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Re: Observing at Bootland Farm dark site tonight!
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it’s was nice to observe with you again too, Pierre. Bootland is a pretty decent site considering its proximity to Ottawa. Hopefully we can meet up again!
As for the secondary dew problem. After a bit of internet digging, I found ?that the heater activation point has some adjustment. It was set to its lowest sensitivity (from factory) so I adjusted it to its halfway point. It should now activate sooner as the temp drops and hopefully stay ahead of the dew. I’ll have to see how it goes.?
clear skies!
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GO for Perseids observing at Nirvana dark sky site tonight!
Hello all!
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Raymond and I are heading out to the Irvine Lake Airstrip (aka Nirvana) to observe the Perseids tonight. ?We plan to arrive before dark to setup, and stay the night until morning.
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Road map for Nirvana:
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CSC for Nirvana:
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The road going in to the airstrip area has been repaired a few years ago and is now much easier to access. ?It is a very dark site, about 2.5 hours west of Ottawa. ?If you would like to join us, it's recommended to arrive before dark. ?But no worries if you are arriving later. ?Company is welcome! ?
P.S. Fantastic auroras last night!!! ?Here's a few iPhone shots I took from Orleans that I posted earlier today on the OAOG's Facebook page:
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Clear skies!
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- Pierre
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Observing at Bootland Farm again tonight is go
Hello all!
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Very nice Perseids seen last night!
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Raymond and I will be setting up at Bootland tonight, staying from evening until morning. ?All are welcome to join us!
Maps and driving directions available here in the groups files section: /g/OAFs/files/Bootland%20Farm%20dark%20sky%20site%20%28near%20Stewartville,%20Ontario%29 Note: ?possibly very dewy and quite tall grass, bring water proof boots. ?
Clear skies!
Pierre |
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Observing at Bootland Farm GO tonight!
Hi all,
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I will head over to Bootland Farm tonight for meteor observing from about 1am to 4am. ?The sky is expected to clear at around midnight with very good transparency.
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If you are up for some late night viewing, come on over! : )
Note that the grass is quite tall in the field. ?I also recommend good boots as the field will be wet from all the rain. ?
Cheers!
- Pierre
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Perseids meteor shower info + weather outlook
Hello all,
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The year's most popular meteor shower is about to peak! ?These past few nights, meteor activity is kicking into high gear, as Earth encounters more and more of the dust left behind by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. ?At the peak, the rates can exceed one meteor per minute under dark skies, well away from city lights.?
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The night of maximum activity this year will be the night of Sunday August 11 into the morning hours of Monday August 12. ?The exact peak time is expected to occur between 13-16 Universal Time (or 9am-12pm EDT) on August 12th. ?Although this occurs during daylight in Eastern North America, the Perseids have a relatively broad maximum with quite high rates of meteors several hours before and after the peak. ?In fact, secondary maximas are possible too well away from the main peak time, and these can be difficult to predict accurately. ?During the 2021 Perseids, a surprising outburst of meteors of Perseids, nearly twice as strong as the normal peak occurred on the morning of August 14. ?I was fortunate to witness and photograph that event with ideal sky conditions. ?At this time, the weather forecast isn't looking promising for the Sunday/Monday night in the Ottawa region, so I would strongly recommend observing a night or two before, or after. ?The Perseids will remain very active on those nights.
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The Perseids are popular because they occur during the mild summer nights, are easily seen by people at campgrounds and at cottages, are active on multiple nights and produce a high proportion of bright, colourful meteors.
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As always with meteor shower observing, getting away from city lights and into the countryside with an open horizon and no light sources will vastly improve the experience. ?No telescope is required — all you really need is a reclining lawn chair, a few blankets and then looking up with your eyes. ?Perseids are visible all night but the rates will be highest during the hours after midnight.
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This year, the Moon will be near First Quarter near the peak night. ?The good news is that the Moon will set early, leaving several hours of dark sky viewing, allowing more meteors to be seen. ?Here's the setting times (for Ottawa) for the next few nights...
- August 10: 10:40pm
- August 11: 11pm - August 12: 11:26pm - August 13: 11:59pm ?
Weather outlook:
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A very useful weather forecasting took is the Clear Sky Chart, which is updated twice per day (noon and midnight) and shows how clear the sky is predicted to be in the coming nights. ?The darker blue "squares" = good clear skies.
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Night of Friday August 9/10: ?As the large weather system moves east late in the evening, the sky is expected to clear up quickly at about 2am EDT for Ottawa and at about 1am EDT for sites located west of the city. ?The sky transparency is expected to be very good once it clears. ?Due to all the recent rain, fields and grassy terrain may be very wet. ?But the sky clarity could make an outing worth it!
Night of Saturday August 10/11: ?We can expect quite a good clear night around Ottawa after 10 or 11pm. ? This might be the best opportunity to see Perseids this year! Night of Sunday August 11/12: ?The peak night is looking poor at this time, with mostly cloudy skies. ?There is a possibility for holes (small openings) during the night, so a last minute outing is not out of the question. Night of Monday August 12/13: ?This night should still be very active, and the forecast shows just a few residual evening clouds followed by very clear skies from 11pm onwards! ?I feel that this night is looking promising! ?
The weather is also looking good for Tuesday night August 13/14 but that may change.
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Note that the weather can often change unexpectedly so these forecasts could change. ?It is best to review the latest model updates on the afternoon that you are planning to do an outing. ?The short term forecasts are more accurate (usually).
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More details...
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Here's an article on "Perseid meteor shower 2024: when, where and how to see it":
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Here's another excellent article on :Viewing the Perseid Meteor Shower in 2024":
Clear skies to all, and I encourage you to share your observations and images! ?
- Pierre
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Re: Observing at Bootland Farm dark site tonight!
Hello all,
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It was brought to my attention that the link shared above was not accessible as it is on another group. ?I just created a new files folder on this OAFs group, with the uploaded maps and driving directions. ?Please see link below...
/g/OAFs/files Then, look for the folder "Bootland Farm dark sky site (near Stewartville, Ontario)" that contains these files. ?
Matt Weeks... It was really nice seeing you again, at Bootland Farm with your 12.5" truss dob. ?I enjoyed your company there — it has been years since we observed together so great seeing you back into it! ?I hope that you figured out the issue of the secondary mirror heater.
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- Pierre |
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Observing at Bootland Farm dark site tonight!
Hello all!
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The sky is expected to clear up this evening, with good sky transparency at Bootland Farm after midnight. ?The forest fire smoke particles in the atmosphere have also appear to have mostly dissipated (for now).
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I plan to be at Bootland Farm to do meteor observing from about midnight until morning. ?A few friends might be joining. ?All are welcome!
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I am unsure how good the weather will be for the Perseids peak nights next Sunday and Monday nights, and meteor rates are already kicking into high gear! : )
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For those of you new to the group, you can find the maps, and instructions for the Bootland Farm site in the files section of the group...
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Clear skies!
Pierre
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P.S. Weather also looks good for tomorrow night, but I haven't decided where to go observing.
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Bootland Farm site update + observing late tonight post moonset is GO!
Hello all,
As some of you are aware, Tom Bootland, the owner of the property in Stewartville (past Arnprior) which has graciously permitted us to use for dark sky observing, has recently passed away. It was for us a surprising and very sad news. Tom has given us access to his property for the past 20 years, and every year, he has maintained/mowed large grassy area for us to setup and enjoy the sky. In return for giving us, amateur astronomers, open access to observe from Spring to Fall, our presence has helped deter unwanted trespassers. I have since been communicating with his wife Charlene. Charlene would like to continue to grant us access to the property, and her two sons will continue to mow the field on a regular basis. As always, the maps and instructions for access to the site are available in the groups files section. If you have trouble getting to them, please let me know and I can share them with you privately… /g/oaog/files/Maps/Bootland%20Farm Tonight, I will be heading out to Bootland Farm for some post moonset observing from about 12am to 4am. A few of you have mentioned interest during the RASC meeting and I thought I would the group know in case others are interested in joining us! I plan to do mostly meteor observing but I may bring my new’ish TV np101 and try out new eyepieces. And also take a few images. There is plenty of room for a good number of cars and setups at the field. If you would like to join us, do bring plenty of mosquito repellent as I expect the warm night will be very buggy. Bring also good boots or tall water resistant shoes as the field might not yet be mowed. Clear skies! Pierre |
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Re: Big Muddy Total Solar Eclipse 2024 - plus some ambiance.
Peter, Wow...that was absolutely amazing the way you presented this event!! Cheers, Albert. On Sun, May 12, 2024 at 8:52?AM peter via <peter=[email protected]> wrote: I'm a bit late to the party posting this but I thought I'd go ahead and share another take on the 2024.Apr.8 Eclipse. |
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Request for solar observing at Séraphin-Marion school on Wednesday June 5th
Hello all,
Séraphin-Marion school would like to know if a telescope volunteer (or two) would be available to setup a solar observing session for their students for about an hour on June 5th, from 11am to Noon. ?This would be a great way for all the students to highlight their school year's astronomical theme about the Solar System. If you are available, please let me know (meteorshowersca at yahoo dot ca) and I'll put you in touch. P.S. The school's direction was very happy and thrilled that Xavier participated at the garage sale event on May 25th. ?Thank you Xavier! Cheers! Pierre |
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Re: Request for telescopes at Séraphin-Marion school - Saturday May 25th
Here are a few more details for the request for tomorrow...
The event is for Séraphin-Marion school participating at Big Beacon Hill Garage Sale. ?It happens tomorrow, Saturday May 25th from 9:00am to 1:00pm. ?All the students from the school have studied about the solar system and they would love to be surprised by a few telescopes. If you are able to assist, please let me know and I'll share the contact person with you. Thanks! Pierre |
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Request for telescopes at Séraphin-Marion school - Saturday May 25th
Hello all,
We received a request for outdoor telescope support (solar observing) during the daytime for a students garage sale event at Séraphin-Marion school in the east end this Saturday May 25. ? I am awaiting confirmation on the time, but I believe it is ongoing from morning to afternoon, and the timing and duration for telescopes is flexible. ?They would be more than happy with any kind of support available and ideally would like to know roughly when telescopes would be setup, for planning purposes. If you are interested in volunteering, please let me know and I'll put you in touch with the organizer. Thank you! - Pierre |
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Astro Day update - weather
Good morning everyone! ?Happy International Astronomy Day!
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