the observatory. This is a fun event for new comers and experienced astronomers alike! We'll need to have clear skies so check out our online event calendar for a go/no-go announcement. See you Wednesday! NOTE: This is coming to you by way of our "announce" list and is a 1-way email. Please direct replies to: anstronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From supergiant2003 at hotmail.com Mon Jul 16 23:09:43 2012 From: supergiant2003 at hotmail.com (GAry Colwell) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2012 23:09:43 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Children's Observing Session.... Message-ID: Hello all, I have been contacted by the organizer of a Kids Camp that has asked for volunteers to set-up solar telescopes for the kids. The Camp Theme is “Sky” and Friday Aug 3 is the last day of their camp. They have asked us to be there for 3 hours from 9 AM until Noon. 9 might be too early for solar observing but 10 might be OK. I would like to have a good showing of people and scopes for this day....for those of you who were at the transit...you know how much fun it is!!! If you have a solar scope and can join me...let me know.... You can email me directly at supergiant2003 at hotmail.com if you can join us.Looking forward to hearing from you ! Gary ColwellOutreach DirectorRASC Hamilton Centre -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From atacamandy at me.com Wed Jul 25 22:48:17 2012 From: atacamandy at me.com (Andrew Blanchard) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2012 22:48:17 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Board Update Message-ID: <8BDB21AE-B2C4-47E7-A42E-8DA7C6D39DA7@me.com> Hello fellow members, I hope you are enjoying the summer and the very clear sky's we have had in July. I recently got back from a motorcycle trip to the west coast, and aside from a sore bottom it was a visual and olfactory overloading experience. This email is an update to let you know the board has been meeting and planning all summer. At the most recent Board meeting we discussed the following new and old positions that we would likes to add back on the board: Librarian This position is a new position, the librarian would purchase ten astronomy or science books over the year. Read a book a month and then provide a report to the members at the regular monthly meeting and to Orbit on the books content. Set the book up in our bookcase and loan it out to members who would also like to read the book. Not a big job, but one that should be a lot of fun and enjoyment not to mention educational for the librarian. Membership Director This position as the name implies would be the person responsible for keeping membership lists, renewals and new member tutoring and mentoring. This also is a very rewarding position and would best suited to a person who likes to meet and involve people in our club Banquet Chairperson This job is mostly on automatic pilot. The chairperson would locate a venue, sell the tickets and book the speaker. Our template last year can be copied and improved upon. If one of these positions sound like it might be a interesting 1st step to becoming more involved, then drop me an email or call me so we can discuss it further. I encourage everyone to strongly consider getting involved. Clubs like ours don't just happen, its members stepping up and chipping in. Be a participant and discover the real fun begins the moment you get involved. Our 1st meeting of the fall season dare I save is only several weeks away, being the 1st Thursday of September. Traditionally the 1st meeting is a member night, when members display photos of star party's, astronomical objects, or projects and purchases that they have made. Basically a old fashion "show and tell". See you soon Andy Blanchard 905-465-2031 ablanchard at cogeco.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From atacamandy at hotmail.ca Sat Jul 28 13:17:19 2012 From: atacamandy at hotmail.ca (Andrew Blanchard) Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2012 13:17:19 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] RASC Hamilton [ Special Announcement] Board Update In-Reply-To: References: <8BDB21AE-B2C4-47E7-A42E-8DA7C6D39DA7@me.com> Message-ID: Thanks Roger, as always you are a wealth of club information and as a Gold Star recipient (past president) you are a great asset to our club. Roger are you suggesting that the 1st meeting cannot be held before Labour Day or are you asking a question? Also thanks for the library info, we are excited about the prospects of resurrecting this valuable resource. In response to my request for volunteers, I am also pleased to announce that Joe Pipitone has volunteered to be our new librarian. The membership Chairperson will be Gary Bennett who will be handing over his Web Master duties to Shawn Preston. Thanks for coming to the table and helping out gentlemen. Your time and efforts will be greatly appreciated by every member of the club, and I encourage our members to congratulate these fine individuals the next time you see them. As for the board members and being required to be a member for one year, we had been aware of this rule and the loop hole. Lastly we finally have our own calendar on our website that is being beta tested this week. Everyone will be receiving an email shortly from me with instructions that will allow you to use your iPhone and get instant updates and changes to your calendar through ical technology. We will also be able to update android and desktop calendars through Google calendars as well. I hope to be able to share the links later this week or next week. As always we are working to make your club experience just that much more enjoyable Andy Blanchard From: astronomers-bounces at hamiltonrasc.ca [mailto:astronomers-bounces at hamiltonrasc.ca] On Behalf Of Roger Hill Sent: July-28-12 11:36 AM To: astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca Subject: Re: RASC Hamilton [ Special Announcement] Board Update A couple of things: 1) Librarian is not a new position. It disappeared when the library had to be destroyed because of the mold problem a few years ago. 2) The By-Laws require all Board members to have been members of the Centre for at least a year before joining the Board. There are some "loopholes" though, and the Board can appoint someone. 3) would it be possible to get notification of Board meetings like the ones that are sent out about Public nights, astrophotography evenings and the like? Finally, the first Thursday of September is BEFORE Labour Day this year. Roger Sent from my iPhone. ----- Original Message ----- From: Andrew Blanchard To: announce at hamiltonrasc.ca Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 10:48 PM Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Board Update Hello fellow members, I hope you are enjoying the summer and the very clear sky's we have had in July. I recently got back from a motorcycle trip to the west coast, and aside from a sore bottom it was a visual and olfactory overloading experience. This email is an update to let you know the board has been meeting and planning all summer. At the most recent Board meeting we discussed the following new and old positions that we would likes to add back on the board: Librarian This position is a new position, the librarian would purchase ten astronomy or science books over the year. Read a book a month and then provide a report to the members at the regular monthly meeting and to Orbit on the books content. Set the book up in our bookcase and loan it out to members who would also like to read the book. Not a big job, but one that should be a lot of fun and enjoyment not to mention educational for the librarian. Membership Director This position as the name implies would be the person responsible for keeping membership lists, renewals and new member tutoring and mentoring. This also is a very rewarding position and would best suited to a person who likes to meet and involve people in our club Banquet Chairperson This job is mostly on automatic pilot. The chairperson would locate a venue, sell the tickets and book the speaker. Our template last year can be copied and improved upon. If one of these positions sound like it might be a interesting 1st step to becoming more involved, then drop me an email or call me so we can discuss it further. I encourage everyone to strongly consider getting involved. Clubs like ours don't just happen, its members stepping up and chipping in. Be a participant and discover the real fun begins the moment you get involved. Our 1st meeting of the fall season dare I save is only several weeks away, being the 1st Thursday of September. Traditionally the 1st meeting is a member night, when members display photos of star party's, astronomical objects, or projects and purchases that they have made. Basically a old fashion "show and tell". See you soon Andy Blanchard 905-465-2031 ablanchard at cogeco.ca _____ _______________________________________________ Announce mailing list Announce at hamiltonrasc.ca http://hamiltonrasc.ca/mailman/listinfo/announce_hamiltonrasc.ca _______________________________________________ astronomers mailing list astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca http://hamiltonrasc.ca/mailman/listinfo/astronomers_hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Sun Jul 29 19:29:55 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2012 19:29:55 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Starfest Invitation Message-ID: <003801cd6de2$0ffeb680$2ffc2380$@net> Hi Everyone, Consider this as a special invitation to join fellow club members at Starfest. While this is not officially a RASC Hamilton Event, several of our members are Starfest regulars. What is Starfest? It is a "star party" (camping with your telescope) and is ranked in the top 10 star parties in the world! Starfest typically enjoys attendance of 500-700 astronomers who bring out telescopes of every shape and size. There are formal lectures and commercial exhibitors and you are among hundreds of people who share the love of our hobby. Member Gary Colwell is one of the guest lecturers and will be presenting "Bassackward Astrophotography". For more information about Starfest (including registration), visit: http://www.nyaa.ca/index.php?page=/sf12/sf.home12 So far have at least 6 club members who will be forming an "observing corral". If you would like to join the gang, contact me directly and we'll do our best to rope off a spot for you to erect your tent. Officially, Starfest opens on Thursday August 16, but many people chose to arrive early. Several of us will be there on Monday August 13. Most years, the scramble for good camping spots begins on the Wednesday. We will try and "rope-off" a spot for you, but that will be difficult to do after the scramble begins. The earlier you can get there the better! Starfest Tips: Aside from a tent and observing gear, there are some "must haves" that include: . Extension cords (really long ones) and a power-bar. (you must purchase AC power when you register). . A waterproof tarp and bungee cords to cover your telescope . A way to power stuff when the AC power goes out. A big car battery is a wise choice. Use the battery at night and recharge during the day. . The observing field has no trees! You will need shelter from the sun. Your tent will become unbearably hot! . The park has good facilities: Showers (bring a supply of loonies to feed the shower), a swimming pool, lots of portable toilets (they even smell nice!) and wash stations, a simple food (burgers & such). . ARRIVE WELL BEFORE SUNSET. Finding us, and setting up in the dark is impossible. You will NOT be permitted to use white light while setting up! Other people will be rushing to get ready for observing and help will be hard to find. . Bring proper RED flashlights. White light make fellow astronomers "vocally violent"! Read your car owners manual to learn how to turn-off interior lights so they don't turn on when the door opens and do NOT use remote control to lock/un-lock your car. . Leave pets at home! . BBQ's and optics do NOT play nice! . Bring a light jacket AND a Winter Parka! Even if it's 20C you won't last long once your core body temperature cools down. . Green lasers are reserved laser writing on the clouds (let's hope we won't be playing with our green lasers). I have attached 2 photos that will help you find us. Our spot is not too far from the main presentation tent. Just drive all the way inside the park until you get to the big tent and then get out of your car and walk up the hill and you will find 2 Coleman blue and white sun screen tents parked next to each other. That is us! Hope to see you there! Gary Bennett -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: starfest.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 133444 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: starfest2.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 44650 bytes Desc: not available URL: From supergiant2003 at hotmail.com Mon Jul 30 22:30:57 2012 From: supergiant2003 at hotmail.com (GAry Colwell) Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2012 22:30:57 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Children's Observing Session.... In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello all again! Thank you to those who expressed interest in helping out with this event...The event is this Friday August 3......I would like to finalize the numbers of those who can attend for sure....I will send info and directions to those who can help out.....please let me know by emailing me at supergiant2003 at hotmail.comOnce again...thank you for helping out in this worthy cause for kids... The event will take place atWest Highland Baptist Church393 Rymal Road WestHamilton ON L9B 1V2 Gary From: supergiant2003 at hotmail.com To: announce at hamiltonrasc.ca Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2012 23:09:43 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Children's Observing Session.... Hello all, I have been contacted by the organizer of a Kids Camp that has asked for volunteers to set-up solar telescopes for the kids. The Camp Theme is “Sky” and Friday Aug 3 is the last day of their camp. They have asked us to be there for 3 hours from 9 AM until Noon. 9 might be too early for solar observing but 10 might be OK. I would like to have a good showing of people and scopes for this day.....for those of you who were at the transit...you know how much fun it is!!! If you have a solar scope and can join me...let me know.... You can email me directly at supergiant2003 at hotmail.com if you can join us.Looking forward to hearing from you ! Gary ColwellOutreach DirectorRASC Hamilton Centre _______________________________________________ Announce mailing list Announce at hamiltonrasc.ca http://hamiltonrasc.ca/mailman/listinfo/announce_hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Tue Jul 10 13:52:46 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2012 13:52:46 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Armchair Astronomy - CANCELLED for tonight Message-ID: <00d101cd5ec4$d0bcaf80$72360e80$@net> Hi Folks, Armchair Astronomy is supposed to be tonight, but unfortunately we going to have to cancel. We have quite a few people that would normally host Armchair Astronomy night who are engaged in non-astronomy Summer activities and are not able to make it out tonight. Next Wednesday @ 9:30 is Public Night. During Summer we hold this as a clear sky only event so stay tuned for the go/no-go announcement. Gary Bennett NOTE: This is coming to you by way of our "Announce List" and is a 1-way email. Please direct replies to "astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca" -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Mon Jul 16 17:41:03 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:41:03 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Public Night - Wednesday 9:30 Message-ID: <020901cd639b$b37b37d0$1a71a770$@net> Hi Everyone, This Wednesday, July 18 is Public Night. 9:30 at the observatory. This is a fun event for new comers and experienced astronomers alike! We'll need to have clear skies so check out our online event calendar for a go/no-go announcement. See you Wednesday! NOTE: This is coming to you by way of our "announce" list and is a 1-way email. Please direct replies to: anstronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From supergiant2003 at hotmail.com Mon Jul 16 23:09:43 2012 From: supergiant2003 at hotmail.com (GAry Colwell) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2012 23:09:43 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Children's Observing Session.... Message-ID: Hello all, I have been contacted by the organizer of a Kids Camp that has asked for volunteers to set-up solar telescopes for the kids. The Camp Theme is “Sky” and Friday Aug 3 is the last day of their camp. They have asked us to be there for 3 hours from 9 AM until Noon. 9 might be too early for solar observing but 10 might be OK. I would like to have a good showing of people and scopes for this day....for those of you who were at the transit...you know how much fun it is!!! If you have a solar scope and can join me...let me know.... You can email me directly at supergiant2003 at hotmail.com if you can join us.Looking forward to hearing from you ! Gary ColwellOutreach DirectorRASC Hamilton Centre -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From atacamandy at me.com Wed Jul 25 22:48:17 2012 From: atacamandy at me.com (Andrew Blanchard) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2012 22:48:17 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Board Update Message-ID: <8BDB21AE-B2C4-47E7-A42E-8DA7C6D39DA7@me.com> Hello fellow members, I hope you are enjoying the summer and the very clear sky's we have had in July. I recently got back from a motorcycle trip to the west coast, and aside from a sore bottom it was a visual and olfactory overloading experience. This email is an update to let you know the board has been meeting and planning all summer. At the most recent Board meeting we discussed the following new and old positions that we would likes to add back on the board: Librarian This position is a new position, the librarian would purchase ten astronomy or science books over the year. Read a book a month and then provide a report to the members at the regular monthly meeting and to Orbit on the books content. Set the book up in our bookcase and loan it out to members who would also like to read the book. Not a big job, but one that should be a lot of fun and enjoyment not to mention educational for the librarian. Membership Director This position as the name implies would be the person responsible for keeping membership lists, renewals and new member tutoring and mentoring. This also is a very rewarding position and would best suited to a person who likes to meet and involve people in our club Banquet Chairperson This job is mostly on automatic pilot. The chairperson would locate a venue, sell the tickets and book the speaker. Our template last year can be copied and improved upon. If one of these positions sound like it might be a interesting 1st step to becoming more involved, then drop me an email or call me so we can discuss it further. I encourage everyone to strongly consider getting involved. Clubs like ours don't just happen, its members stepping up and chipping in. Be a participant and discover the real fun begins the moment you get involved. Our 1st meeting of the fall season dare I save is only several weeks away, being the 1st Thursday of September. Traditionally the 1st meeting is a member night, when members display photos of star party's, astronomical objects, or projects and purchases that they have made. Basically a old fashion "show and tell". See you soon Andy Blanchard 905-465-2031 ablanchard at cogeco.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From atacamandy at hotmail.ca Sat Jul 28 13:17:19 2012 From: atacamandy at hotmail.ca (Andrew Blanchard) Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2012 13:17:19 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] RASC Hamilton [ Special Announcement] Board Update In-Reply-To: References: <8BDB21AE-B2C4-47E7-A42E-8DA7C6D39DA7@me.com> Message-ID: Thanks Roger, as always you are a wealth of club information and as a Gold Star recipient (past president) you are a great asset to our club. Roger are you suggesting that the 1st meeting cannot be held before Labour Day or are you asking a question? Also thanks for the library info, we are excited about the prospects of resurrecting this valuable resource. In response to my request for volunteers, I am also pleased to announce that Joe Pipitone has volunteered to be our new librarian. The membership Chairperson will be Gary Bennett who will be handing over his Web Master duties to Shawn Preston. Thanks for coming to the table and helping out gentlemen. Your time and efforts will be greatly appreciated by every member of the club, and I encourage our members to congratulate these fine individuals the next time you see them. As for the board members and being required to be a member for one year, we had been aware of this rule and the loop hole. Lastly we finally have our own calendar on our website that is being beta tested this week. Everyone will be receiving an email shortly from me with instructions that will allow you to use your iPhone and get instant updates and changes to your calendar through ical technology. We will also be able to update android and desktop calendars through Google calendars as well. I hope to be able to share the links later this week or next week. As always we are working to make your club experience just that much more enjoyable Andy Blanchard From: astronomers-bounces at hamiltonrasc.ca [mailto:astronomers-bounces at hamiltonrasc.ca] On Behalf Of Roger Hill Sent: July-28-12 11:36 AM To: astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca Subject: Re: RASC Hamilton [ Special Announcement] Board Update A couple of things: 1) Librarian is not a new position. It disappeared when the library had to be destroyed because of the mold problem a few years ago. 2) The By-Laws require all Board members to have been members of the Centre for at least a year before joining the Board. There are some "loopholes" though, and the Board can appoint someone. 3) would it be possible to get notification of Board meetings like the ones that are sent out about Public nights, astrophotography evenings and the like? Finally, the first Thursday of September is BEFORE Labour Day this year. Roger Sent from my iPhone. ----- Original Message ----- From: Andrew Blanchard To: announce at hamiltonrasc.ca Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 10:48 PM Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Board Update Hello fellow members, I hope you are enjoying the summer and the very clear sky's we have had in July. I recently got back from a motorcycle trip to the west coast, and aside from a sore bottom it was a visual and olfactory overloading experience. This email is an update to let you know the board has been meeting and planning all summer. At the most recent Board meeting we discussed the following new and old positions that we would likes to add back on the board: Librarian This position is a new position, the librarian would purchase ten astronomy or science books over the year. Read a book a month and then provide a report to the members at the regular monthly meeting and to Orbit on the books content. Set the book up in our bookcase and loan it out to members who would also like to read the book. Not a big job, but one that should be a lot of fun and enjoyment not to mention educational for the librarian. Membership Director This position as the name implies would be the person responsible for keeping membership lists, renewals and new member tutoring and mentoring. This also is a very rewarding position and would best suited to a person who likes to meet and involve people in our club Banquet Chairperson This job is mostly on automatic pilot. The chairperson would locate a venue, sell the tickets and book the speaker. Our template last year can be copied and improved upon. If one of these positions sound like it might be a interesting 1st step to becoming more involved, then drop me an email or call me so we can discuss it further. I encourage everyone to strongly consider getting involved. Clubs like ours don't just happen, its members stepping up and chipping in. Be a participant and discover the real fun begins the moment you get involved. Our 1st meeting of the fall season dare I save is only several weeks away, being the 1st Thursday of September. Traditionally the 1st meeting is a member night, when members display photos of star party's, astronomical objects, or projects and purchases that they have made. Basically a old fashion "show and tell". See you soon Andy Blanchard 905-465-2031 ablanchard at cogeco.ca _____ _______________________________________________ Announce mailing list Announce at hamiltonrasc.ca http://hamiltonrasc.ca/mailman/listinfo/announce_hamiltonrasc.ca _______________________________________________ astronomers mailing list astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca http://hamiltonrasc.ca/mailman/listinfo/astronomers_hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Sun Jul 29 19:29:55 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2012 19:29:55 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Starfest Invitation Message-ID: <003801cd6de2$0ffeb680$2ffc2380$@net> Hi Everyone, Consider this as a special invitation to join fellow club members at Starfest. While this is not officially a RASC Hamilton Event, several of our members are Starfest regulars. What is Starfest? It is a "star party" (camping with your telescope) and is ranked in the top 10 star parties in the world! Starfest typically enjoys attendance of 500-700 astronomers who bring out telescopes of every shape and size. There are formal lectures and commercial exhibitors and you are among hundreds of people who share the love of our hobby. Member Gary Colwell is one of the guest lecturers and will be presenting "Bassackward Astrophotography". For more information about Starfest (including registration), visit: http://www.nyaa.ca/index.php?page=/sf12/sf.home12 So far have at least 6 club members who will be forming an "observing corral". If you would like to join the gang, contact me directly and we'll do our best to rope off a spot for you to erect your tent. Officially, Starfest opens on Thursday August 16, but many people chose to arrive early. Several of us will be there on Monday August 13. Most years, the scramble for good camping spots begins on the Wednesday. We will try and "rope-off" a spot for you, but that will be difficult to do after the scramble begins. The earlier you can get there the better! Starfest Tips: Aside from a tent and observing gear, there are some "must haves" that include: . Extension cords (really long ones) and a power-bar. (you must purchase AC power when you register). . A waterproof tarp and bungee cords to cover your telescope . A way to power stuff when the AC power goes out. A big car battery is a wise choice. Use the battery at night and recharge during the day. . The observing field has no trees! You will need shelter from the sun. Your tent will become unbearably hot! . The park has good facilities: Showers (bring a supply of loonies to feed the shower), a swimming pool, lots of portable toilets (they even smell nice!) and wash stations, a simple food (burgers & such). . ARRIVE WELL BEFORE SUNSET. Finding us, and setting up in the dark is impossible. You will NOT be permitted to use white light while setting up! Other people will be rushing to get ready for observing and help will be hard to find. . Bring proper RED flashlights. White light make fellow astronomers "vocally violent"! Read your car owners manual to learn how to turn-off interior lights so they don't turn on when the door opens and do NOT use remote control to lock/un-lock your car. . Leave pets at home! . BBQ's and optics do NOT play nice! . Bring a light jacket AND a Winter Parka! Even if it's 20C you won't last long once your core body temperature cools down. . Green lasers are reserved laser writing on the clouds (let's hope we won't be playing with our green lasers). I have attached 2 photos that will help you find us. Our spot is not too far from the main presentation tent. Just drive all the way inside the park until you get to the big tent and then get out of your car and walk up the hill and you will find 2 Coleman blue and white sun screen tents parked next to each other. That is us! Hope to see you there! Gary Bennett -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: starfest.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 133444 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: starfest2.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 44650 bytes Desc: not available URL: From supergiant2003 at hotmail.com Mon Jul 30 22:30:57 2012 From: supergiant2003 at hotmail.com (GAry Colwell) Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2012 22:30:57 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Children's Observing Session.... In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello all again! Thank you to those who expressed interest in helping out with this event...The event is this Friday August 3......I would like to finalize the numbers of those who can attend for sure....I will send info and directions to those who can help out.....please let me know by emailing me at supergiant2003 at hotmail.comOnce again...thank you for helping out in this worthy cause for kids... The event will take place atWest Highland Baptist Church393 Rymal Road WestHamilton ON L9B 1V2 Gary From: supergiant2003 at hotmail.com To: announce at hamiltonrasc.ca Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2012 23:09:43 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Children's Observing Session.... Hello all, I have been contacted by the organizer of a Kids Camp that has asked for volunteers to set-up solar telescopes for the kids. The Camp Theme is “Sky” and Friday Aug 3 is the last day of their camp. They have asked us to be there for 3 hours from 9 AM until Noon. 9 might be too early for solar observing but 10 might be OK. I would like to have a good showing of people and scopes for this day.....for those of you who were at the transit...you know how much fun it is!!! If you have a solar scope and can join me...let me know.... You can email me directly at supergiant2003 at hotmail.com if you can join us.Looking forward to hearing from you ! Gary ColwellOutreach DirectorRASC Hamilton Centre _______________________________________________ Announce mailing list Announce at hamiltonrasc.ca http://hamiltonrasc.ca/mailman/listinfo/announce_hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Tue Jul 10 13:52:46 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2012 13:52:46 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Armchair Astronomy - CANCELLED for tonight Message-ID: <00d101cd5ec4$d0bcaf80$72360e80$@net> Hi Folks, Armchair Astronomy is supposed to be tonight, but unfortunately we going to have to cancel. We have quite a few people that would normally host Armchair Astronomy night who are engaged in non-astronomy Summer activities and are not able to make it out tonight. Next Wednesday @ 9:30 is Public Night. During Summer we hold this as a clear sky only event so stay tuned for the go/no-go announcement. Gary Bennett NOTE: This is coming to you by way of our "Announce List" and is a 1-way email. Please direct replies to "astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca" -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Mon Jul 16 17:41:03 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:41:03 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Public Night - Wednesday 9:30 Message-ID: <020901cd639b$b37b37d0$1a71a770$@net> Hi Everyone, This Wednesday, July 18 is Public Night. 9:30 at the observatory. This is a fun event for new comers and experienced astronomers alike! We'll need to have clear skies so check out our online event calendar for a go/no-go announcement. See you Wednesday! NOTE: This is coming to you by way of our "announce" list and is a 1-way email. Please direct replies to: anstronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From supergiant2003 at hotmail.com Mon Jul 16 23:09:43 2012 From: supergiant2003 at hotmail.com (GAry Colwell) Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2012 23:09:43 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Children's Observing Session.... Message-ID: Hello all, I have been contacted by the organizer of a Kids Camp that has asked for volunteers to set-up solar telescopes for the kids. The Camp Theme is “Sky” and Friday Aug 3 is the last day of their camp. They have asked us to be there for 3 hours from 9 AM until Noon. 9 might be too early for solar observing but 10 might be OK. I would like to have a good showing of people and scopes for this day....for those of you who were at the transit...you know how much fun it is!!! If you have a solar scope and can join me...let me know.... You can email me directly at supergiant2003 at hotmail.com if you can join us.Looking forward to hearing from you ! Gary ColwellOutreach DirectorRASC Hamilton Centre -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From atacamandy at me.com Wed Jul 25 22:48:17 2012 From: atacamandy at me.com (Andrew Blanchard) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2012 22:48:17 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Board Update Message-ID: <8BDB21AE-B2C4-47E7-A42E-8DA7C6D39DA7@me.com> Hello fellow members, I hope you are enjoying the summer and the very clear sky's we have had in July. I recently got back from a motorcycle trip to the west coast, and aside from a sore bottom it was a visual and olfactory overloading experience. This email is an update to let you know the board has been meeting and planning all summer. At the most recent Board meeting we discussed the following new and old positions that we would likes to add back on the board: Librarian This position is a new position, the librarian would purchase ten astronomy or science books over the year. Read a book a month and then provide a report to the members at the regular monthly meeting and to Orbit on the books content. Set the book up in our bookcase and loan it out to members who would also like to read the book. Not a big job, but one that should be a lot of fun and enjoyment not to mention educational for the librarian. Membership Director This position as the name implies would be the person responsible for keeping membership lists, renewals and new member tutoring and mentoring. This also is a very rewarding position and would best suited to a person who likes to meet and involve people in our club Banquet Chairperson This job is mostly on automatic pilot. The chairperson would locate a venue, sell the tickets and book the speaker. Our template last year can be copied and improved upon. If one of these positions sound like it might be a interesting 1st step to becoming more involved, then drop me an email or call me so we can discuss it further. I encourage everyone to strongly consider getting involved. Clubs like ours don't just happen, its members stepping up and chipping in. Be a participant and discover the real fun begins the moment you get involved. Our 1st meeting of the fall season dare I save is only several weeks away, being the 1st Thursday of September. Traditionally the 1st meeting is a member night, when members display photos of star party's, astronomical objects, or projects and purchases that they have made. Basically a old fashion "show and tell". See you soon Andy Blanchard 905-465-2031 ablanchard at cogeco.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From atacamandy at hotmail.ca Sat Jul 28 13:17:19 2012 From: atacamandy at hotmail.ca (Andrew Blanchard) Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2012 13:17:19 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] RASC Hamilton [ Special Announcement] Board Update In-Reply-To: References: <8BDB21AE-B2C4-47E7-A42E-8DA7C6D39DA7@me.com> Message-ID: Thanks Roger, as always you are a wealth of club information and as a Gold Star recipient (past president) you are a great asset to our club. Roger are you suggesting that the 1st meeting cannot be held before Labour Day or are you asking a question? Also thanks for the library info, we are excited about the prospects of resurrecting this valuable resource. In response to my request for volunteers, I am also pleased to announce that Joe Pipitone has volunteered to be our new librarian. The membership Chairperson will be Gary Bennett who will be handing over his Web Master duties to Shawn Preston. Thanks for coming to the table and helping out gentlemen. Your time and efforts will be greatly appreciated by every member of the club, and I encourage our members to congratulate these fine individuals the next time you see them. As for the board members and being required to be a member for one year, we had been aware of this rule and the loop hole. Lastly we finally have our own calendar on our website that is being beta tested this week. Everyone will be receiving an email shortly from me with instructions that will allow you to use your iPhone and get instant updates and changes to your calendar through ical technology. We will also be able to update android and desktop calendars through Google calendars as well. I hope to be able to share the links later this week or next week. As always we are working to make your club experience just that much more enjoyable Andy Blanchard From: astronomers-bounces at hamiltonrasc.ca [mailto:astronomers-bounces at hamiltonrasc.ca] On Behalf Of Roger Hill Sent: July-28-12 11:36 AM To: astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca Subject: Re: RASC Hamilton [ Special Announcement] Board Update A couple of things: 1) Librarian is not a new position. It disappeared when the library had to be destroyed because of the mold problem a few years ago. 2) The By-Laws require all Board members to have been members of the Centre for at least a year before joining the Board. There are some "loopholes" though, and the Board can appoint someone. 3) would it be possible to get notification of Board meetings like the ones that are sent out about Public nights, astrophotography evenings and the like? Finally, the first Thursday of September is BEFORE Labour Day this year. Roger Sent from my iPhone. ----- Original Message ----- From: Andrew Blanchard To: announce at hamiltonrasc.ca Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 10:48 PM Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Board Update Hello fellow members, I hope you are enjoying the summer and the very clear sky's we have had in July. I recently got back from a motorcycle trip to the west coast, and aside from a sore bottom it was a visual and olfactory overloading experience. This email is an update to let you know the board has been meeting and planning all summer. At the most recent Board meeting we discussed the following new and old positions that we would likes to add back on the board: Librarian This position is a new position, the librarian would purchase ten astronomy or science books over the year. Read a book a month and then provide a report to the members at the regular monthly meeting and to Orbit on the books content. Set the book up in our bookcase and loan it out to members who would also like to read the book. Not a big job, but one that should be a lot of fun and enjoyment not to mention educational for the librarian. Membership Director This position as the name implies would be the person responsible for keeping membership lists, renewals and new member tutoring and mentoring. This also is a very rewarding position and would best suited to a person who likes to meet and involve people in our club Banquet Chairperson This job is mostly on automatic pilot. The chairperson would locate a venue, sell the tickets and book the speaker. Our template last year can be copied and improved upon. If one of these positions sound like it might be a interesting 1st step to becoming more involved, then drop me an email or call me so we can discuss it further. I encourage everyone to strongly consider getting involved. Clubs like ours don't just happen, its members stepping up and chipping in. Be a participant and discover the real fun begins the moment you get involved. Our 1st meeting of the fall season dare I save is only several weeks away, being the 1st Thursday of September. Traditionally the 1st meeting is a member night, when members display photos of star party's, astronomical objects, or projects and purchases that they have made. Basically a old fashion "show and tell". See you soon Andy Blanchard 905-465-2031 ablanchard at cogeco.ca _____ _______________________________________________ Announce mailing list Announce at hamiltonrasc.ca http://hamiltonrasc.ca/mailman/listinfo/announce_hamiltonrasc.ca _______________________________________________ astronomers mailing list astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca http://hamiltonrasc.ca/mailman/listinfo/astronomers_hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Sun Jul 29 19:29:55 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2012 19:29:55 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Starfest Invitation Message-ID: <003801cd6de2$0ffeb680$2ffc2380$@net> Hi Everyone, Consider this as a special invitation to join fellow club members at Starfest. While this is not officially a RASC Hamilton Event, several of our members are Starfest regulars. What is Starfest? It is a "star party" (camping with your telescope) and is ranked in the top 10 star parties in the world! Starfest typically enjoys attendance of 500-700 astronomers who bring out telescopes of every shape and size. There are formal lectures and commercial exhibitors and you are among hundreds of people who share the love of our hobby. Member Gary Colwell is one of the guest lecturers and will be presenting "Bassackward Astrophotography". For more information about Starfest (including registration), visit: http://www.nyaa.ca/index.php?page=/sf12/sf.home12 So far have at least 6 club members who will be forming an "observing corral". If you would like to join the gang, contact me directly and we'll do our best to rope off a spot for you to erect your tent. Officially, Starfest opens on Thursday August 16, but many people chose to arrive early. Several of us will be there on Monday August 13. Most years, the scramble for good camping spots begins on the Wednesday. We will try and "rope-off" a spot for you, but that will be difficult to do after the scramble begins. The earlier you can get there the better! Starfest Tips: Aside from a tent and observing gear, there are some "must haves" that include: . Extension cords (really long ones) and a power-bar. (you must purchase AC power when you register). . A waterproof tarp and bungee cords to cover your telescope . A way to power stuff when the AC power goes out. A big car battery is a wise choice. Use the battery at night and recharge during the day. . The observing field has no trees! You will need shelter from the sun. Your tent will become unbearably hot! . The park has good facilities: Showers (bring a supply of loonies to feed the shower), a swimming pool, lots of portable toilets (they even smell nice!) and wash stations, a simple food (burgers & such). . ARRIVE WELL BEFORE SUNSET. Finding us, and setting up in the dark is impossible. You will NOT be permitted to use white light while setting up! Other people will be rushing to get ready for observing and help will be hard to find. . Bring proper RED flashlights. White light make fellow astronomers "vocally violent"! Read your car owners manual to learn how to turn-off interior lights so they don't turn on when the door opens and do NOT use remote control to lock/un-lock your car. . Leave pets at home! . BBQ's and optics do NOT play nice! . Bring a light jacket AND a Winter Parka! Even if it's 20C you won't last long once your core body temperature cools down. . Green lasers are reserved laser writing on the clouds (let's hope we won't be playing with our green lasers). I have attached 2 photos that will help you find us. Our spot is not too far from the main presentation tent. Just drive all the way inside the park until you get to the big tent and then get out of your car and walk up the hill and you will find 2 Coleman blue and white sun screen tents parked next to each other. That is us! Hope to see you there! Gary Bennett -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: starfest.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 133444 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: starfest2.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 44650 bytes Desc: not available URL: From supergiant2003 at hotmail.com Mon Jul 30 22:30:57 2012 From: supergiant2003 at hotmail.com (GAry Colwell) Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2012 22:30:57 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Children's Observing Session.... In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello all again! Thank you to those who expressed interest in helping out with this event...The event is this Friday August 3......I would like to finalize the numbers of those who can attend for sure....I will send info and directions to those who can help out.....please let me know by emailing me at supergiant2003 at hotmail.comOnce again...thank you for helping out in this worthy cause for kids... The event will take place atWest Highland Baptist Church393 Rymal Road WestHamilton ON L9B 1V2 Gary From: supergiant2003 at hotmail.com To: announce at hamiltonrasc.ca Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2012 23:09:43 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Children's Observing Session.... Hello all, I have been contacted by the organizer of a Kids Camp that has asked for volunteers to set-up solar telescopes for the kids. The Camp Theme is “Sky” and Friday Aug 3 is the last day of their camp. They have asked us to be there for 3 hours from 9 AM until Noon. 9 might be too early for solar observing but 10 might be OK. I would like to have a good showing of people and scopes for this day.....for those of you who were at the transit...you know how much fun it is!!! If you have a solar scope and can join me...let me know.... You can email me directly at supergiant2003 at hotmail.com if you can join us.Looking forward to hearing from you ! Gary ColwellOutreach DirectorRASC Hamilton Centre _______________________________________________ Announce mailing list Announce at hamiltonrasc.ca http://hamiltonrasc.ca/mailman/listinfo/announce_hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: