Does anyone know what's on presentation wise etc ? Tryng to work out what days/evenings to visit as we are just up the rd in Blackbutt atm and the Astrofest website is down for me
Our Guest Speaker is Dr Stephen Marsden from the University of Southern Queensland. He will be speaking on Sunday, 20th July, at 2pm, in Hamilton Hall. The topic of his talk is: "Bcool: Observing Magnetic Fields on Sun-like Stars".
Other speakers during the week include: Dr Liam Carroll, Dr Glen Cozens, Alexander Massey and Michael Tubby. On Saturday, 19th July, Michael Tubby will speak on the Terrestrial Planets. On Monday, 21st July, Dr Glen Cozens will talk about Discovering Bright Southern Deep-Sky Objects. On Thursday, 24th July, Michael Tubby is back with Astronomical Interactions on Earth. On Friday, 25th July, Alexander Massey will run two workshops. The first is on Astronomical Sketching and the second one is on Observing Tips. On the morning of Saturday, 26th July, Alexander will talk about his Gondwana Telescope. Finally, on the afternoon of Saturday, 26th July, we will hear Dr Liam Carroll speak about The Sounds of the Stars.
At your service.
Cheers
Thanks for the v quick reply , much appreciated. Looks like Friday and Sat for us.
Just a reminder,there is a day visitor charge,$5:00 if I remember correctly.
Also if you are leaving after dark you must leave your vehicle outside the gate before dark.
Cheers
righto i have the car packed and because it is raining, haven't started on the trailer, though everything is in boxes ready to go in. Believe it or not i have less stuff than last year
Pat don't panic, the 14" was the first packed into the car
PLease accept my apologies as this years Mission is aborted. Al and I will not be attending. I wish everyone all the best and I hope you all bag a lot of photons. There we are the sacrificial offering to the weather gods (this should make Peter and Grady happy)so its bound to be a beautiful clear 10 days with record frosts. I want a picture of my usual spot with my name on it - be the last time i see that part of the world now for a while. i will miss everyone as i do enjoy catching up and mixing with you Northerners - even if you have two heads
I will pass on a special gift to Pat to pass on to the imaging field……
I can't believe how quickly things can change.
As agreed Pat I hope to see you Sunday for the exchange
This is indeed sad news Huff. Al has had no luck with family members and Astrofest for a few years now. Please pass on my thoughts and prayers to Al and his family (a sentiment I am sure everyone attending will share).
Really sad news for sure and no doubt puts things like cooled cameras and EQ mounts in to perspective. It must be a very difficult time for you Al but everyone at Astrofest will be thinking of you. It really is a neat community we have once a year.
PLease accept my apologies as this years Mission is aborted. Al and I will not be attending. I wish everyone all the best and I hope you all bag a lot of photons. There we are the sacrificial offering to the weather gods (this should make Peter and Grady happy)so its bound to be a beautiful clear 10 days with record frosts. I want a picture of my usual spot with my name on it - be the last time i see that part of the world now for a while. i will miss everyone as i do enjoy catching up and mixing with you Northerners - even if you have two heads
I will pass on a special gift to Pat to pass on to the imaging field……
I can't believe how quickly things can change.
As agreed Pat I hope to see you Sunday for the exchange
H0ughy, I think I recall an earlier post where you mentioned you may not be at AF in future - what has changed for future years? You're part of the fixture and fittings so it will genuinely be a shame not to see you there. I so look forward to meeting everyone each year and it doesn't seem right for you to be absent!
I'm very sad to hear the news of Al's dad. It's had me remembering my old man. I miss him a lot. I wish your families well in this trying time.
Thought I'd give a brief on the workshops I'll be holding, following Glen's example.
Observing Tips is a crash course in using a scope effectively. Using a visual instrument is not just about putting your eye to the eyepiece and having a peek. It is important to understand the gear we are using to get the most out of it. It will start with the anatomy of the human eye, what averted vision is and how & why it works. Then a brief discussion on eyepieces and telescopes, and the importance of matching optics for achieving the most effective visual results.Then I will go through some practical techniques on using a scope, and tying it all back to the first item of how the human eye works.
If you are new to astronomy, this talk may demystify a lot, and hopefully help avoid costly poor purchases. If you are an experienced observer, this will serve for some revision, and maybe pick up something new. At the end of the workshop I will welcome questions from newcomers and experienced folks alike. I'll also welcome input from other experienced observers with their own tips,
Astronomical Sketching will be a practical demonstration on how simple and effective the Mellish Technique is to achieving amazing illustrations of deep sky objects. Globular clusters are finally pegged down from impossible to stunningly effective and plausible targets. Galaxies do not fall victim to the texture of the paper, and nebulae are tamed to beautiful illustrations. I'll also show how I use the same materials for the Mellish Technique to produce lunar sketches. Lunar sketching is the complete opposite in subtlety technique wise. From softly, softly to all out aggression!
If at the end of the sketching workshop you feel inspired, I'll have a couple of different kits of materials available. One very basic kit to get you or your kids going. The second kit is complete with everything that I use, and the first page of each sketch pad has been illustrated by me with examples of globular clusters, galaxies and a nebula.
In my Gondwana Telescopes presentation, I will present both models of scopes on offer, how they assemble, and the special features of each handcrafted instrument. All Australian made and designed by myself.
Well its happened again as david has said my dad who I care for has had a heart attack and is is hospital I cant believe this would happen the same as last year when I got called away from astrofest the first night there when my mother passed away.iam really going to miss being there and catching up with everyone and being under dark skies as its been 12mths since I have even had the scope working .it must be the
new scope mount and camera I was bringing .hope everyone has a good time and plenty of clear skies ,see you next year
AL
and because it is raining
, haven't started on the trailer
, though everything is in boxes ready to go in
. Believe it or not i have less stuff than last year 
