开云体育

Hello all, The Ottawa Valley Astronomy and Observers Group (OAOG) is once again hosting International Astronomy Day this Saturday May 3, 2024 from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm outside the Chapters parking lot, 2401 City Park Dr (near Ogilvie road), Ottawa. The rain date will be Sunday May 4th. (We will keep the group informed with weather updates in the coming days) As always, this is a free event and the public is invited to meet local amateur astronomers and learn about the wonders of the night sky. We welcome people of all ages to see telescopes of different sizes and types, and see how they work. This is a family oriented event, where all are welcome to attend and enjoy a fun day! Highlights during the daytime include solar observing, and during the evening, lunar/planetary observing and video-imaging. Ongoing throughout the day will be a station with displays and free informative handouts. People can also participate in a free draw by filling a card for a chance to win a prize and are welcome to contribute a cash donation to assist us with the costs of materials for the event. As always, ALL amateur astronomers (regardless of experience) are welcome to participate, with or without a scope. Here’s a few details… - We would love to get an idea of who is coming on Saturday or Sunday, for how long, and with what setup (whether you have a scope or a display). Please email our Astro Day coordinator Jim Thompson at top-jimmy at rogers dot com. (Replace the “at” and “dot” with the @ and .) - For large/heavy setups requiring vehicle on display site, please let us know ahead of time. There will be limited space available for vehicles within the display area. It would be preferable to park vehicles outside the display area to leave ample room for all setups and for the public to circulate. This is especially important during the very crowded evening observing session. For safety reasons, vehicles will not be allowed to move within the displays area during the peak times of the event. - You can choose to participate during a smaller interval of time if you prefer (i.e. showing up for some solar observing or setting up for the evening only). - If you have old astronomy magazines or books to donate, please bring them! - Chapters will graciously provide us access to 120V power (bring your own extension cords). - We won’t have any food on site. Please be prepared with snacks, and plenty of water. Bring a hat and sunscreen too! - On the late evening prior to event day, access to Chapters parking lot “setup area” will be blocked off with some pylons so the whole lot will be empty for us to setup in the morning. - We always appreciate help in the form of “floater volunteers” — that is of volunteers showing up without any equipment. Their help is valuable in assisting others with setups, looking after their setups while they take a break, or for extra hands during the morning setups or evening tear down. - Note that the shopping plaza parking lot lighting is now brighter and more powerful. Unfortunately, there is nothing that we can do about that. At night, the Moon, Mars and Jupiter will remain good targets for viewing but visually, it is not possible to see much more than that. Those equipped with ultra sensitive video cameras might have better luck capturing other sky objects. On the plus side, the idea behind Astronomy Day's "sidewalk style" setup is to "bring astronomy to the people", and to make it as easy as possible for all to get a taste of this wonderful hobby. Please DO inform the public about other local events such as the free monthly RASC Public Star Parties held at the darker sky Carp Branch of the Ottawa Public Library. https://www.ottawa.rasc.ca/star-parties/ - Everyone reading this who has an interest in astronomy can and is encouraged to participate! All are welcome, whether you are an absolute novice or a seasoned astronomer. Members from other astronomy clubs and groups are also welcome to participate. We love seeing a wide variety of equipment and telescopes of different sizes and types, including the simpler less expensi

Do we have a particular place to post equipment for sale? Or is it best to post it in a regular post like this? Clear skies, Mary Brown