As fall settles over Victoria and we are faced with what may be the last stretches of clear evening skies (for a time at least), I hope everyone has a chance to wind up any lingering observing projects.
Looking back at the summer there was so much activity from our society that I failed to share a summer highlight of my own: a visit to the David Dunlap Observatory in July. As I am sure many of your are aware, the DDO is one of the numerous ‘sister’ telescopes to the Plaskett. R.K. Young left Victoria in 1924 to join C.A. Chant at the University of Toronto. Young brought deep experience of both construction and operation of the DAO.
After so many years operating the Plaskett telescope at the DAO, visiting the DDO was a bit like looking through a foggy mirror. Everything was familiar, but it was like stepping back in time. They still operate with largely manual pointing and slews which is a long way from the now roboticized Plaskett equipped with digital sensors. Seeing operations there filled in quite a few blanks that I had not puzzled out while writing on the history of the DAO.
My visit also gave me a chance to meet volunteers from the Toronto Centre. They drive the content for the programs at the DDO and have a great program there for outreach and education. After years of volunteering at our own site it was quite pleasant to be on the audience end of a talk.
For those who haven’t had a chance to work with one of these large telescopes up close, I’m pleased to announce our next Plaskett Night, scheduled for October 25. As always, it’s a special opportunity to use the 1.8m telescope and chase down some faint targets.
If not, I hope you have a fantastic start to the fall observing season!
Clear skies,
Dan Posey
President, RASC Victoria Centre
