From Roger.Hill at hiteach.net Tue May 1 10:00:43 2012 From: Roger.Hill at hiteach.net (Roger Hill) Date: Tue, 1 May 2012 10:00:43 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] The May 2012 edition of Orbit is ready and there's a meeting on Thursday References: <748FCC2440B0DC43A2EDC79F10558B06DBC996@antigua.HiTeach.local> Message-ID: DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL! *************************** You can view this month's Orbit by going directly to: http://www.hamiltonrasc.ca/documents/orbit/orbmay12.pdf or by going to http://www.hamiltonrasc.ca/ , clicking on Orbit Newsletter and then choosing the issue you'd like to read. The latest one is always at the top. Also, don't forget about our next meeting this Thursday: May 3rd, 2012, from 7:30 to 9:30pm. Our guest Speaker is Weapons in Space! - 7:30-9:30 at the Royal Canadian Legion in Waterdown Dale Armstrong will be here to discuss his newly minted PHD on Space Weapons. As usual, we will be reconvening at the Royal Coachman after the meeting for a more social event! Clear and dark skies to everyone, Roger Hill, Orbit Editor This is being sent to you by the RASC Hamilton Centre Announce List. It is a one-way message. Please do NOT reply. Discussions about this announcement can take place at astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Tue May 1 18:36:27 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Tue, 1 May 2012 18:36:27 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] May Monthly Meeting Thursday 7:30 Message-ID: <023f01cd27ea$d9410540$8bc30fc0$@net> Hi Everyone, Just a reminder to come out to our May Club Meeting this Thursday @ 7:30 - Royal Canadian Legion in Waterdown. Our guest speaker is Dale Armstrong, a newly minted PHD who will be speaking about "weapons in space". Our club President, Andy Blanchard even has photos of several of these weapons taken with his remote observatory in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. At the time he did not know what the odd streaks in his photo could be, but now he does. See you Thursday! Gary Bennett -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Mon May 7 15:34:16 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Mon, 7 May 2012 15:34:16 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Armchair Astronomy - Tuesday May 8 @ 7:30 Message-ID: <04ce01cd2c88$6427b270$2c771750$@net> Hi Everyone, Tomorrow night @ 7:30 is Armchair Astronomy night at the observatory. This is an informal discussion group that meets each month (during a full moon) to gab about what ever topic you choose. Everything from current astronomy news to MacGyvering your equipment. Attendees drive the topics. This event is rated high on the fun scale! We hope to see you there! NOTE: This is being sent from our "Announce List" and is a one-way email. Please direct responses to astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Fri May 11 18:34:02 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Fri, 11 May 2012 18:34:02 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Transit of Venus - June 5 Message-ID: <002f01cd2fc6$2b6a76c0$823f6440$@net> Hi everyone, Only 25 days until the Transit of Venus! This is going to be one of our biggest Public Outreach events of all time. We have a big day planned and hope to be host to hundreds, perhaps thousands of visitors. Venus will make "first contact" with the Sun at 6:04 PM local time and will last 6 hours. Unfortunately the Sun will set before Venus completes it travel across the Sun (8:56 PM). But we'll still have plenty of time to enjoy the show. We will be setting up solar telescopes at Saltfleet Secondary School in Stoney Creek. We plan to be set-up and ready for action by 4:00 PM. We will also be giving out hundreds of "solar shades" glasses. So far we have 4 solar telescopes but we could use a lot more. If you own a solar telescope or a solar filter we could use your help. We would also be grateful for volunteers to answer questions from our guests. If you are able to lend a hand, please contact us ASAP. For more details about this event, including directions to Saltfleet School, visit: www.hamiltonrasc.ca/venus Gary Bennett NOTE: This email is coming to you from 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 Tue May 15 17:01:12 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Tue, 15 May 2012 17:01:12 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Public Night - Wednesday 7:30 / Astrophotography Night Thursday @ 7:30 PM Message-ID: <006e01cd32dd$dcdcee00$9696ca00$@net> Hi Everyone, Tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 7:30 is Public Night At the observatory. Anyone who has attended this event will tell you that this is a really fun way to spend an evening. We advertise this event in the local papers and typically have 12-30 people who are getting their very first look through a telescope. We answer hundreds of questions and get to share our knowledge with the general public. We also invite folks to bring their telescopes and help them learn how to use it. The weather tomorrow is forecast to be clear so we will have a fun night. Come on out and enjoy the fun! NOTE: Next month we will change the start time for Public Night to 9:30 PM. Thursday Night is Astrophotography Night at the observatory Gary C might want to pipe in on this, but I believe he plans to do some hands-on image capture. Gary Bennett NOTE: This is sent to you from the Announce List and is a 1-way email. Replies should be directed to: astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Fri May 25 23:30:01 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Fri, 25 May 2012 23:30:01 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] AstroCASM Swap Meet - Important Announcement Message-ID: <030f01cd3aef$d6386fb0$82a94f10$@net> Good News, Bad News Late Wednesday afternoon we learned that the our AstroCASM event location (Holiday Inn in Oakville) suffered a catastrophic electrical transformer failure and the entire complex is without power. Naturally, the hotel will be closed until repairs are completed and they estimate that this will take 6 weeks, at minimum. The hotel was able to accommodate our evening banquet at their Burlington location so we are 100% a GO for the banquet. Unfortunately, this location is NOT suitable for hosting our Swap Meet event. Being that this is prime-time wedding season, we are not able to secure a new location on such short notice. This leaves us with no other choice but to cancel the Swap Meet. Rather, we are postponing it until next year. Naturally, we are more than a little disappointed. The organizing committee has invested hundreds of man hours in the planning and execution of this event, but this is an outcome that is beyond our control. The good news is that planning for next year is already underway and it will be an even bigger and better event that will include exhibits from some of the major astronomy equipment manufacturers. The Banquet is still a GO! And we still have a few tickets available. The deadline for ticket reservations is June 1. Our dedicated website (www.astrocasm.com) will be updated in the next few days to reflect the news mentioned in this email. I will also update the new location with map links. In the mean-time, take note of the new banquet location: Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel & Conference Centre 3063 South Service Road Burlington, ON L7N 3E9 For those who purchased tickets to the Swap Meet, you will be receiving a refund shortly. I will also be contacting Swap Meet ticket buyers directly. "Electronic Tickets" for the banquet will be issued via email on or before June 4. Your ticket is also your entry for door prizes, so please make sure you bring you ticket with you. On behalf of the AstroCASM Organizing Committee, we look forward to seeing you all at the Banquet on June 9. Gary Bennett NOTE: This message is being sent to 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 glcolwell at cogeco.ca Mon May 28 19:50:43 2012 From: glcolwell at cogeco.ca (Gary Colwell) Date: Mon, 28 May 2012 19:50:43 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] June 5th Transit of Venus In-Reply-To: <4F9608D6.50702@cogeco.ca> References: <4F9608D6.50702@cogeco.ca> Message-ID: <4FC40F53.6060306@cogeco.ca> June 5th Transit of Venus Hello All, I was wanting to get a list of all those members/friends that will be bringing solar scopes to this event......if you have a scope but not a mount or vice versa, let me know so we can pair up scopes to mounts if necessary... This event is going to be the last of its kind in our lifetimes, so if at all possible, come join us....bring a friend or two, and enjoy a truly once in a lifetime event!. Please respond directly to my email supergiant2003 at hotmail.com Once I have the details I will get in contact with you to finalize everything. For those who missed the location here are the details: Only 8 days until the Transit of Venus! This is going to be one of our biggest Public Outreach events of all time. We have a big day planned and hope to be host to hundreds, perhaps thousands of visitors. Venus will make "first contact" with the Sun at 6:04 PM local time and will last 6 hours. Unfortunately the Sun will set before Venus completes it travel across the Sun (8:56 PM). But we'll still have plenty of time to enjoy the show. We will be setting up solar telescopes at Saltfleet Secondary School in Stoney Creek. We plan to be set-up and ready for action by 4:00 PM. We will also be giving out hundreds of "solar shades" glasses. So far we have 4 solar telescopes but we could use a lot more. If you own a solar telescope or a solar filter we could use your help. We would also be grateful for volunteers to answer questions from our guests. If you are able to lend a hand, please contact us ASAP. For more details about this event, including directions to Saltfleet School, visit: www.hamiltonrasc.ca/venus NOTE: This email is coming to you from our "announce" list and is a 1-way email. Please direct replies to: astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca Hope to see many of you there Gary Colwell Director of Public Outreach. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Tue May 29 17:37:53 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Tue, 29 May 2012 17:37:53 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Transit of Venus - Local Media Coverage Message-ID: <01f601cd3de3$4e4c0d90$eae428b0$@net> Is everyone geared up for the June 5 Transit of Venus? Those of you living within reach of Niagara This Week and Grimsby Lincoln News will enjoy reading about the big day we have planned at Saltfleet Scool in Stoney Creek starting at 5:00 PM. Shawn Preston and myself were interviewed by Pieter van Hiel of the Grimsby Lincoln News and he also took a trip to see Shawn's backyard observatory. Pieter was kind enough to send a link to the on-line version of his story: http://www.niagarathisweek.com/what's%20on/article/1363443--last-chance-for- venus NOTE: There are some errors in his story (the name of our organization) and I have contacted him in hopes it can be corrected before going to press. For more details about our public celebration, visit: http://hamiltonrasc.ca/venus/ Hope to see you all next Tuesday at Saltfleet School! Gary Bennett NOTE: This is being sent by our "Announce List" and is a 1-way email. Please direct replies to: astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Wed May 30 17:40:12 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Wed, 30 May 2012 17:40:12 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Annual Banquet Count Down - Door Prize Teaser Message-ID: <02f301cd3eac$cb950350$62bf09f0$@net> Our new banquet location gave us an extra 2 days to add to our deadline for reserving your tickets. We have some fabulous door prizes but If you're not at the banquet, you can't win them. Here are 2 of my personal favorites: Courtesy of Canadian Telescopes: A 3 Megapixel Planetary Color Imaging Camera Courtesy of KW Telescopes (I want this one): Vixen Polarie Star Tracker. This cool gadget lets you do long exposure astrophotography WITHOUT a fancy mount or telescope. Attach it to a camera tripod and use a conventional camera and lens for fabulous wide-field images. http://www.vixenoptics.com/mounts/polarie.html The deadline for ticket reservations is Sunday June 3 @ midnight. As promised, here is a map link to the new banquet location: http://www.astrocasm.com/Directions.html Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel & Conference Centre 3063 South Service Road Burlington, ON L7N 3E9 NOTE: This is being sent by 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 Roger.Hill at hiteach.net Tue May 1 10:00:43 2012 From: Roger.Hill at hiteach.net (Roger Hill) Date: Tue, 1 May 2012 10:00:43 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] The May 2012 edition of Orbit is ready and there's a meeting on Thursday References: <748FCC2440B0DC43A2EDC79F10558B06DBC996@antigua.HiTeach.local> Message-ID: DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL! *************************** You can view this month's Orbit by going directly to: http://www.hamiltonrasc.ca/documents/orbit/orbmay12.pdf or by going to http://www.hamiltonrasc.ca/ , clicking on Orbit Newsletter and then choosing the issue you'd like to read. The latest one is always at the top. Also, don't forget about our next meeting this Thursday: May 3rd, 2012, from 7:30 to 9:30pm. Our guest Speaker is Weapons in Space! - 7:30-9:30 at the Royal Canadian Legion in Waterdown Dale Armstrong will be here to discuss his newly minted PHD on Space Weapons. As usual, we will be reconvening at the Royal Coachman after the meeting for a more social event! Clear and dark skies to everyone, Roger Hill, Orbit Editor This is being sent to you by the RASC Hamilton Centre Announce List. It is a one-way message. Please do NOT reply. Discussions about this announcement can take place at astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Tue May 1 18:36:27 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Tue, 1 May 2012 18:36:27 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] May Monthly Meeting Thursday 7:30 Message-ID: <023f01cd27ea$d9410540$8bc30fc0$@net> Hi Everyone, Just a reminder to come out to our May Club Meeting this Thursday @ 7:30 - Royal Canadian Legion in Waterdown. Our guest speaker is Dale Armstrong, a newly minted PHD who will be speaking about "weapons in space". Our club President, Andy Blanchard even has photos of several of these weapons taken with his remote observatory in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. At the time he did not know what the odd streaks in his photo could be, but now he does. See you Thursday! Gary Bennett -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Mon May 7 15:34:16 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Mon, 7 May 2012 15:34:16 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Armchair Astronomy - Tuesday May 8 @ 7:30 Message-ID: <04ce01cd2c88$6427b270$2c771750$@net> Hi Everyone, Tomorrow night @ 7:30 is Armchair Astronomy night at the observatory. This is an informal discussion group that meets each month (during a full moon) to gab about what ever topic you choose. Everything from current astronomy news to MacGyvering your equipment. Attendees drive the topics. This event is rated high on the fun scale! We hope to see you there! NOTE: This is being sent from our "Announce List" and is a one-way email. Please direct responses to astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Fri May 11 18:34:02 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Fri, 11 May 2012 18:34:02 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Transit of Venus - June 5 Message-ID: <002f01cd2fc6$2b6a76c0$823f6440$@net> Hi everyone, Only 25 days until the Transit of Venus! This is going to be one of our biggest Public Outreach events of all time. We have a big day planned and hope to be host to hundreds, perhaps thousands of visitors. Venus will make "first contact" with the Sun at 6:04 PM local time and will last 6 hours. Unfortunately the Sun will set before Venus completes it travel across the Sun (8:56 PM). But we'll still have plenty of time to enjoy the show. We will be setting up solar telescopes at Saltfleet Secondary School in Stoney Creek. We plan to be set-up and ready for action by 4:00 PM. We will also be giving out hundreds of "solar shades" glasses. So far we have 4 solar telescopes but we could use a lot more. If you own a solar telescope or a solar filter we could use your help. We would also be grateful for volunteers to answer questions from our guests. If you are able to lend a hand, please contact us ASAP. For more details about this event, including directions to Saltfleet School, visit: www.hamiltonrasc.ca/venus Gary Bennett NOTE: This email is coming to you from 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 Tue May 15 17:01:12 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Tue, 15 May 2012 17:01:12 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Public Night - Wednesday 7:30 / Astrophotography Night Thursday @ 7:30 PM Message-ID: <006e01cd32dd$dcdcee00$9696ca00$@net> Hi Everyone, Tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 7:30 is Public Night At the observatory. Anyone who has attended this event will tell you that this is a really fun way to spend an evening. We advertise this event in the local papers and typically have 12-30 people who are getting their very first look through a telescope. We answer hundreds of questions and get to share our knowledge with the general public. We also invite folks to bring their telescopes and help them learn how to use it. The weather tomorrow is forecast to be clear so we will have a fun night. Come on out and enjoy the fun! NOTE: Next month we will change the start time for Public Night to 9:30 PM. Thursday Night is Astrophotography Night at the observatory Gary C might want to pipe in on this, but I believe he plans to do some hands-on image capture. Gary Bennett NOTE: This is sent to you from the Announce List and is a 1-way email. Replies should be directed to: astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Fri May 25 23:30:01 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Fri, 25 May 2012 23:30:01 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] AstroCASM Swap Meet - Important Announcement Message-ID: <030f01cd3aef$d6386fb0$82a94f10$@net> Good News, Bad News Late Wednesday afternoon we learned that the our AstroCASM event location (Holiday Inn in Oakville) suffered a catastrophic electrical transformer failure and the entire complex is without power. Naturally, the hotel will be closed until repairs are completed and they estimate that this will take 6 weeks, at minimum. The hotel was able to accommodate our evening banquet at their Burlington location so we are 100% a GO for the banquet. Unfortunately, this location is NOT suitable for hosting our Swap Meet event. Being that this is prime-time wedding season, we are not able to secure a new location on such short notice. This leaves us with no other choice but to cancel the Swap Meet. Rather, we are postponing it until next year. Naturally, we are more than a little disappointed. The organizing committee has invested hundreds of man hours in the planning and execution of this event, but this is an outcome that is beyond our control. The good news is that planning for next year is already underway and it will be an even bigger and better event that will include exhibits from some of the major astronomy equipment manufacturers. The Banquet is still a GO! And we still have a few tickets available. The deadline for ticket reservations is June 1. Our dedicated website (www.astrocasm.com) will be updated in the next few days to reflect the news mentioned in this email. I will also update the new location with map links. In the mean-time, take note of the new banquet location: Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel & Conference Centre 3063 South Service Road Burlington, ON L7N 3E9 For those who purchased tickets to the Swap Meet, you will be receiving a refund shortly. I will also be contacting Swap Meet ticket buyers directly. "Electronic Tickets" for the banquet will be issued via email on or before June 4. Your ticket is also your entry for door prizes, so please make sure you bring you ticket with you. On behalf of the AstroCASM Organizing Committee, we look forward to seeing you all at the Banquet on June 9. Gary Bennett NOTE: This message is being sent to 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 glcolwell at cogeco.ca Mon May 28 19:50:43 2012 From: glcolwell at cogeco.ca (Gary Colwell) Date: Mon, 28 May 2012 19:50:43 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] June 5th Transit of Venus In-Reply-To: <4F9608D6.50702@cogeco.ca> References: <4F9608D6.50702@cogeco.ca> Message-ID: <4FC40F53.6060306@cogeco.ca> June 5th Transit of Venus Hello All, I was wanting to get a list of all those members/friends that will be bringing solar scopes to this event......if you have a scope but not a mount or vice versa, let me know so we can pair up scopes to mounts if necessary... This event is going to be the last of its kind in our lifetimes, so if at all possible, come join us....bring a friend or two, and enjoy a truly once in a lifetime event!. Please respond directly to my email supergiant2003 at hotmail.com Once I have the details I will get in contact with you to finalize everything. For those who missed the location here are the details: Only 8 days until the Transit of Venus! This is going to be one of our biggest Public Outreach events of all time. We have a big day planned and hope to be host to hundreds, perhaps thousands of visitors. Venus will make "first contact" with the Sun at 6:04 PM local time and will last 6 hours. Unfortunately the Sun will set before Venus completes it travel across the Sun (8:56 PM). But we'll still have plenty of time to enjoy the show. We will be setting up solar telescopes at Saltfleet Secondary School in Stoney Creek. We plan to be set-up and ready for action by 4:00 PM. We will also be giving out hundreds of "solar shades" glasses. So far we have 4 solar telescopes but we could use a lot more. If you own a solar telescope or a solar filter we could use your help. We would also be grateful for volunteers to answer questions from our guests. If you are able to lend a hand, please contact us ASAP. For more details about this event, including directions to Saltfleet School, visit: www.hamiltonrasc.ca/venus NOTE: This email is coming to you from our "announce" list and is a 1-way email. Please direct replies to: astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca Hope to see many of you there Gary Colwell Director of Public Outreach. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Tue May 29 17:37:53 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Tue, 29 May 2012 17:37:53 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Transit of Venus - Local Media Coverage Message-ID: <01f601cd3de3$4e4c0d90$eae428b0$@net> Is everyone geared up for the June 5 Transit of Venus? Those of you living within reach of Niagara This Week and Grimsby Lincoln News will enjoy reading about the big day we have planned at Saltfleet Scool in Stoney Creek starting at 5:00 PM. Shawn Preston and myself were interviewed by Pieter van Hiel of the Grimsby Lincoln News and he also took a trip to see Shawn's backyard observatory. Pieter was kind enough to send a link to the on-line version of his story: http://www.niagarathisweek.com/what's%20on/article/1363443--last-chance-for- venus NOTE: There are some errors in his story (the name of our organization) and I have contacted him in hopes it can be corrected before going to press. For more details about our public celebration, visit: http://hamiltonrasc.ca/venus/ Hope to see you all next Tuesday at Saltfleet School! Gary Bennett NOTE: This is being sent by our "Announce List" and is a 1-way email. Please direct replies to: astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Wed May 30 17:40:12 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Wed, 30 May 2012 17:40:12 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Annual Banquet Count Down - Door Prize Teaser Message-ID: <02f301cd3eac$cb950350$62bf09f0$@net> Our new banquet location gave us an extra 2 days to add to our deadline for reserving your tickets. We have some fabulous door prizes but If you're not at the banquet, you can't win them. Here are 2 of my personal favorites: Courtesy of Canadian Telescopes: A 3 Megapixel Planetary Color Imaging Camera Courtesy of KW Telescopes (I want this one): Vixen Polarie Star Tracker. This cool gadget lets you do long exposure astrophotography WITHOUT a fancy mount or telescope. Attach it to a camera tripod and use a conventional camera and lens for fabulous wide-field images. http://www.vixenoptics.com/mounts/polarie.html The deadline for ticket reservations is Sunday June 3 @ midnight. As promised, here is a map link to the new banquet location: http://www.astrocasm.com/Directions.html Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel & Conference Centre 3063 South Service Road Burlington, ON L7N 3E9 NOTE: This is being sent by 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 Roger.Hill at hiteach.net Tue May 1 10:00:43 2012 From: Roger.Hill at hiteach.net (Roger Hill) Date: Tue, 1 May 2012 10:00:43 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] The May 2012 edition of Orbit is ready and there's a meeting on Thursday References: <748FCC2440B0DC43A2EDC79F10558B06DBC996@antigua.HiTeach.local> Message-ID: DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL! *************************** You can view this month's Orbit by going directly to: http://www.hamiltonrasc.ca/documents/orbit/orbmay12.pdf or by going to http://www.hamiltonrasc.ca/ , clicking on Orbit Newsletter and then choosing the issue you'd like to read. The latest one is always at the top. Also, don't forget about our next meeting this Thursday: May 3rd, 2012, from 7:30 to 9:30pm. Our guest Speaker is Weapons in Space! - 7:30-9:30 at the Royal Canadian Legion in Waterdown Dale Armstrong will be here to discuss his newly minted PHD on Space Weapons. As usual, we will be reconvening at the Royal Coachman after the meeting for a more social event! Clear and dark skies to everyone, Roger Hill, Orbit Editor This is being sent to you by the RASC Hamilton Centre Announce List. It is a one-way message. Please do NOT reply. Discussions about this announcement can take place at astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Tue May 1 18:36:27 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Tue, 1 May 2012 18:36:27 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] May Monthly Meeting Thursday 7:30 Message-ID: <023f01cd27ea$d9410540$8bc30fc0$@net> Hi Everyone, Just a reminder to come out to our May Club Meeting this Thursday @ 7:30 - Royal Canadian Legion in Waterdown. Our guest speaker is Dale Armstrong, a newly minted PHD who will be speaking about "weapons in space". Our club President, Andy Blanchard even has photos of several of these weapons taken with his remote observatory in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. At the time he did not know what the odd streaks in his photo could be, but now he does. See you Thursday! Gary Bennett -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Mon May 7 15:34:16 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Mon, 7 May 2012 15:34:16 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Armchair Astronomy - Tuesday May 8 @ 7:30 Message-ID: <04ce01cd2c88$6427b270$2c771750$@net> Hi Everyone, Tomorrow night @ 7:30 is Armchair Astronomy night at the observatory. This is an informal discussion group that meets each month (during a full moon) to gab about what ever topic you choose. Everything from current astronomy news to MacGyvering your equipment. Attendees drive the topics. This event is rated high on the fun scale! We hope to see you there! NOTE: This is being sent from our "Announce List" and is a one-way email. Please direct responses to astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Fri May 11 18:34:02 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Fri, 11 May 2012 18:34:02 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Transit of Venus - June 5 Message-ID: <002f01cd2fc6$2b6a76c0$823f6440$@net> Hi everyone, Only 25 days until the Transit of Venus! This is going to be one of our biggest Public Outreach events of all time. We have a big day planned and hope to be host to hundreds, perhaps thousands of visitors. Venus will make "first contact" with the Sun at 6:04 PM local time and will last 6 hours. Unfortunately the Sun will set before Venus completes it travel across the Sun (8:56 PM). But we'll still have plenty of time to enjoy the show. We will be setting up solar telescopes at Saltfleet Secondary School in Stoney Creek. We plan to be set-up and ready for action by 4:00 PM. We will also be giving out hundreds of "solar shades" glasses. So far we have 4 solar telescopes but we could use a lot more. If you own a solar telescope or a solar filter we could use your help. We would also be grateful for volunteers to answer questions from our guests. If you are able to lend a hand, please contact us ASAP. For more details about this event, including directions to Saltfleet School, visit: www.hamiltonrasc.ca/venus Gary Bennett NOTE: This email is coming to you from 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 Tue May 15 17:01:12 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Tue, 15 May 2012 17:01:12 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Public Night - Wednesday 7:30 / Astrophotography Night Thursday @ 7:30 PM Message-ID: <006e01cd32dd$dcdcee00$9696ca00$@net> Hi Everyone, Tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 7:30 is Public Night At the observatory. Anyone who has attended this event will tell you that this is a really fun way to spend an evening. We advertise this event in the local papers and typically have 12-30 people who are getting their very first look through a telescope. We answer hundreds of questions and get to share our knowledge with the general public. We also invite folks to bring their telescopes and help them learn how to use it. The weather tomorrow is forecast to be clear so we will have a fun night. Come on out and enjoy the fun! NOTE: Next month we will change the start time for Public Night to 9:30 PM. Thursday Night is Astrophotography Night at the observatory Gary C might want to pipe in on this, but I believe he plans to do some hands-on image capture. Gary Bennett NOTE: This is sent to you from the Announce List and is a 1-way email. Replies should be directed to: astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Fri May 25 23:30:01 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Fri, 25 May 2012 23:30:01 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] AstroCASM Swap Meet - Important Announcement Message-ID: <030f01cd3aef$d6386fb0$82a94f10$@net> Good News, Bad News Late Wednesday afternoon we learned that the our AstroCASM event location (Holiday Inn in Oakville) suffered a catastrophic electrical transformer failure and the entire complex is without power. Naturally, the hotel will be closed until repairs are completed and they estimate that this will take 6 weeks, at minimum. The hotel was able to accommodate our evening banquet at their Burlington location so we are 100% a GO for the banquet. Unfortunately, this location is NOT suitable for hosting our Swap Meet event. Being that this is prime-time wedding season, we are not able to secure a new location on such short notice. This leaves us with no other choice but to cancel the Swap Meet. Rather, we are postponing it until next year. Naturally, we are more than a little disappointed. The organizing committee has invested hundreds of man hours in the planning and execution of this event, but this is an outcome that is beyond our control. The good news is that planning for next year is already underway and it will be an even bigger and better event that will include exhibits from some of the major astronomy equipment manufacturers. The Banquet is still a GO! And we still have a few tickets available. The deadline for ticket reservations is June 1. Our dedicated website (www.astrocasm.com) will be updated in the next few days to reflect the news mentioned in this email. I will also update the new location with map links. In the mean-time, take note of the new banquet location: Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel & Conference Centre 3063 South Service Road Burlington, ON L7N 3E9 For those who purchased tickets to the Swap Meet, you will be receiving a refund shortly. I will also be contacting Swap Meet ticket buyers directly. "Electronic Tickets" for the banquet will be issued via email on or before June 4. Your ticket is also your entry for door prizes, so please make sure you bring you ticket with you. On behalf of the AstroCASM Organizing Committee, we look forward to seeing you all at the Banquet on June 9. Gary Bennett NOTE: This message is being sent to 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 glcolwell at cogeco.ca Mon May 28 19:50:43 2012 From: glcolwell at cogeco.ca (Gary Colwell) Date: Mon, 28 May 2012 19:50:43 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] June 5th Transit of Venus In-Reply-To: <4F9608D6.50702@cogeco.ca> References: <4F9608D6.50702@cogeco.ca> Message-ID: <4FC40F53.6060306@cogeco.ca> June 5th Transit of Venus Hello All, I was wanting to get a list of all those members/friends that will be bringing solar scopes to this event......if you have a scope but not a mount or vice versa, let me know so we can pair up scopes to mounts if necessary... This event is going to be the last of its kind in our lifetimes, so if at all possible, come join us....bring a friend or two, and enjoy a truly once in a lifetime event!. Please respond directly to my email supergiant2003 at hotmail.com Once I have the details I will get in contact with you to finalize everything. For those who missed the location here are the details: Only 8 days until the Transit of Venus! This is going to be one of our biggest Public Outreach events of all time. We have a big day planned and hope to be host to hundreds, perhaps thousands of visitors. Venus will make "first contact" with the Sun at 6:04 PM local time and will last 6 hours. Unfortunately the Sun will set before Venus completes it travel across the Sun (8:56 PM). But we'll still have plenty of time to enjoy the show. We will be setting up solar telescopes at Saltfleet Secondary School in Stoney Creek. We plan to be set-up and ready for action by 4:00 PM. We will also be giving out hundreds of "solar shades" glasses. So far we have 4 solar telescopes but we could use a lot more. If you own a solar telescope or a solar filter we could use your help. We would also be grateful for volunteers to answer questions from our guests. If you are able to lend a hand, please contact us ASAP. For more details about this event, including directions to Saltfleet School, visit: www.hamiltonrasc.ca/venus NOTE: This email is coming to you from our "announce" list and is a 1-way email. Please direct replies to: astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca Hope to see many of you there Gary Colwell Director of Public Outreach. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Tue May 29 17:37:53 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Tue, 29 May 2012 17:37:53 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Transit of Venus - Local Media Coverage Message-ID: <01f601cd3de3$4e4c0d90$eae428b0$@net> Is everyone geared up for the June 5 Transit of Venus? Those of you living within reach of Niagara This Week and Grimsby Lincoln News will enjoy reading about the big day we have planned at Saltfleet Scool in Stoney Creek starting at 5:00 PM. Shawn Preston and myself were interviewed by Pieter van Hiel of the Grimsby Lincoln News and he also took a trip to see Shawn's backyard observatory. Pieter was kind enough to send a link to the on-line version of his story: http://www.niagarathisweek.com/what's%20on/article/1363443--last-chance-for- venus NOTE: There are some errors in his story (the name of our organization) and I have contacted him in hopes it can be corrected before going to press. For more details about our public celebration, visit: http://hamiltonrasc.ca/venus/ Hope to see you all next Tuesday at Saltfleet School! Gary Bennett NOTE: This is being sent by our "Announce List" and is a 1-way email. Please direct replies to: astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary at bendun.net Wed May 30 17:40:12 2012 From: gary at bendun.net (Gary Bennett) Date: Wed, 30 May 2012 17:40:12 -0400 Subject: [RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] Annual Banquet Count Down - Door Prize Teaser Message-ID: <02f301cd3eac$cb950350$62bf09f0$@net> Our new banquet location gave us an extra 2 days to add to our deadline for reserving your tickets. We have some fabulous door prizes but If you're not at the banquet, you can't win them. Here are 2 of my personal favorites: Courtesy of Canadian Telescopes: A 3 Megapixel Planetary Color Imaging Camera Courtesy of KW Telescopes (I want this one): Vixen Polarie Star Tracker. This cool gadget lets you do long exposure astrophotography WITHOUT a fancy mount or telescope. Attach it to a camera tripod and use a conventional camera and lens for fabulous wide-field images. http://www.vixenoptics.com/mounts/polarie.html The deadline for ticket reservations is Sunday June 3 @ midnight. As promised, here is a map link to the new banquet location: http://www.astrocasm.com/Directions.html Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel & Conference Centre 3063 South Service Road Burlington, ON L7N 3E9 NOTE: This is being sent by 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: