Happy September RASC members, and welcome back from what I hope was a wonderful summer of clear skies and observing! While our individual pursuits may be important, many of the most important annual milestones for our society have taken place since my last message, and I will focus this message on the remarkable outreach and leadership efforts put on by our members.
To start, throughout the summer RASC members have been sharing their knowledge of the night sky and expertise at the Saturday Star Parties hosted by the FDAO. I can’t recall a single night when we didn’t have telescopes in the parking lot ready to show a solar prominence, pick out the moon or catch a planet (usually setting the way they were positioned this summer). As an aside, it’s always a blend of amusing and humbling to be left scratching my head when someone wants me to point the Plaskett at the moon or a planet and instead helpfully direct them to RASC colleagues outside for the best possible view.
As the summer unfolded, we were gearing up for our own star party at St. Stephen’s Parish. I was only able to attend briefly, but it was a wonderfully organized event (thank you Randy!) with a crowd of engaged RASC members and visitors ready to listen to talks and settle in for a night of observing. It also helped that Friday may have been the best night of the year in terms of observing conditions!
With barely a breath in between, the next weekend Lauri had us marshalled and organized to deliver our second of two major outreach events each year: the Saanich Fair. This year we saw nearly 1,500 ‘Galileo moments’ at our booth. There is a wonderful report in the SkyNews email list detailing the long list of volunteers that offered their time to make the event a success. In particular, Lauri’s tireless planning is just a small glimpse into all that she does for the RASC.
As if there wasn’t enough going on that weekend, I hosted a RASC night on the 72-inch Plaskett telescope on Saturday night. It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know new members and share a rare opportunity to observe with a proper research telescope. I have been remiss in writing a separate report on that night, but it will be shared soon and followed by images when the files are released.
We are a volunteer society and everything that we accomplish is tied to a shared passion and understanding for astronomy and the night sky, but also for the community that comes with it. Thank you to everyone involved for your contributions, as we couldn’t have done it without you. As our nights get longer, Astro Cafe resumes, and we prepare for our first monthly speaker of the Fall (our own Dave Payne),
I hope the clear weather holds and everyone is able to get out and enjoy some time under the night sky in their preferred fashion.