Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

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RASCals Star Party

Victoria Centre is part of the national Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, which is dedicated to bringing information about astronomy to the general public.


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The RASCals Star Party will be held on Southern Vancouver Island
at Metchosin (near Victoria), BC, Canada

August 13-15, 2010

 

RASC Victoria Centre has held successful Star Parties annually from 2000 through to present.  Please mark August 13-15, 2010 in your calendar, and plan to attend this friendly and easy to get to star party. The RASCals Star Party has a well-deserved reputation of being a fun and easy-going camping and observing weekend which the whole family can enjoy.  Our friendly group of dedicated volunteers will ensure this positive experience will continue for this year's event!

Thanks go to our corporate sponsors for their generous support: Island Telescope, Celestron,, and Sky-Watcher Telescopes

The star party location will change for 2010.  The new location is the Metchosin Cricket Field and municipal grounds, which offers us one of the darker urban areas in the western communities near Victoria, and gives us good sight lines in all directions.  We are thrilled to have this new location for the RASCals Star Party!

Please print  our RASCals Star Party Poster (49k pdf)
and post in your office, local coffee shop, and give to friends.
Print one side in colour on 8.5"x14" legal sized paper.

 
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Admission Fees

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Schedule of Events - when to arrive and leave, speakers & activities

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Location - map and directions

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Facilities & Activities - camping, parking, food, and what to do during the day

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RASCALS Star Party Rules and Etiquette - #1 rule, please enjoy yourself!

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Past Star Parties

Admission Fees - Public welcome free of charge. RASC members and visiting observers $20 per person, one day or two, kids free. Admission includes tickets for daily door prizes for children & adults, lectures, access pass to the field and camping on site. Winners must be in attendance at the time of the draw to collect their prize.

Schedule of Events (subject to change)

Friday 13th

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12:00pm noon til dark - gates open, arrivals

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5:00pm-6:30pm - dinner time

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7:00pm - Speaker - "Working with the 8 metre Gemini Telescopes in Chile and Hawaii" by Dr. Dennis
Crabtree, Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics

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8:00pm - Door prize draws

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9:00pm
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Guided Telescope Walk - a walking tour of the observing field with a guide to explain about all the gear

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Astronomy 101 - an observing workshop followed by a laser tour of the night sky

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Viewing the night sky till dawn - what we all came here for!

Saturday 14th

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8-10am - breakfast time

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Noon - lunch

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Solar viewing - all day

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1:00 pm - Astronomy Swap Meet

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2:00 pm - Workshops
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Collimation

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Digital Astrophotography

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5:00pm-7:00pm - dinner time

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7:00 pm - Speaker - "The search for extra-solar planets" by Dr. Brenda Matthews, Herzberg Institute of
Astrophysics

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8:00pm - Door prize draws

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9:00pm - Guided Telescope Walk and Binocular Tour of the sky

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Viewing the night sky till dawn - what we all came here for!

Sunday 15th

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8:00 am Breakfast

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9:30 am Site Cleanup - please pitch in and help!

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12 noon - early departures please

 

Location - The star party will use the cricket field & municipal grounds, located behind the Metchosin Fire Hall in this small rural community.

Street address
4450 Happy Valley Road
Victoria, BC Canada V9C 3Z3

Geographic position
Latitude: 48° 23' N
Longitude: 123° 32' W
Elevation: 50m

Directions using Google
Directions using Bing

Things to do in Metchosin
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Metchosin Community

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Metchosin - BritishColumbia.com

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Metchosin Community House

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Metchosin - BC Travel & Discovery

Facilities and Activities:

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Camping - a good sized camping area is available on the Cricket Field - camp on the field with your telescope along side your tent, motor home or camper.

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Parking - lots of space available on the main field and in adjacent parking lots. Please do not park in the nearby retail parking! There will be a special parking area for those of you who plan to leave after dark - our keen observers will thank you for preserving their night vision and not ruining their photographs with your headlights.

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Power - available on the field for telescope-related equipment only. Sorry, no RV plug-ins or full service hook-ups are available.

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Water - potable water available on-site from a tap

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Washrooms - both flush toilets and portable washrooms will be available (at least one will offer disabled access)

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Food - there is a coffee shop and restaurant within a five minute walk of the field. We encourage you to support our local businesses.

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Fast food - Order in or pick up pizza, Chinese, sushi, Tim Horton's or what you wish - we are only 15 minutes away from major shopping & restaurants!

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Elevation - the site is approximately 50 metres (165') elevation and is approximately 1 km from the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean. Some coastal marine air may be a factor depending on weather conditions.

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Horizon - a good 360 degree view of the dark sky.

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Shopping - Island Telescope will have an on-site sales counter, should you need a new eyepiece or other accessory. Food, drinks and sundries are available from small retail stores within an easy 5 minute walk.  Major big box stores, shopping centres and food markets are located in Langford - a 15 minute drive.

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Workshops - we offer useful and topical workshops on Saturday during the day.

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Kids activities - videos will be shown on the big screen after dark for kids & teens to stave off any boredom. Don't forget to take your kids swimming and hiking at nearby regional parks.

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Regional Parks & Recreation - no fees, gates locked at sunset
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Witty's Lagoon Regional Park - 2 entrances offering gravel & sand beach access and/or lagoon access (hiking, wildlife, swimming) -- 5 minute drive, 15 minute walk

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Devonian Regional Park - hiking, small pond, gravel beach at end of the trail - 10 minute drive

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Matheson Lake Regional Park - hiking, swimming, kayaking, canoes (bring your own equipment) - 10 minute drive

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Galloping Goose Regional Trail - access near Matheson Lake Park - walking, running, cycling - 10 minute drive to trail head

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Astronomy lectures - we always offer interesting lectures featuring professional and amateur astronomers

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Door prize raffles - held each night - for the kids and for the adults - thanks go to our corporate sponsors for their generous support:  Island Telescope, Celestron,, and Sky-Watcher Telescopes.

 


Photos from past Star Parties

The 2009 Island Star Party lived up to its reputation as a fun and easy-going camping and observing weekend at the Victoria Fish & Game, property located in Malahat, BC, Canada.

We saw excellent attendance in 2009 during the International Year of Astronomy, and it appears more folks stayed for both Friday and Saturday, making a weekend of it.

The weather was sublime, the talks were interesting, and the camaraderie made it a star party to remember.

Speaking of memories, here is the online photo gallery and a collection of astrophotos taken at the 2009 star party.

 

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Website: victoria.rasc.ca - Contact us -
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Last updated: July 15, 2010

The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is dedicated to the promotion of astronomy and its related sciences; we espouse the scientific method, and support dissemination of discoveries and theories based on that well-tested method.

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