Cambroon on the 23rd anyone? - The aftermath

[[1ponders]]

Who's up for it? It's the day after the new moon and the equinox, that's gotta bring some good vibes for the night. I don't know about the rest of you Southeast Qlders, but I'm hanging out for a cloud free/rain free night and this could just be it. :cool:

I've been given leave for both Saturday and Sunday (and monday if I want it) :cool: :D

And come on all you new members from SE Qld who haven't been. Bite the bullet and come on up. You won't regret it.

Put you hand up if you can come.
Astroron
[1ponders]
dr & mini morbius
Gargoyle_Steve
Nordo
Zubenel
Odlaw

Would like to, so possible
jjjenettie
Striker
Travesso
davewaldo

[drmorbius]

I'm gonna have to dust the cobwebs off Robby, but count us in...:thumbsup:

And Morbius Jr is keen to try out the new scope!

[[1ponders]]

Good to hear Randall.

[Gargoyle_Steve]

YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYE SYESYESYESYESYES.....

Yeah, I reckon I can make it. My roster says so, and that's all the encouragement I need.

:D

[[1ponders]]

Good onya Steve. It's been a while ;)

[Gargoyle_Steve]

Looking forward to it Paul - haven't seen you guys since Astrofest, have had very little viewing - missing it all very much!

Can't wait to see Randall's new Robby Junior too. Will it have the custom Teddy Bear hood ornament I wonder?
;)

You may want to bring those scales along too Paul, I haven't been able to weigh my OTA for you yet.

[[1ponders]]

np

[Nordo]

I'm in:D
If SWMBO let's me:sadeyes:

[[1ponders]]

Look forward to seeing you again John

[astro_south]

Paul

I won't be able to make it to Ron's this month :( - will be out at Leyburn on Fri & Sat nights :D :D :D I will be back up to Ron's before Christmas I hope :thumbsup: .

[Travesso]

I'm new here but I'm hoping for my Andrews 20x80mm Triplet binos to arrive this week (I ordered on Friday). I've been hoping to try them on some dark skys and have been hanging to go camping hehe... Could work out quite well hey? :)

[[1ponders]]

Sorry to hear you can't make it Saturday Andrew,.....how about Sunday ;)


It would be great if you could make it Travesso. Just bring a small tent or a sleeping bag to throw on the floor. We've got our fingers crossed for some great weather.

[Gargoyle_Steve]

Paul I've tried that throwing a small tent on the floor - it doesn't work too well. First, Ron got all upset when I was trying to drive the pegs through his nice timber floor. So then I decided to just lay the tent there and use it as padding, like a mattress - no, that didn't work out too well either.
;)

Seriously Travesso I usually camp outside at Rons in my "tent bed" (see pics) but there is usually room on the lounge floor for a mattress / sleeping bag, if by some chance the floor is looking full Ron's verandah is huge, and you're still under cover and more important in the shade of the house once the sun rises. Tent space however is always plentiful!

Cheers folks, see you there Saturday!

PS: the second pic is Tim, my 7 year old son - he loves "camping out" in my tent bed - inside the house anyway.

[[1ponders]]

HaHa :doh: :P

[Travesso]

I got the 20x80s today so I might be able to make it up there. Sweet setup with the tent-beds! Ive never seen those before. I only have 1 tent, and it is for 6 people... but then again, it makes for a comfy stay hehe... I'll let u guys know. Thanks for the invites btw! :)

[Zubenel]

Hi All ,
The plan is to bring the tribe for the whole night!!! :D Camping , Yahoooooooooooooo!! I've been a bit quiet lately.Crook last month so I'm looking forward to it!!:thumbsup: :astron: Cheers Zub.

[Striker]

If the weather is clear and I get my travel set up working...I will be there for the night.

Hope to catch up with you guys.

["O"]

Hi Paul,

Is there a map somewhere?

Unfortunately, my friends and I are sort of already committed to go to AAQ's darksky night at ?Mt Ken near Toowoomba.

I was very much looking forward to Cambroon but might have to wait longer now :-( I only just realized that all astronomical societis and groups will always have their dark sky night on the same weekend! )

This event at Cambroon is only Sat. right?

Rgds,
"O"

[jjjnettie]

I'm a most probably yes.
The chances are good. I gave hubby this Friday night off so he can go up the coast to watch the footy with his brother.

[[1ponders]]

Cheers Wes, Tony and Jeanette. It will be good to catch up with everyone after astrofest :thumbsup:

"O" there is a Map and directions here (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=8808). The normal get together is usually a Saturday night, but sometime we have two Saturdays in a row if the new moon falls about midweek.

[Gargoyle_Steve]

Paul I was wondering if Dennis, he of G.R.S. fame (the Great Red Scope), is coming. I assume you've spoken to him recently .... got to say I miss his postings since he left the forum here.

[[1ponders]]

I spoke to Dennis briefly the other day Steve, but only in passing. He and I live at opposite ends of the college campus. He is usually out there on the new moon come hell or high water, so I expect he will be there. Unless of course he and his family are going away for the school holidays.

[davewaldo]

Hi,

Thanks for the invite! How long does it take to get to this place from Brisbane?

Also, does one need to pay for camping or any site fees?

Cheers,

Dave.

[[1ponders]]

Hi Dave. No fees. We view from Astroron's acreage property just outside of Kenilworth. The trip from Brisvegas takes aboutan 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. You head up the old Bruce Highway and head to Maleny and out to Conondale. Check the map in a previous link up the page.

[astroron]

:hi: O I somtime have members come up on Friday and stay till Monday, just PM me if you want to come up anytime, I am always here:thumbsup:

[Odlaw]

Wife has just given me a pass.

I will be pretty tired as the reno is still in full swing.

What time?

[[1ponders]]

Don't forget your scope Peter :lol: We normally start to arrive after 3 to setup and chat :D

If we get you setup well enough we might even be able to find you Saturn in the daylight :thumbsup:

[Odlaw]

Is there power available or should I get a bigger power pack.

[[1ponders]]

A longish lead and a powerboard will be enough.

[Odlaw]

Don't for get all, to bring you EP's as I am trying to find the perfect ones for the scope.

Remember I am willing to buy, If available....

How long is longish?

[[1ponders]]

If you have a long one, bring it, if not then there will be powerboard plug ins out in the field, so 6 or 7 meters.

[Odlaw]

Cool, thanks. See you there...

[astroron]

:hi: Try and get here around 15:00,so you can set up have a chat and a look at other scopes, and get the BBQ out of the way befor it gets dark.
Dont forget warm clothes and footware, and a beannie, it got down to 10deg C last night, as you do a lot of standing still it can seem even colder :cold: :astron: :stargaze:

[Odlaw]

Looking forward to it

[Striker]

I will be testing my set up Friday night...if all works well and weather is clear....I'm booked in.

Paul...can I leach some power of you...only for the laptop...I have battery power for the rest of my components.

[[1ponders]]

NP Tony. Do you want me to bring the spf 1000 for your laptop screen ;) :poke: :lol:

[Striker]

actually I dont have anything for my screen anymore...Will have to pick something up.....unless you have something.

[[1ponders]]

Yep, np, I have a good quality red gel as well as some neutral density filter. I'll bring them both out and see which you prefer.

[davewaldo]

I'm going to try and make it there by about 4pm if I'm welcome.

I'm just a beginner and I haven't bought a good scope yet (its my birthday in a month and I hope to buy an ED80). So I thought this might be a good chance to gain some experience.

Should I still bring my crappy 60mm refractor?

Dave.

[Striker]

Dave...bring your scope if your wish but it will probably only get a 5 minute run with all the other scope's being used.

It's up to you...no harm in bringing it.

[Odlaw]

Just a reminder, Bring you EPs and Barlows for me to try.:D

I need to drain you guys of all your advice.

What time do you normally wrap up.:shrug:

[[1ponders]]

You will be made more than welcome Dave, be warned though aperture fever is highly contageous.

We call it a night if we get fog or we can no longer keep our eye open or the sun starts to get too bright.

[Odlaw]

I like it:lol:

[jjjnettie]

It can be worth it staying up to the bitter end. The last time I went to Ron's there were only 3 of us left up to witness the most beautiful bright meteor I'd seen in ages.

[Gargoyle_Steve]

Fingers crossed for the cloud cover, it has been absolutely cloudless up the coast here over the last couple of days but large patches of cloud have been rolling in since around 8pm or so tonight.

I'm not due back at work until 11pm Monday night, so if the seeing conditions are all good ......

:D


:stargaze: :astron: :ship2:

[Striker]

See you guys this afternoon.

I will be there early...around 2:00pm

I tested my travel setup last night and all went well.

Then I watched the Broncos...what a game....wahoooo

[[1ponders]]

We had another good turn out on Saturday night. 17 people I believe with 12 or 13 scopes. Members like Striker, Odlaw and davewaldo were first time visitors to Ron's, while Gargoyle_steve, drmorbius, argonavis, jjjnettie, Zubenel are regular visitors.

The afternoon and early evening looked promising but unfortunately in the middle to late evening the clouds moved in teasing us for hours. Most crashed around midnight but some hung in there all night til sunup defying the clouds. Davewaldo got his first view of Saturn just as the sun was coming up.

I know Striker managed to catch some long exposures of NGC253 early in the evening, and Odlaw got to learn how to operate his newly aquired LX200GPS and start the process of eyepiece testing.


Here are a few images of the night showing the setups, and for those who haven't seen it before, Astroron's fantastic country viewing site

[[1ponders]]

And not to be forgotten;

You've all heard of him, now you finally get to see him


The one, the only Mr "I like to Buy and Sell" Striker and his new spaghetti tree

[h0ughy]

wow its the Qld astrofest in miniature!!!

[jjjnettie]

I haven't had an allnighter like that for ages.
It started with Mercury and finished with Saturn. There's nothing like it in the world, the look in someones face the first time they see Saturn.
Thanks again Ron for your gracious hospitality. To everyone else, thanks for making the night so entertaining and edumacational.
Here's a couple of shots I took.
If I wasn't having such a good time I would have taken more.:lol:

[[1ponders]]

:scared: That Striker looks like someone you wouldn't mess with in the morning :scared:



:lol:

[Odlaw]

I want to thank you all for a great night. Paul, thanks for the advice and loan of eyepieces.

And to my 3 all night companions, Thanks for the views and the laughs...

Sorry to everyone else for the noise....LOL

[Striker]

hahaha.

Thanks for the night....it was great to meet a few more members.

Too bad the clouds come in early...oh well maybe next time.

[Nordo]

Sound's like you guys had a great time. We have interstate relations with us at the moment, so I couldn't get there:( . (My earlier comment was wishful thinking).
Love the photos:thumbsup: .
Bad luck about the clouds. But then it allows you to get to know the shadowy silhouettes that have been around you most of the night.

[drmorbius]

Yes, it was just like a mini-astrofest... what a top night :2thumbs:.

I'm camping next month so I can stick around a bit longer... Thanks again Ron... And thanks for the pics Paul :thumbsup:

Can't wait till next month!

[davewaldo]

Thanks everyone for all your help and for letting me look through your scopes!

I indeed did catch aperature fever and I'm now planning on buying a 10" Dob.

The views of Jupiter and Saturn were amazing! I can't wait to do some more!

My birthday is in 2 weeks.... so I think it will be a GSO 10" for me.

Thanks again everyone, and Ron for your hospitality!

Cheers

Dave.

[Striker]

Good choice Dave...its definetly the best value for the visual astronomer.

Nice to meet you aswell.

[astroron]

:hi: to everyone who came, the place looked like a car park with thirteen vehicles and just as many scopes.
The newbies and not so new enjoyed themselves,:) even though the clouds cut short the observing till Saturn cleared the hill and then they parted to give us a fine view, then I trundled of to bed for a couple of hours.
It was just great sitting out under the stars :lol: (clouds)with like minded people having good discusions and watching the sun rise.:D
I look forward to next month, I hope the weather is just a bit kinder.:prey: :prey: :astron: :stargaze: