Hello all!
I just wanted to share my sentiments on a highly successful International Astronomy Day event on May 7th! ?
The weather cooperated perfectly, and the event really came up together well!!! ?This was our first in-person event since before the pandemic, so we weren't too sure how well it would be attended. ?When I arrived early in the morning at about 9am, only Jim Thompson was there, and I wondered if we would get a lower-than-usual number of setups. ?But as the morning went on, more and more volunteers arrived with their setups until we eventually had 20-25 telescopes on site! ?This was much better than I expected! ?It was especially great to see familiar faces from the OAOG, as well as new ones. ?Members of the RASC also joined in, to lend a hand and assist.
The public was enthusiastic and we had a steady stream of visitors throughout the afternoon to visit us and to check out the solar activity through several telescopes. ?Many said they would return in the evening to view the Moon.
Indeed, the site became VERY busy in the evening! ?When I started viewing the Moon with my 12.5" inch PortaBall, the line up at my scope did not stop until well after 10pm! ?There were times when the line up was 30-40 people at once. ?Overall, it is difficult to estimate the total attendance, but it was easily several hundreds! ?This was the busiest Astro Day at Chapters that we had in a few years! ?Lots of enthusiasm, sunburns, and a long day but fun was had by all present!
The highlight for me was seeing all the smiles, the interaction, the friendly greetings, sharing and discussions... the things we missed so much doing during the past two years.
A big THANK YOU to all the participants for making this a success ... especially Jim Thompson who coordinated many aspects, and Andrea Girones for her assistance with the info handouts tables. ?A special thanks to Todd Weeks and Raymond Dubois for looking after my telescope when I needed to move away or take a few breaks.
Here's a collection of snapshots that I took:
Clear skies!
- Pierre
