AOMO LOG, Sept. 17, 2011

Work Party: Leigh, Mark Eburne, Wayne Lyons, Allen Jones, Terry McComas, Ciara Morgan-Feir, Bob Perry and Pomponia Martinez

Arrived: 9:00am

Temp: warm

First of all I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our volunteers that helped Mark and I with all the hard work that needed doing around the AOMO.

Allan and Mark set about falling trees in the northeast and southeast quadrants where the Malcolm Knapp Forest administration had given us permission to do so.  Our object was to open up the horizon for better views from both the outside pad and the main telescope.  This was very punishing work for guys who no longer do this sort of physical work every day.  I had the easy task of using my son’s Tracker to drag the trees up the hill where Terry, Bob, Wayne, Ciara and myself could limb them and buck them.

Bob also went to town with a gas weed wacker to knock down all the undergrowth that had sprung up around the building and pad.

Terry, Ciara, Wayne, Bob and I all loaded a trailer Mark had brought, with the limbs and other slash for disposal at the designated sight.  Terry, Bob, Mark and Wayne took turns driving it to unload.

Pomponia moved the PC from the dome to the office and ran the wires as well.  She also cleaned up the office and re-arranged the computer stand in the dome.

Thanks again to all of you.  You never complained even though your bodies were.  Amongst some well earned grunts and groans, we loaded up and called it a day.  Score for the day: Astronomers 22 trees, Forest 0 astronomer casualties.  Good day!

Depart: 4:00 aprox.

Temp: Still warm.

Darkness meter: n/a

AOMO LOG Aug. 27, 2011

Oleg Mazurenko, Leigh, Terry McComas, Mark Speller and April

Arived: 9:20pm

Temp: 14 C

Clear Magnitude 5 sky.

My appologies ahead of time as my notes for this night are minimal to say the least.  I didn’t think I would be this delinqent in keeping up the AOMO log this past summer.  I will do the best I can from memory (which is getting more unreliable as the years go by).

Mark and April spent the night doing a binocular walk of the night sky.  They were very good at finding objects and helped me find a couple of items I have always had trouble finding.  It is always rewarding to be with a group of astronomers on a clear night.  I always seem to find something new to learn.  Also Mark entertained us all by identifying aircraft flying overhead by the sound of their engines and the few markings visible on their tails.

Terry brought his recently purchased telescope to get some help with his learning curve.  His Questar 3.5″ Maksutov-Cassegrain is a beautiful instrument and I am sure he will have many a viewing pleasures with it as he becomes more comfortable with its use.  I was glad I was able to be of some small help and I look forward to getting more opportunities to view through it in the future.

Oleg spent his time in the dome on the big scope taking images again.  I helped him a little at first and then left him to it.  Oleg has since sent me an email with an assessment of the scopes performance and possible maintenance projects going into the future.  Thank you Oleg for your very helpful report.

Feel free to fill in the gaps as I was visiting everyone and not spending very much time on any one thing.

Depart: 2:15am

Temp: 12 C

Darkness meter: n/a

AOMO LOG Aug. 7, 2011

Oleg Mazurenko & Leigh

Arived: 12:35am

Temp: 13 C

Clear Magnitude 5 sky.

Oleg and I took a late (or early morning) trip up to the AOMO to enable Oleg to try using his camera and laptop to image through the observatory’s telescope.

Upon start up of the telescope we tried to synch to Altair.  We found the telescope to consistantly slew to 1 hour east of Altair.  We were able to centre the star using the RA control of the telescope alone.  We checked the telescope’s clock setting, which was accurate, and the computer’s time setting and found it also to be accurate.  Once the telescope was synched we had no futher problems with finding objects.  We will have to sort that out another night.

We mounted Oleg’s camera with the same nose piece Mark used on his DSLR, screwed into Oleg’s lens T3 adapter.  Oleg used his laptop to control his camera.  Oleg carried on doing focus and test images while I went down to the office to catch up on some work on my laptop.

Oleg was able to come up with some suggestions for adjustments and maintenance on the telescope based on the results of some of his images.  He has since sent me an email and I hope to work with him through next year getting some of his ideas acted upon.

Depart: 4:am

Temp: 12 C

Darkness meter: n/a

AOMO LOG July 31, 2011

Mark & Leigh

Arived: 8:45pm

Temp: 14 C

Mark & I set up Mark’s EQ6 with his Takahashi 106ED mounted upon it.  I tried to cheat the darkness a little by trying to align Marks mount while the sky was still quite blue.  I fell for the old mistake of aligning to the wrong “polaris”.  Needless to say we then wasted time trying to obtain three star alignment and eventually came to the realization that something basic was wrong.  By this time of course we could actually see polaris and realize my intitial setup was completely haywire.  I hung my head in shame and fixed the problem.  After that, things went remarkably well.

Mark then imaged NGC7000 (North American Nebula) and IC5067 (Pelican Nebula).  He took the images with his Canon modified DSLR.  I think he was pleased with the results and in fact his image of NGC7000 apeared on the inside back cover of our July/August issue of NOVA.  Mark also imaged M31 before the morning dew and clouds of mosquitoes convinced us to call it a night.

I got home just as the sun was poking its first rays over the mountains to the northeast.  I had to wait for a family of racoons to waddle out of my driveway before I could park.  Overall a very nice summer night at the AOMO.

Depart: 4:am

Temp: 10 C

Darkness meter: Twilight

President's message for November, 2011

This edition of NOVA rounds out our series for 2011, and so it presents a natural forum in which to take a look back on a year of astronomy at Vancouver Centre.

The first thing that I did in preparing to write this message was to go back to the first edition of NOVA for this year, and there, in my first President’s message, I found a list that I recorded of the goals that your council had set for itself, and our society, for the coming year (finding that list came as a bit of a surprise – which does not speak well for my memory!). Happily, I think I can say that we did very well, accomplishing almost all of what we set out to do, with one very important exception – a goal that will be first on our plate for next year (more on that at the end).

Top of the list in that article was to ensure a successful year of monthly lectures. Our Speaker Coordinator Barry Shanko set the bar very high with our first lecture of the year, when we hosted Dr. John Mather of the Goddard Space Flight Centre, co-recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in physics, for a talk on the James Webb Space Telescope. That January lecture was standing room only in the auditorium at the Space Centre! Although we did not fill the auditorium to bursting again this year, we had a series of top-notch speakers on a diverse range of topics, which helped to generate a consistently high attendance record, topping 150 people on two other occasions, and getting in the neighborhood of 100 on a few others. These other high water marks included our annual Paul Sykes lecture, held in October at SFU, when we hosted Jon Lomberg, astronomy artist and long-time collaborator with Carl Sagan; and Kaspar von Braun of Caltech, a world-leader in the exo-planet business, who we hosted at UBC.

Another major goal for 2011 was to strengthen our partnerships with other regional groups committed to astronomy outreach, and we vigorously worked this objective throughout the year! Our major partners were Metro-Vancouver Parks, Simon Fraser University, the International Lunar Observatory Association, the NRC/Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, the Vancouver Telescope Centre, and Canadian Telescopes. In particular, we held multiple events with Metro-Parks all across the greater Vancouver area, from Pacific Spirit Park on the west side, through Deas Island Park in Delta, and out east to Aldergrove Lake Regional Park (where we held our very rainy Astronomy Day in May). All of our collaborative efforts were in addition to our own very active program of community-based outreach, which included multiple presentations at the Roundhouse in Yaletown, at the Maple Ridge Public Library, and at malls, schools and community centres across town.

These events represent the collective work of council members and volunteers from the membership at large, are were managed under the direction of your outstanding Events Coordinator Suzanna Nagy, who deserves special mention for her creative and tireless work, including her successful efforts to enlist new volunteers. Another particular mention goes to your Education Chair, Bill Burnyeat, who this summer once again travelled to numerous provincial parks and campgrounds throughout BC, to bring observational astronomy to the public under dark skies. In addition to support from council for this effort, Bill received a prestigious grant from NSERC PromoScience, a federal government agency that promotes science outreach initiates (and I can tell you from personal experience that they don’t fool around when it comes to allocating support!).

Council also set the goal of reaching novice astronomers, especially young ones! To this end, we instituted a new “What’s Up?” segment, 20-minute presentations that were held before many of our monthly lectures. These were very successful, turning out many newcomers to Vancouver Centre, thanks in part to Simon Fraser University’s extensive contacts with parents and teachers who have attended its grade school oriented astronomy workshop program. (As an aside, for 2012 council intends to pick a few monthly meetings to devote entirely to a “What’s Up?”, rather than staggering short segments ahead of our lectures, as we did this year, since our presentations are generally too tough for a young audience.) Our “What’s Up?” segments included practical tips on observing the night sky, and educational morsels (light but filling!) on a variety of topics, from what amateur astronomers actually do, to unsolved mysteries at the cutting-edge of astronomy and space science, and a light-hearted hands-on, do it yourself expanding universe ;)!

In connection with our efforts to reach young people, a very notable development this year came in the form of a new sponsor: Canadian Telescopes. Babak Sedehi, the owner of this very successful startup in the business of on-line telescope shopping, was an enthusiastic and very generous supporter of just about every one of our activities that were directed to young people. This included a telescope door prize at every one of our “What’s Up?” segments, and a top-quality 8” Dobsonian telescope at our Paul Sykes lecture (only kids were eligible!). But Babak didn’t stop there. He generously subsidized publication of NOVA for much of the year, insisting that this include four pages in colour! And he offered new members of Vancouver Centre a $20 gift certificate from CanadianTelescopes.com.

Rounding out the goals that we set and met this year, we continued to develop our web site, which has a professional look, a well-organized structure, and new content, thanks in particular to our Webmaster and IT Chair Harvey Dueck; our LPA Chair Mark Eburne made substantive progress on this important issue, working his contacts in the media and municipal government; and good progress was reported at the AOMO, including work on a guide scope, and increased use by members and the public, thanks to co-Chairs Leigh Cummings and Mark Eburne.

We fell down on our goals in only two areas: establishing a Twitter presence, and a Biggie: membership. Our numbers are down this year, despite the many new faces that we’ve seen at our many events. Tackling the dual challenges of retaining our existing membership, and attracting new ones, will be job #1 for 2012. Bearing this in mind, at our annual planning meeting in October Council established a short but carefully chosen list of priorities in which to focus our efforts and resources for next year (this process owes especially to the leadership of your Webmaster and IT Chair Harvey Dueck, and your Secretary Alan Jones) – details on our 2012 priorities will be found in my President’s message in the January 2012 edition of NOVA ;).

I think there is much cause for optimism for a successful 2012 at Vancouver Centre, including for a strong return on our planned all-out assault on the membership challenge. My optimism is further stoked by the fact that there will be eight newcomers to council for 2012. Some familiar faces will be stepping down from Council, some after very many years of service, and I want to record here the deep indebtedness of Vancouver Centre towards these dedicated members – in alphabetical order: Doug Montgomery, Gavin McLeod, Pomponia Martinez, and Wayne Lyons. In their place, the eight incoming council members have chosen to follow the example set by the outgoing councilors, in the service of the membership at large, and our public – and I can tell you, the newbies are full of beans! Introductions will have to wait for ratification at the December AGM ;). I can’t wait!

Howard Trottier

President, RASC-VC

Professor of Physics, SFU

President's Message for September, 2011

As I start to write this message, it’s nearing 2AM on the Saturday of Labour Day weekend. This will be the last day of my family’s first summer in rural south Okanagan, much of it to be spent in the usual ritual of tidying and packing that comes with the end of summer vacation (though with time for a hike into the woods with my son Alexandre). Tomorrow we will drive back to Vancouver and into the real world.

Many an amateur astronomer has been born under the deep dark skies of a rural summer, not to mention the countless childhood memories that are forged when the Milky Way is seen to trace its glorious summer arc through the zenith. No wonder that for so many members of our Vancouver Centre, as with thousands of RASCals across the country, the urge to get under a rural sky has its greatest power in the summer.

Annual summer star parties in isolated rural locales are held throughout North America. The Mount Kobau Star Party (this year’s 28th edition having run from July 30 until August 7), and the Merritt Star Quest (which started on August 27 and wraps up today), both draw many of our members. Mind you, not even summer skies can compromise the commitment of your Council and other member volunteers to bring astronomy to the public at convenient locations in and near to the urban light swamp that is Vancouver! (Full confession: my own public outreach efforts this summer have been confined to a keyboard .)

RASC Vancouver participated at the New Westminster Grimston Park “Summerfest” on July 16; at the Metro Parks Deas Island Regional Park “Starry Night” on August 13; and at Metro Parks “All Night Stargazing” at Aldergrove Lake Regional Park on August 19. (BTW, this makes four events so far this year at which Metro Parks and Vancouver Centre have partnered to bring astronomy to thousands of people. We started with Metro Parks annual “Night Quest” at Pacific Spirit Regional Park back on March 19, and held our very rainy Astronomy Day at Aldergrove Lake Regional Park on May 7, with Metro Parks awesome logistical support.)

As I reported in the July/August edition of NOVA, your Council decided to devote our July and August public meetings at the Space Centre entirely to our “What’s Up?” program, which is tailored to newcomers to astronomy (especially young ones!). The back story is that attendance by members at summer meetings has historically been on the low side (owing in part to the need that so many of us have to scratch that rural summer sky itch), and there always exists the temptation for Council to cancel the summer meetings, so that its members can parktake to the fullest in the rural summer sky odyssey. (Another confession: while others on Council have done good much work this summer, I’ve been fixed under south Okanagan skies >:).) On July 14 Bob Parry, well known to our members as a past President and Director of Telescopes, took our audience on a tour with “Robots of the Solar System”, and on August 11, your Education Chair, “Mr. Stargazer” Bill Burnyeat, gave our audience an introduction to the celestial treasures of summer skies, and a look ahead to astronomical treats of autumn. Both meetings were very well attended, with many young families present, and Canadian Telescopes once again donated a telescope door prize at each meeting, in support of our ongoing efforts to bring young people into astronomy.

With summer nearly over, RASC Vancouver is gearing up for a very exciting fall season, chock full of A-list guest lecturers, star parties, and special events. Here are just two examples of what’s in the offing.

Our September 8 public meeting brings a distinguished guest lecturer to the Space Centre: David Halliday, President of Dynamic Structures. Mr. Halliday was appointed to the Order of Canada in December 2010 for “advancing the field of astronomy, notably through his leadership in the design and construction of some of the world’s largest telescope observatories.” Your Council recently and unanimously approved a motion to elect Mr. Halliday as an honorary member, as provided under our bylaws. We are honoured that Mr. Halliday has accepted. A formal presentation of his honorary membership will take place just prior to his lecture, which is entitled “In Focus”.

Our annual Paul Skyes Memorial Lecture will take place this year on Saturday October 1, at Simon Fraser University, and will be given by Jon Lomberg, a world-renowned astronomy artist and speaker. Lomberg has done many high-profile astronomy art installations, and works of scientific artistry, including for the Voyager “Golden Record”, and a beautiful rendering of the Milky Way galaxy for NASA, illustrating the search region for the Kepler spacecraft exo-planet survey. In addition to delivering the Skyes lecture, Lomberg will be at SFU for consultation on a very exciting project … but I can’t reveal what that is about just yet ;). But come to the Paul Skyes lecture to hear Lomberg talk about his 25 years of collaboration with Carl Sagan, a stellar example of how the arts and sciences can inform each other, and the public. You might also find out what’s going on under the stars at SFU, with the essential support of Vancouver Centre!

Finally, to close out this column, why am I writing this column at 2AM (oops, make that 5AM now), besides trying to surprise NOVA editor Gordon Farrell by submitting a President’s message ahead of time (for once!)? I’m trying to capture every last deep-sky photon that I can get into my camera before the end of this summer of celestial bliss .

Howard Trottier

President, RASC-VC

Professor of Physics, SFU

AOMO Log: July 29, 2011

Members: Leigh, Rohit, Oleg
Arrive: 10:00 pm
Temp: 15 C
Weather clear and dry.
Our night was delayed by the condition of the road for 200 metres above the second gate.  The roadway was extreme washboard with a soft texture that gave very poor traction.  Rohit was unable to make it through with his car so I backed back down the road to shuttle him and his equipment the rest of the way to the observatory.  On the second trip up  I had to shift the Tracker into 4 wheel drive as the roadway was getting worse with each passing.  While loading Rohit’s gear, Oleg showed up as well.  He decided to use the Tracker shuttle service as well.  Once past the soft spot, travel was more normal for the forestry road.
The first thing I noticed upon arival was the beautiful display of forest spring flowers all over the place.  The undergrowth nearby had gone nuts since the last time I was up to the observatory.  Another item to add to the work list.
The mosquitoes were happy to see us again, however they didn’t seem to have the same willingness to press the attack as usual.  Just a small amount of deet (carefully applied) sufficed to ward them off.
Rohit set up his 12″ dob on the pad and Oleg set up his equipment right next to him.  Oleg was setting up to do imaging.  He used a Equinox 80 mounted on an iOptron Cube mount.  During the night Oleg imaged M31 Andromeda Galaxy, M76 Little Dumbbell Nebula and NGC7331 Stephan’s Quintet.   Oleg imaged with a Canon 350D unmodified camera.  You can view his images at the following website:
Rohit continued his Messier hunt and was successful in finding M39 for the first time.  His list grows.  Rohit also set up my binos on my camera tripod as well.  I got a very nice view of M31 on this moonless night.  I was able to see aproximatly 1/2 of the disc on each side of the centre core.  Not bad for an urban setting.
While locating M31 I was fortunate to observe a really beautiful meteor streak south to north from Pegasus through Andomeda, then cutting the “W” of Cassiopeia in half and finally trailling off in Camelopardalis.  It was a real “sparkler” just like kids used to get at birthday parties when I was young enough to still look forward to them.  It had a slight orange appearance and left a “smoke” trail that persisted for several seconds after the meteor sputtered out.  That was the best I have seen in a long time.
I spent the rest of my night in the dome trying to obtain better focus with the camera.  I had some progress.  Practice will improve my abilities I hope.  The problem has also been this year that the weather has greatly limited our practice time with the equipment.  I spend far too much time re-learning what should come natural by now.
I was later joined by Rohit and Oleg in the dome.  We took off the camera and did some hunting with one of Oleg’s eyepieces.  We got a real nice view of M57.  I could definitely make out a greeny blue colour in the ring.  We also tried to split the “double double” in Lyra.  We are pretty sure that we split one of them, but I only split the other with my imaginary vision.  We also slewed to M2 and M4 to view these pretty little glogular clusters.  We also hunted down Neptune.  It was a tiny blue dot that didn’t sparkle at all.  Otherwise I think I would have had a hard time being certain we had found it.
By 2 o’clock our feet were starting to get cold and tired as we had all worked all day leading up to our night.  We decided to pack it in.
I once again shuttled Rohit and Oleg to their cars before departing for the night.  With one last look at our beautiful dark sky in the forest (Jupiter was just sneaking from behind the trees), I was off for home.  It was again nice to have the roadway lined by pretty forest spring flowers alluminated by my headlights as I drove down out of the forest.
Departed: 2:30 am
Temp: 13C
Darkness meter: n/a Could see hint of Milky Way.

Log entry: July 4, 2011

Members: Leigh,Mark
Arrive: 9:10 pm
Temp: 15 C
Weather clear and dry, still blue sky.
Mark commenced to setting up his new Astrotrac on the cement pad as soon as we arrived.  He wanted to learn how to use it and give it a test drive on familiar ground.
It didn’t take long to notice that the local musquitoe population was hungery and glad for some exotic take out food delivery.  A change is as good as a rest they say.  Nice that we could be of help.
I went up to the dome and started to prepare for the night ahead.  I was soon joined my Mark and we started by synching the telescope to Arcturus.  We then slewed the telescope to Vega and again re-synched the telescope.  After connecting the telescope to Maxin DL we mounted the camera and started it up as well.
We then moved the telescope to Beta Lyra to work on obtaining focus.  We found outselves battling some poor seeing that night.  The quality of the air would come and go.  Sometimes we thought we had real good focus, only to have the image go to pot in a few minutes.  It would then get better again.  Something we have come to get used to at the west coast.
After trying to fine tune the focus for a while we decided to try a test image of M57.  Things started out ok, however the seeing took a turn for the worse and we decided to quit with the camera.
Mark had brought his Ethos eyepieces with him so we decided to do some viewing with the main scope to see what we could see.  We slewed the scope over to M13 and what a view we got of the beautiful Herculius cluster.  Wow!  We used Mark’s 13mm eyepiece and the view was the best I have ever seen with my eyes of this cluster.  It was as good as a lot of images I have seen of it.  It made my night.
Mark was using his Cannon DSLR mounted on his Astrotrac to take some wide field images of Cygnus.  I have not seen any finished images from the night so I do not know how they turned out.  I’ll let him report on that.
By 11:30 the clouds started to role in so we decided to call it a night.  After shutting down and putting away the telescope and closing the dome, I brushed off the few remaining mosquitoes that discovered the hard way that weight does matter in the physics of flight.
Departed: 12:20 am
Temp: 14C
Darkness meter: n/a

President's Message for July 2011

“What’s Up?” lately with RASC Vancouver

Summer is a unique season at RASC Vancouver, at least as measured by the number of our members to be found close to home, and at our July and August public meetings.

Many of our members heed the clarion call of the celestial treasures of summer, with the Milky Way tracing a glorious arc through the zenith as the skies darken, and take advantage of summer vacation time to get under dark skies far from city lights. Some feel an almost instinctive draw to the Mount Kobau Star Party (this year’s 28th edition running from dusk July 30 until dawn August 7), and the Merritt Star Quest (running August 27 to September 3).

Not that our Council and member volunteers let up on public engagement during the summer. This summer, RASC Vancouver will be participating at the New Westminster Grimston Park “Summerfest” on July 16; at the Metro Parks Deas Island Regional Park “Starry Night” on August 13; and at Metro Parks “All Night Stargazing” at Aldergrove Lake Regional Park on August 19. Details on all these events will be posted on our Meetup social networking site www.meetup.com/astronomy-131. Your Council has also been keeping itself very busy with July and August council meetings chock full of important business, including some items of long-term importance for our Centre (a full report on that is coming this fall!).

But the general summer interlude seems like a good time to update our membership and our public readership on “What’s Up?” lately with RASC-Vancouver, including for those of us who may read this NOVA from afar.

First, if you have been reading NOVA in printed form, for any length of time, and have picked up this edition in hardcopy, then you will immediately ask yourself, how did the outer pages of NOVA end up in colour?

This development owes to our newest sponsor, Canadian Telescopes! Not only did Canadian Telescopes come forward with an offer to cover the full print cost for this and the remaining editions of NOVA 2011, but insisted as well that we quite literally add some colour to our digest. Your Council was only too happy to comply!

Canadian Telescopes has also generously come forward with two other methods of sponsorship. One is to offer a $20 gift certificate for any new member of RASC Vancouver (see our website http://rasc-vancouver.com for details). The other is to donate a telescope as a monthly door prize at RASC Vancouver’s newest public outreach offering, literally called “What’s Up?” (young people up to and including high-school graduation age in attendance are eligible for the door prize).

“What’s Up?” is a 20-minute segment that we have been offering since February, in association with our monthly public lecture at the Space Centre, on the second Thursday of each month. “What’s Up? begins at 7:00PM, just ahead of the 7:30PM lecture, and is tailored to newcomers to astronomy, especially young ones (though more experienced astronomy fans might well find something of interest too!). “What’s Up?” is meant to cover a variety of introductory topics, including what to look for in the night sky, all about telescopes and other astronomy gear, and non-technical Introductions to cool topics and breaking news in astronomy and space science.

“What’s Up?” has been successful in bringing many newcomers to our meetings, notably many young families with kids from tots to teens. Attendance at some of these segments has topped one hundred!

At the inaugural “What’s Up?” in February, I got our audience (young and old!) to use a hands-on, do-it yourself expanding universe, to come up with answers to three “deep” questions about the cosmos. Since then, we’ve taken a look back at “Tales from Four Apollo Missions” in March (also by Yours Truly); we were treated to a warmly personal segment in April, “Navigating the Night Sky”, thanks to Treasurer Wayne Lyons; in May, we participated with our Webmaster Harvey Dueck in awe-inspiring visualizations of why, for the universe and its contents, “Size Matters”; and in June we heard an impassioned plea by AOMO co-Chair Leigh Cummings for young people to help all of us to explain “Ten Solar System Mysteries”.

Indeed, the ultimate message of Leigh’s “What’s Up?” segment is the ultimate reason behind our efforts to attract young people to RASC Vancouver events, including with programs such as “What’s Up?”. Of course, young people represent the future of RASC Vancouver, as with all regional centres and the RASC nationally, and only by expanding and deepening our commitment to public outreach, particularly to young families, can we ensure the continued vitality of our treasured Centre. But the loftier goal towards which we aspire when, as RASC Vancouver volunteers, we engage the public, is to inspire the next generation of scientists, and to enhance public understanding of science.

Owing in part to the summer interlude taken by many of our members, your Council has decided to turn our July and August public meetings at the Space Centre over entirely to the “What’s Up?” program. Instead of the usual public lecture, we’ll devote the full hour from 7:30PM-8:30PM to the “What’s Up?”. On July 14 Bob Parry, well known to our members as a past President and Director of Telescopes, will take our audience on a tour with “Robots of the Solar System”. For the August 11 meeting, we are working with some young people to them take over the “What’s Up?” presentation itself (details to appear on Meetup).

So here’s to clear summer skies, and more time under the stars, with membership and the public!

Howard Trottier

President, RASC-VC

Professor of Physics, SFU

 

President's Message for May 2011

I’ve been a member of RASC Vancouver for only four years, and look what has happened to me!

Clarification: I’m thrilled to be serving as Vancouver Centre President! And in the past four years, I’ve become so deeply submerged in astronomy, for public outreach at RASC Vancouver and at SFU, and to scratch my personal itch for astronomical imaging, that my family’s lifestyle has been forever changed (more on the latter in a two part story in NOVA: Part 1 was in the last edition, and Part 2 will appear in the next; elsewhere in this edition, please look for a short piece on my encounter with the Horsehead Nebula!).

So after only four years at RASC Vancouver, I have many members still to meet, and many others to get to know still better. Perhaps more surprising is the number of activities put on by our society that I have yet to experience, despite my deep submersion in astronomy, both personally and as an educator, over the last four years. I am continually impressed and inspired anew by the passionate commitment to public service of so many members of Vancouver Centre, and by the wide range of activities for the public as well as our fellow members that is powered by this commitment.

Since the last regular edition of NOVA, I’ve had the particular pleasure of diving deep into two of RASC Vancouver’s signature annual events: “Night Quest,” put on by Metro Parks at Pacific Spirit Regional Park on West 16th, to which we have been invited to participate for many years, and which this year took place on Saturday March 19; and Astronomy Day, which we held this year at Aldergrove Lake Regional Park on Saturday May 8, at the invitation of Metro Parks, in association with their annual “Urban Star Quest.”

(My first participation in RASC Vancouver’s Astronomy Day was last year, when it was held at SFU in September, though that time out I primarily wore my “SFU astronomy outreach” hat. SFU put on a huge science open house to promote its project to build an observatory and science outreach centre, and RASC Vancouver’s Astronomy Day generating the initial impetus for the event. BTW, did you know that RASC Vancouver has provided significant support for this project in particular, and SFU astronomy outreach in general, including a generous matching donation last year on behalf of membership to the observatory’s capital construction fund, and a major commitment of volunteer time to SFU’s outreach activities? I can tell you that this support is well recognized at SFU!)

Metro Park’s “Night Quest” had a huge turnout again this year, this time in excess of 1600 people! We estimate about half that number paid a visit to the RASC Vancouver area, which was located at a very prominent location designated especially for us by Metro Parks. Our many guests enjoyed telescopic views of the night sky, thanks to council members Suzanna Nagy, Harvey Dueck, and Doug Montgomery, and took home additional insights into the cosmos from conversations with Bill Burnyeat and yours truly, along with handouts including some 200 RASC star wheels, and information on Vancouver Centre. The event was also notable for the fact that by about Noon that day, we had “officially” given up on bringing telescopes, with the forecast from Environment Canada calling for late afternoon thunderstorms and heavy rain into the evening! Nonetheless, our guests were treated to some pretty decent skies, and RASC Vancouver was there with telescopes!

How is it that a bad forecast so rarely turns out to be wrong, while good forecasts frequently (usually?) turn bad?

I took a little time off from our station, during a lull between surges of guests, for my first-ever walk the “Night Quest” trail. There were lanterns along the path; a series of inspiring and thought-provoking quotes from naturalists, scientists, and other writers, posted on trees all along the way; and many volunteers in costume, and staffing hands-on displays about nocturnal wildlife, at many stations on the trail. RASC Vancouver’s site was at an elevated clearing close to the trailhead, and just down the slope from us stood a big tent where grade-school age volunteers served up low-cost treats. All of this came together to create a magical and moving experience. My only regret was that I did not discover “Night Quest” when my son Alexandre was a tot, as it is an experience that must surely leave a young visitor (not to mention their familial chaperons!) with an enduring sense of a profound connection to the natural world.

Incidentally, this was the first Vancouver Centre public event where our volunteers wore our new “RASC Volunteer” red bibs. These eye-catching pullovers can be worn even over bulky winter coats and jackets, and are one of the fruits of having Suzanna Nagy as Events Coordinator; among many other initiatives, Suzanna has been busy reimagining and remaking our public display materials. The red bibs certainly had the desired effect on this occasion, most tellingly demonstrated as I walked along the trail, when I overheard comments from numerous passersby who noticed my bib, despite the darkness of the trail: “Oh, there goes an Astronomy volunteer” – I kid you not!

RASC Vancouver’s most ambitious public outreach event of the year is Astronomy Day, and this year a remarkably high number of volunteers came forward to deliver an outstanding slate of activities. Not including Council members who turned out in force, 26 RASCals contributed their time, either in the preparations leading to the event, on event day itself, with many working both ends of this undertaking. Our masterful Events Coordinator, Suzanna Nagy, orchestrated the whole effort with skill and poise! If you see Suzanna at any of our meetings or events, please give her kudos, not just in connection with Astronomy Day, but also for the many events that she coordinates on behalf of RASC Vancouver throughout the year.

Better yet, why not contact Suzanna and volunteer your time, if you haven’t done so already? This can be for any degree of commitment that works for you, from casual to continuing! After all, this is what we are all about. Did you get into astronomy thanks to someone who satisfied your curiosity about some topic in space science, or who introduced you to observing the night sky? If so, then you have a special reason to volunteer your time, either behind the scenes or out in front. No matter how you got into astronomy, email Suzanna at [email protected], so you can give back to the community at large!

So about Astronomy Day … what the weather gives to astronomers on one evening (in this illustration, consider our “Night Quest” evening in March), the weather seems to take back in spades on another. Hence it seemed almost preordained that the skies would open up, as they did, with a torrential downpour the morning of Astronomy Day. This included hail in some regions of greater Vancouver, and the rain did not let up until after our Noon start time.

Needless to say, plans had to be adjusted accordingly. The original program was to feature an all-night star party, thanks to our Metro Parks hosts, which was scrubbed the day before based on the dismal forecast. Happily, our Noon-6PM slate of activities went ahead without a hitch, thanks to a large collection of ginormous tents, a multitude of electrical power connections, and bathroom facilities, all provided by Metro Parks. Did I mention that Metro Parks underwrote and managed the entire logistical effort for Astronomy Day, with a bargain entrance fee of just $2?! Our volunteers had only to set up some tables and chairs, along with a couple of our own tents, to then get busy engaging the public with our many displays and activities.

I imagine that at this point one might like to know the attendance. At last year’s Astronomy Day we had over 1,000 guests , and this year … about 140 . But we had alot of very positive feedback from those that came despite the morning downpour, and this kept our volunteers and participating groups in very good spirits. And lesson learned: next year, as with last year, we will choose a venue with a fully enclosed interior space in case of rain.

I’m going to take a stab at describing a few of the many highlights of our Astronomy Day program (and you can find more information in Suzanna Nagy’s article elsewhere in this edition of NOVA). But first I want to thank our sponsors, and first and foremost that means the Metro Parks team led by Parks Interpretation Specialist Lori Bartley. Lori and her crew went above and beyond the call of duty to run a professional logistical operation that made all the difference. So on behalf of RASC Vancouver, I want to shout out a ginormous “Thank You” to our friends from Metro Parks.

A set of ginormous “Thank You”-s goes out to our sponsors: the NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, Vancouver Telescope, and Canadian Telescope. Their generosity showed in our large collection of first-rate raffle and door prizes. See RASC Vancouver Treasurer Wayne Lyons’ article elsewhere in this NOVA for the full set of prizes and the lucky winners.

I also want to single out Sharon Guilford for special mention. Sharon’s kids and their Grade 2/3 elementary school class participated in an SFU astronomy workshop way back in February of 2009. Her family’s continuing involvement in SFU’s outreach program “Starry Nights @ SFU” eventually led them to attend one of Vancouver Centre’s first “What’s Up?” functions at the Space Centre, in March. “What’s Up?” is a new series that is designed especially for newcomers to astronomy, particularly young ones, and which precedes our regular monthly lectures. Sharon was moved to donate  a portion of the Bob Thirsk memorabilia in her possession to RASC Vancouver, including pins from an ISS flight, and autographed pictures of the man himself, the Canadian astronaut who has logged the most hours in space, and who has also spent the longest time in space on a single mission. Sharon knows Thirsk from when her family lived outside Houston. In 2009 Sharon got Thirsk to connect from the ISS via video with the elementary school class attended by her kids. Hence the memorabilia. Sharon gave RASC Council complete latitude to use these items in the most effective ways we could come up with. After much discussion, Council decided to use this treasure trove to acknowledge the work done by RASC Vancouver volunteers. At our May 12 public meeting at the Space Centre, our Events Coordinator Suzanna Nagy will present one of these items to one of our Astronomy Day volunteers, drawn at random.

Among our many presenters on Astronomy Day, Jim Bernath was on hand with his awesome collection of space rocks, which he insists that a visitor inspect hands-on, as well as through his microscope, and which include a moon rock and a passel of meteorites. And then there was Jim’s mind-bending dark bottomless pit in a box! Jim’s display is well known to many RASCals, and has been seen by countless kids, but this was my first time through his collection, and I’ll be back for more! Another first for me was to participate in Ted Stroman’s passionate and authoritative presentation on the Apollo missions; I came away with a renewed conviction that the best public presentations make minimal or no use of “canned goods” such as “Powerpoint”, and maximal use of imaginations fired by compelling story telling using “real world” props, as Ted does with his models of Apollo-era rockets and spacecraft, including the Saturn V. Council members premiered RASC Vancouver’s new set of professional-looking posters on the Sun and planets, simultaneously eye-catching and informative, thanks to the vision of Suzanna Nagy, and genuinely professional graphic design by NOVA editor Gordon Farrell, and drawing on raw material from our partners at the NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics in Victoria.

Another highlight of Astronomy Day was the “Solar System Walk” put on SFU Student Astronomy Club members Ciara Morgan-Feir, Alanna Shuh, Michelle Murvai, and Rohit Grover (who is one of RASC Vancouver’s newest members). What sets this solar system model apart from many others is that an equal scale is applied to the planet sizes and their orbits. Shrink the Earth down to a peppercorn, and walk one kilometer to reach a pinhead Pluto, an honorary full-fledged planet on this occasion! Our SFU student volunteers were kept busy throughout the afternoon with a steady stream of kids of all ages, including many repeat customers .

I’ve just scratched the surface of our program. There were kids crafts and activity tables, with Jill Breckenridge first to jump in as always at the earliest planning stages; an informative display on Light Pollution Abatement by LPA Chair Mark Eburne; a speaker series kicked off and hosted by yours truly; and impressive displays by our partners from the NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, Canadian Telescope, the Fraser Valley Astronomical Society, and Space Launch Canada. And finally, not to forget our many top-quality raffle and door prizes.

In case the foregoing account of “Night Quest” and “Astronomy Day/Urban Star Quest” is not enough to raise your eyebrows at RASC Vancouver’s major-league engagement with the public, RASCals have been busy over the past two months with much more!

At our March 10 public meeting we hosted science educator and writer Sharon Proctor, who had a intriguing astronomical tale to tell from Vancouver’s early history, “Grouse Mountain Observatory: an early 20th century dream.” We sponsored and participated in “Galaxy Forum 2011” on April 10 at the Space Centre, an education and outreach event organized by the International Lunar Observatory Association based in Palo Alto and Hawaii. Our April 14 public meeting brought us a Members’ night that included a wonderfully personal introduction to the night sky by Treasurer Wayne Lyons, part of our new “What’s Up?” series. Membership Chair Gavin McLeod gave a wry scientific presentation on the Moon as part of “Vancyclopedia” at the Havanna Theatre on April 23. Education Chair Bill Burnyeat presented a public lecture at the Yaletown Roundhouse on April 29, and recently surpassed a dozen special shows at the BCIT planetarium for this year alone. We’ve held a number of “Sidewalk Astronomy” events in recent months, including a very successful two-day program at the Valley Fair Mall in Maple Ridge on April 30 and May 1, organized by AOMO co-Chair Leigh Cummings (who has also brought astronomy to a number of Girl Guide groups in recent weeks) with major assists by Mark Eburne (who wears three hats on Council), and Immediate Past President Ron Jerome. And Yours Truly flew the RASC Vancouver flag at four daytime SFU astronomy workshops between March and early May, hosting a total of about 200 grade-school age kids from 6 schools, with the assistance of RASCals Leigh Cummings, Ron Jerome, and Steve Megahan; and in addition, on April 27, I visited Sperling Elementary in Burnaby, to take a Grade 2 class along with their teacher and some parents on a half-kilometer “Solar System Walk” up Sperling Avenue, with the Principal’s permission of course!

Finally, and by way of an impassioned summing up, I urge you to consider what RASC Vancouver already contributes to the community, and volunteer your time to make it an even stronger leader in public science education and, perhaps even more importantly, in bringing the experience of science to the public. As I wrote above, this is what we are all about, and your participation can be for any degree of commitment that works for you, from casual to continuing. So please email our Events Coordinator Suzanna Nagy at [email protected]!

Here’s to clear skies, and more time under the stars, with membership and the public!

Howard Trottier

President, RASC-VC

Professor of Physics, SFU