Astronomy Cafe – April 29, 2024

Posted by as Astro Cafe

Meeting transcript video

  • Observatory Tour video for GA – David Lee
    • Would like some live video
  • RASC General Assembly – May 4 & 5, 2024 – Lauri Roche
    • $15 for whole event
    • Bill Weir & Randy Enkin giving presentations Saturday morning
    • Gather Town – Saturday evening
  • Eclipse photos for 2025 Observers’ Calendar – submission deadline tomorrow
  • Street Lighting in Uplands – Dave Robinson
    • Dark sky friendly fixtures in original design, but overruled by Oak Bay Council after public hearing
    • Victoria Centre held a one hour meeting with councillors
    • Issue being taken back to council to reconsider a better option
    • Possible impact on Cattle Point dark sky site if planned fixtures are installed
  • Vancouver Island Science Fair – Randy Enkin
    • 63rd regional science fair for Vancouver Island
    • 100 participants this year
    • Transiting Exoplanet Data project, and two other astronomy related project
    • Prize from Victoria Centre awarded – youth memberships
    • Sending plants into high orbit using a balloon – Nathan Hellner-Mestleman
  • Cosmic Wonder – Nathan Hellner-Mestleman
    • Book launch event at Bolen Books on May 7th – Bob MacDonald interviewing Nathan
  • Chris Gainor
    • May 8th speaker for May 8th UVic meeting? Possibly a members’ night instead.
    • James Webb Space Telescope – beautiful new image of Horsehead Nebula
  • Astronomy Day – May 18th – Randy Enkin, Lauri Roche
    • Planning is going well
    • May 14th is final planning meeting, so email will be used for event planning
    • Royal BC Museum – daytime 10AM-3PM
      • Victoria Day weekend means traffic in the will be very congested, so volunteers should plan accordingly
      • Need volunteer to let cars have access for unloading on Saturday morning – contact Lauri Roche (roche.lauri@gmail.com)
    • Observatory Hill – evening 7:30PM-11PM
      • Tickets will be available two weeks ahead of time – event
      • Presentation – Looking for precious metals at the end of the galactic rainbow – Dr. Trystyn Berg
      • Cosmic Wonder – book selling – Nathan Hellner-Mestleman
      • Refreshed shop with lots of stock
      • Volunteers with telescopes needed – contact Aimee Rawson (arawson@centreoftheuniverse.org)
      • Three Vesper telescopes – digital telescopes for outreach
      • Trainees for 16″ telescope – Sherry Buttnor is the teacher – contact Lauri Roche
  • Beginners SIG – now being held on May 15th – David Lee
  • Eclipse Topics – Randy Enkin
    • Dorner Telescope Museum visit at RASC in Toronto – hosted by Randall Rosenfeld
    • Tables of the Moon and Sun – historical book by Jean Meiss with Peter Broughton’s 1982 notes and letter
    • A Sign in the Sky: Dating the League of the Haudenosaunee – by Barbara Mann and Jerry Fields – eclipse report from Indigenous Mohawks (possibly Aug 22, 1142)
  • Astronomy History
    • Wray-Bryden telescope – more information and video presentation is needed for the Centre of the Universe – contact Lauri Roche (roche.lauri@gmail.com)
    • Gonzales Observatory – history
    • Looking Up – Peter Broughton – book of the history of RASC
  • FDAO Star Party – May 4th 7:30PM – Bob McDonald presenting

Three Astronomy Cafes left before summer.

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