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Deep sky observing tonight

 

Hi folks. I'll be taking the 20 inch for some deep sky observing at the camp Opemikon?overflow parking lot tonight between ~8PM to ~2AM (if I last that long).? Feel free to join me... always welcome the company of fellow OAFs :)

Location is here:??

I may go earlier and set up the H-alpha scope late afternoon, assuming I can get free from work and domestic responsibilities in time.

You can reach me at 343 202 4149, but I'm not sure I get phone service out there.

-Tony.
 

Unfortunately a little far for me to travel tonight, I'll only make it as far as FLO.? But I would certainly be very interested in joining you another night!? Looks like a decent spot.

Matt
 

This is an intriguing site as it is only 30 minutes from my home, vice 70 minutes to the North Frontenac Dark Sky Preserve. Can you tell us more about the site? Is it private property? Do you need permission to observe there? Is the site still useful once camping season is in full gear?
 

It is a Scouts Canada camp. It is awesome and I've taken old troop there a couple times. Definitely dark sky, but lots of trees, as you might expect from a camp. I don't recall any great lines of sight for the parking lots there though, except for zenith viewing.

Tim



On Sat, Apr 15, 2023, 12:51 p.m. yeldahtron <keith_hadley@...> wrote:
This is an intriguing site as it is only 30 minutes from my home, vice 70 minutes to the North Frontenac Dark Sky Preserve. Can you tell us more about the site? Is it private property? Do you need permission to observe there? Is the site still useful once camping season is in full gear?

 
Edited

"This is an intriguing site as it is only 30 minutes from my home, vice 70 minutes to the North Frontenac Dark Sky Preserve. Can you tell us more about the site? Is it private property? Do you need permission to observe there? Is the site still useful once camping season is in full gear?"

Its the overflow parking lot across the street from Camp Opemikon owned by Boy Scouts Canada. Its used by buses to drop off campers but otherwise empty since parents/leaders park in the regular parking lot instead.??I asked and was granted permission to observe there years ago. I'm confident they will grant you permission as well, especially if you offer to give interested scouts/beavers a brief tour of the night sky before their bedtime.?

I like it because its only a one hour drive from Manotick to 5.0-6.0 skies, its plowed in the winter, and its next to phone/help in case of emergency. The downsides? There are trees around so you're not going to get many views lower than ~20 degrees unless you like playing peekaboo with branches :)? There are passing cars with highbeams that trigger camp security lights lasting a minute or so, but traffic pretty much stops around 10PM.?

The spot really works for me, but if I lived 70 mins from Frontenac as you do, I would probably go there instead unless I was really pressed for time. That said, I don't know if they plow Frontenac during winter.
 

On Sat, Apr 15, 2023 at 12:55 PM, Timothy Campbell wrote:
It is a Scouts Canada camp. It is awesome and I've taken old troop there a couple times. Definitely dark sky, but lots of trees, as you might expect from a camp. I don't recall any great lines of sight for the parking lots there though, except for zenith viewing.
?
I have many fond memories of camping there with my kids as well :)?
As for observing horizon, the regular parking lot is treed with some lights and so not a great place to observe from. The overflow parking lot is in a little clearing across the street with visual horizon somewhere around ~20 degrees or lower (I managed to see both M68 and M83 the other night).?
 

Cool. I think the overflow parking lot of Camp Opemikon deserves to
have a clear sky chart:
<>

attilla danko, , danko@...,
attilladanko@...


On Mon, Apr 17, 2023 at 12:02?PM Tony Kourlas via groups.io
<tonykourlas@...> wrote:

"This is an intriguing site as it is only 30 minutes from my home, vice 70 minutes to the North Frontenac Dark Sky Preserve. Can you tell us more about the site? Is it private property? Do you need permission to observe there? Is the site still useful once camping season is in full gear?"

Its the overflow parking lot across the street from Camp Opemikon owned by Boy Scouts Canada. Its used by buses to drop off campers but otherwise empty since parents/leaders park in the regular parking lot instead. I asked and was granted permission to observe there years ago. I'm confident they will grant you permission as well, especially if you offer to give interested scouts/beavers a brief tour of the night sky before their bedtime.

I like it because its only a one hour drive from Manotick to 5.0-5.5 skies, its plowed in the winter, and its next to phone/help in case of emergency. The downsides? There are trees around so you're not going to get many views lower than ~20 degrees unless you like playing peekaboo with branches :) There are passing cars with highbeams that trigger camp security lights lasting a minute or so, but traffic pretty much stops around 10PM.

The spot really works for me, but if I lived 70 mins from Frontenac as you do, I would probably go there instead unless I was really pressed for time. That said, I don't know if they plow Frontenac during winter.
 

Thanks for doing that Attila. I'll send the URL to our Scouters who are taking the Venture Company there this coming weekend.

Tim


On Mon, Apr 17, 2023, 2:02 p.m. Attilla Danko <danko@...> wrote:
Cool. I think the overflow parking lot of Camp Opemikon deserves to
have a clear sky chart:
<>

attilla danko, ,? danko@...,
attilladanko@...


On Mon, Apr 17, 2023 at 12:02?PM Tony Kourlas via
<tonykourlas=[email protected]> wrote:
>
> "This is an intriguing site as it is only 30 minutes from my home, vice 70 minutes to the North Frontenac Dark Sky Preserve. Can you tell us more about the site? Is it private property? Do you need permission to observe there? Is the site still useful once camping season is in full gear?"
>
> Its the overflow parking lot across the street from Camp Opemikon owned by Boy Scouts Canada. Its used by buses to drop off campers but otherwise empty since parents/leaders park in the regular parking lot instead.? I asked and was granted permission to observe there years ago. I'm confident they will grant you permission as well, especially if you offer to give interested scouts/beavers a brief tour of the night sky before their bedtime.
>
> I like it because its only a one hour drive from Manotick to 5.0-5.5 skies, its plowed in the winter, and its next to phone/help in case of emergency. The downsides? There are trees around so you're not going to get many views lower than ~20 degrees unless you like playing peekaboo with branches :)? There are passing cars with highbeams that trigger camp security lights lasting a minute or so, but traffic pretty much stops around 10PM.
>
> The spot really works for me, but if I lived 70 mins from Frontenac as you do, I would probably go there instead unless I was really pressed for time. That said, I don't know if they plow Frontenac during winter.
>





 

The Frontenac Dark Sky Preserve doubles as the local landing station for the air ambulance, so it should be plowed.? One should never set up kit on the helipad.
 

Can you tell us about your night observing at this location? What did you see?

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