Video transcript of meeting
- Cowichan Valley Starfinders (CVSF) – Brian Robilliard and Ed Nicolas
- 30 members at the peak, but now very few members
- 5 members left to run the star party, which is not enough coverage for ISP
- CVSF meetings held at Brian’s place until pandemic
- Island Star Party (ISP) – Brian Robilliard and Ed Nicholas
- ISP History
- 27 years ago, the ISP was held at a member’s farm
- Moved ISP to the Duncan Airport
- Moved to the Victoria Fish and Game on the Malahat, including a joint star party with RASC Victoria in 2009
- Observing field is reserved for this year’s event at Bright Angel Park – Aug 11-13, 2023
- Perseids under a New Moon should be a good show on the morning of the 13th
- Accommodation and Transportation
- Tenting and RVs welcome on the observing field
- Driving from Victoria to Bright Angel Park is less than an hour
- Guest houses and hotels are available in the Cowichan Valley for those who do not want to camp
- Discussion of field setup
- Volunteers needed
- Promotion – Joe Carr
- Door Prizes – Bruce Lane?
- Speakers –
- Nature Walk – Cowichan Valley Natural History Society
- Food vendors would require an additional permit
- Volunteer-run BBQ can work – pay by donation
- Dave Payne is coordinating with CVSF
- Setup, teardown –
- Finances and Equipment
- Tents, tables and other ISP gear – new storage site needed
- Overnight campers – charge a fee
- Drop-ins – no charge
- CVSF can contribute some funds
- To-do List – Brian
- Dave Payne will ensure our national event insurance will cover the ISP event
- Tent rental will be needed
- ISP History
- Venus-Saturn Conjunction – Randy Enkin
- Weather in Victoria was frustrating
- iPhone photo through a 400mm telescope – Chris Purse
- Better conditions elsewhere in the world
- Comet ZTF C/2022 E3 – Randy Enkin
- Star chart – passing between the Big Dipper and Little Dipper
- Observing hints –
- easy observing with binoculars or telescopes
- higher altitude in the early morning hours
- Getting brighter as the comet is nearer to Earth – maybe Magnitude 5 by mid-February
- Review of comet photos found online
- Members who have observed the comet – Reg Dunkley, Mike Webb, Bill Weir
- How to observe this comet – space.com
- Comet disconnection event photo by Adam Block from Arizona
- FDAO Star Party – Lauri Roche
- This Saturday at 7PM – games night
- Youtube link
Astronomy Cafe – Jan 23, 2023