Snake Valley Astro Camp - March 2010

[ballaratdragons]

The 10th
SNAKE VALLEY ASTRONOMY CAMP

12th - 16th MARCH 2010

Watch this thread for upcoming details about the March 2010 SVAA Astronomy Camp at Snake Valley

Bookings can be made now if you know you will be coming :thumbsup:

Copy/paste this booking information into your post:

Name:
How many people:
Number of nights:
Which nights:
Bunkhouse or Camping:
Saturday Night Feast:

[Dave47tuc]

Name: Dave G.
How many people: 1
Number of nights: 4
Which nights: all
Bunkhouse or Camping: one bunkhouse.
Saturday Night Feast: of course.

Watch out jen is lurking :confused2: once she finds this thread all hell may break loose :lol:
it's ok Jen we luv ya :love:

[Octane]

Provided nothing else is happening, and I'm not overseas:

Name: Humayun Qureshi
How many people: 1
Number of nights: 4
Which nights: all
Bunkhouse or Camping: no

Cheers!

Regards,
Humayun

[ballaratdragons]

That's great Humayun, :thumbsup: but you have to let us know which one: 'Bunkhouse' or 'Camping'.
Your answer 'no' tells us: "no, I don't want either, I'll be staying elsewhere for accomodation".
Is that correct?

[Octane]

Oops, sorry, Ken. LOL. That was supposed to be for the feast. :P

I'll be bunkhousing, but, I'll get back to you (might be sharing).

Regards,
Humayun

[ballaratdragons]

:thumbsup: All is good Humayun.

John contacted me and you are in a bunkhouse with John and Doug :)

[leon]

Gee's Ken you are getting in early, you do know the LHC was lite up recently, :eyepop: :eyepop:we may all be dead mate.:lol: :lol: :lol:

Count me in for all Days :thumbsup: and the feast :thumbsup: i missed this October due to sleeping time :rolleyes: :rolleyes:, ah well it will be a good place to be.

Looking forward to meeting some different people, Yea know like (H) I do like you though Ken, truly. :P

Leon :thumbsup:

Name: Leon Geljon
How many people: One
Number of nights: All Nights
Which nights:As Above
Bunkhouse or Camping: Caravan Camping
Saturday Night Feast: Absolutely, You owe me one :lol::lol:

[leon]

We are waiting for the Purple People Trog, :scared::scared: ah hemmm, Sorry, Jen. :)


Leon, :thumbsup: Ah, but we do love you, truly ;)

[Jen]

:eyepop::eyepop::eyepop::eyepop::ey epop::eyepop:
Woooohooooooooooooooooooooooo...... ....:D;):P
:party::party::party::party:
:cool::cool::cool:


Yep sorry guys im going to be there to annoy you all AGAIN hehe:lol:
Better be clear skies this time :rolleyes:
And i will be staying the whole 4 night this time im not missing out on anything :rofl:
And yep i gonna rough it and camp again in the tent it wont be as cold this time of the year i hope woohooooo :thumbsup:
Not sure who's coming with me yet will know when it gets closer
Cheers;)
C u there :thumbsup:
:campfire::campfire::campfire:
:cheers:
:jump:

[Jen]

:eyepop: hey H good to see your going woohoo :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Just warning ya Douggy does a lot of wood cutting in that cabin :rofl::rofl:

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol: I gotta go to keep you in line sleepy-trippenover :rofl::P

IS IT MARCH YET :lol::question:

[erick]

Name: Eric
How many people: One
Number of nights: Four
Which nights: All
Bunkhouse or Camping: Bunkhouse
Saturday Night Feast: Yes, please

Cross fingers nothing comes up to upset this plan!

[Octane]

lol, Jen. Care to explain the woodcutting?

I think I can forgive him for any woodcutting activities -- he helped me out with so many little bits and pieces at Border Stargaze, so I could hook up both my scopes to my mount. :)

Regards,
Humayun

[Paddy]

I think she means certain auditory activities arising from the upper respiratory tract during sleep. Ear plugs always a good idea.

[Hagar]

You people are terrible. I don't snore. John must be guilty and wake himself up. No wood cutting for me. Full blown Cat excavator. I promise I wont have a drink and if the skies are clear I will be up all night anyway.

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

[Jeff]

Name: Jeff
How many people: 1
Number of nights: 1
Which nights: Saturday
Bunkhouse or Camping: Bunkhouse
Saturday Night Feast: Yes

I love snakes.

Cheers,
Jeff

[Paddy]

It's not snoring that would concern me, more the leprechaun outfit! Leprechauns are known to be mischievous, and what would one your size get up to, Doug?

[Jen]

:rofl::rofl::rofl: well it all depends on if we have clear skies or not :lol:

[ballaratdragons]

Hi Jeff.

Thanks for booking in, but there are a few things I have failed to mention above that have been posted in previous Camp notices.

Mainly this one which may affect you:

*Please note, Bunkhouses CANNOT be booked for only one night only.
We have previously lost bookings due to bunkhouses being used for only one night when people wanted to book them for 3 or 4 nights and couldn't because of the 'one night' stayer booking it first. Exeptions are accepted if you are in a shared bunkhouse with others staying more than one night.
Alternatively, the Campsite is available for one night if that's all you can stay.

Sorry to spring the Bunkhouse rule on you. I keep forgetting that new people aren't aware of these matters.

And one that must now unfortunately be enforced due to events happening at the last 2 Camps:

*Alcohol is allowed, but 'Drunkeness' will not be tolerated. Offenders will be asked to leave.

Snake Valley Astronomy Camps are fun, low key social events. A white light ban is in force (as expected), but due to the nature of our Camps, imagers and observers are all mixed in together having a great social astronomy experience. Visual observers that may be offended by some stray Laptop light may be affected.

The fee for the Saturday Night Feast goes to the local CFA.

[Moonman]

Hi,

Just booked my passage on the boat from Tassie:tasdevil:. Came over a couple of years ago so looking forward to a return.

Name: Michael And Emiel Booth
How many people:2
Number of nights:3
Which nights:Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Bunkhouse or Camping:Camping
Saturday Night Feast: Most Likely Yes!

Cheers

Michael:)

[Jen]

:eyepop: hey did i miss something at the last camp :lol:

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks Michael :thumbsup:

[danielsun]

I'm there Ken, just me.
All 4 nights.
Saturday night feast: yes.
Bunkhouse please.

Can't wait!!

Cheers Daniel.:thumbsup:

[Starkler]

So to clarify, is there now no expectation for laptop users to take measures to avoid extraneous light spillage from their screens?

[mill]

C'omon you know we do our best to keep our light at bay :P
I think the wording of Ken is a bit wrong :)
You can be sure our light pole lappy screens will be as dim as possible as on other camps :lol:

[erick]

Perhaps the technique that worked on the floodlight could be applied to bright lappies? :D

I think I'll move further down the field away from tent city and run entirely from batteries next camp - see how it goes. Light isn't a big problem for me now, but every little reduction helps with the visual work.

[Jeff]

Thanks Ken.

Camping will be fine for me, and I'll try not to get too drunk! :lol:

Cheers,
Jeff

[ballaratdragons]

No.

Geoff, you have been to enough SVAA camps to know how it works.
All laptop users take steps to block extraneous light spillage.

What I am trying to let new people know is that it is not an enforced segregation camp like some others.

Neither Visual observer or Imager are exiled to a corner of the paddock away from others. Everyone is free to set up wherever they please.
I am just making people aware that they can mingle, or seperate themselves.

But if I said nothing, then people would complain that no warning was given.

Down where you usually set up there are no laptops.
And up where we set up, no visual observer has complained about the imagers.
So far all has been harmonious.
I just don't want to regiment our Camps as some do.
If people want to be away from Laptop glow, they can do so, but they are not forced to :thumbsup:

[Dave47tuc]

I like the way this camp is run. With image's at one side and observers on the other. Or set up where you want.

After 9 camps image's are a lot more common now but that is the times and I'm happy with all that.Some Astro camps can be very strict on laptops and light but I prefer the way SV camp is run. Most image's are in tents and its funny how they glow :lol: we need a satellite pic of the field:rolleyes: Torches with white light annoy me most, but that does not happen a lot.
All's good and look forward to the camp.:thumbsup:

[byronpaul]

Ken,

count me in!!!!!!

Name: byronpaul (Paul)
How many people: 1
Number of nights: 3 (possibly 4)
Which nights: Fri~Sun (possibly Mon)
Bunkhouse or Camping: Camping (Caravan)
Saturday Night Feast: Yes

May be bringing one or 2 of my boys but they'll only come for one or two nights - will confirm closer to the event. If your boys are going to be there then they'll most likely come as well. Lachlan had a ball running around with them !!!!

p.s. Is the "floodlight" fixed yet ;):P;):P

Regards,
Paul

[Arthur Alchin]

will try and attend, will have to confirm a bit closer to the time (i am a camper, and don't need bunks)

Also where in Victoria is Snake Valley as i live near The Entrance in NSW and need to work out the logistics of the travel times etc.

Arthur

[erick]

About 20 min drive south-west of Ballarat, Arthur.

[Arthur Alchin]

Had a look at my dairy, have a Cardiovascular conference in Brisbane that weekend, can't make it, hopefully next time.

Just hope the November one doesn't coincide with the ICEINSpace Astro camp, so i could attend both

Arthur

[danielsun]

Only just over 10 weeks to go!
Can't wait. :)

[HolyWars]

Thanks again Ken for this latish booking ;)

Name: HolyWars (Bill Staring)
How many people: 2
Number of nights: 1 (Possibly a second, will know a little closer)
Which nights: Saturday (Possibly Friday also but again will know closer)
Bunkhouse or Camping: Camping
Saturday Night Feast: Hell Yes (for both):P

Thanks!
Bill.

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks Bill.

No, not latish. Plenty of time for more bookings :thumbsup:

[HolyWars]

Thanks again Ken, really, REALLY looking forward to it!:thumbsup:

[sasup]

Hello, Can someone tell me how far is the star camp site is from royal hotel? lat and long if poss thanks

[leon]

Which Royal Hotel mate.

Leon

[sasup]

sorry leon for the late repley. The royal in the town of snake valley vic

[mill]

Then it is about 4 or 5 Km away.

[ballaratdragons]

The Royal Hotel in Snake Valley is 3k from the Camp site, but it has no accommodation.
It's just a Pub.

Not unless they have built some accommodation in the last few days. :shrug:

If they have accommodation, then it's news to me.

[Paddy]

Hi Ken,

Can you book me in please.

Patrick Kavanagh
1 person
Friday and Saturday nights
Camping
and a (vegetarian) feast.

Thanks

[Octane]

My leave got approved today. :thumbsup:

H

[Jen]

:clap::clap::clap::clap:

Kool H see ya there :D

IS IT MARCH YET :question:

[desler]

Not long to go now Jen................................ .....


Better start practicing your blackboard emoticon skills.


Darren :eyepop:

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol:

[sasup]

What are people from Sydney doing to get to snake valley? I have read online its a 10 hr drive and the flight is 1.5 hrs. It may be hard with the scope though. Just want to know best way if I was to drive I guess.

[erick]

You will be better off to drive. Getting from either of the Melbourne airports to the camp site without a car is not easy. (But lifts aren't too hard to come by, but nothing is certain.)

[sasup]

noted thanks

[ballaratdragons]

Done Patrick :thumbsup:

[ballaratdragons]

Those already Booked in:

Ken (me)
Jake
Dave47Tuc
Marg
Rodney
Mill
Desler
Pete
John G
Hagar
Humayan
Leon
Jen
Erick
Jeff
Michael
Emiel
Daniel
Byron Paul
Bill (holywars)
Tim (tnott)
Paddy


STILL A COUPLE OF BUNKHOUSES AVAILABLE AND LOTS OF CAMPING SPACE :thumbsup:

[Jen]

:clap::clap::clap: :clap::clap::clap:

Cant wait getting a few numbers now

:2thumbs::2thumbs:

Hurray up March :astron:
:camera:

[desler]

Is it March yet?????????????????

And No Jen, it's not in different colours and covered in emoticons.

I just want to sit out under the stars and get everything working correctly and at least taking pics in good company.

By reading this back, even I can tell it's been a while since I've had leave!


IS IT MARCH YET?????

Darren

[Dave47tuc]

Would be nice to see more visual observers along this time
Hey Sab your coming???

Visual observers should unite and get together in the field. Maybe nearer the south east corner of the paddock.
no white light or laptops allowed:P
The more your eyes dark adapt the more you will see i promise;)

Comparing scope sizes, eyepieces and sorting out everyone's collimation would be great to do.

With Mars and Saturn in the sky as well as The best part of the Milky Way Carina through the Southern cross area there will be a wealth of things to look at and compare.

People can come over and see what its like in a 8" scope or a 15" scope. Just to see how big scopes are or not.
This will be a great place to see what the different scopes and eyepieces see and you can make a more informative decision on what scope you mite get.

Remember most imagers use little scopes say 4" Apo's and a very high cost( many thousands) Great for what it's used for but and $800 Newtonian will show you anything in the sky so much brighter than the Apo.

So come to camp see whats what Meet Jen she will make you laugh :lol:

And get to speak to lots of people and pick there brains on different scopes.

Remember size does matter SDM ;)

[erick]

Eric with SDM#039 :prey: otherwise 8" of reflector or SCT or maybe both?

[Paddy]

Well, perhaps the southern side, not too close to the dam. Seems to get very dewy. I think last time most of us visual observers tended to congregate at the southern end anyway.

[Dave47tuc]

Its a big field and hard to explain where I mean. To south and trees will be a problem to east and we get wet. But the lake would have dried up a but and the ground will be harder than in last November. So really just to get away from the tents and any stray light.

Eric does not matter what scope you bring as long as you have fun:thumbsup:

[Paddy]

OK. Definitely like the idea of being set up near other visual observers.

[erick]

So you all like Pink Floyd? Loud?? :D

[Paddy]

Quite like Pink Floyd, but perhaps not while observing. I could lend you some headphones though.

[Chillie]

If only I had a reliable car.:sadeyes: I was pushing to get to Laharum last year.

An unreliable car is why I turned down Eric's offer to go to the club when I first became an IIS member.

[erick]

Henry

There are folks coming from SA. And Horsham is not too far to run up from the camp site and pick you up (did I say that!)

Why don't you say you'll come and then we'll see how to get you (and your 12"?) there for a few nights at least?

Eric

[Octane]

Yeah, everything up to and /not/ including The Wall. Animals, being my favourite.

Cheers. :thumbsup:

H

[Jen]

:lol: Thanks Dave :D Yeah dont forget the 6inch too :lol:

Hey Eric bring em all :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Yeah there is plenty of room that was sort of how we had it last year, as long as the grass is mowed this time :prey::prey:

[erick]

The Floyd or the Scopes? :confuse3:

[DavidU]

I should bring a 4000 watt 4 way concert PA system for the Pink Floyd:D
Is there 3 phase power ? LOL

[byronpaul]

Dave,

that sounds like a great idea .... count me in !!!:thumbsup:

Luv the idea of perhaps having a number of visual scopes all pointing to the same object, and then comparing optics, eyepieces, pros & cons, etc. With expert guidence from the likes of yourself, Geoff, Eric, and others, us newbies will be in paradise. I know this would also provide benefit for general sky navigation (which I lack) as GOTO has made me lazy :sadeyes:

What's the chances of coming up with a few quick workshops for the Saturday and Sunday whereby the newbies can learn from the experts. I know the informal visual processing session that Doug did was well received. Anybody want to volunteer a topic of interest - to either conduct a session or wanting to learn something in particular????

Oh .... and I'll have extra towels again if required :lol::lol::lol:

See you all soon ....

[Dave47tuc]

Hey Paul,
I wrote a list on what to take this year first up was 2 towels:rolleyes::rolleyes:

I gave a talk at the first camp if I remember, but any work shops you want I can chair them. I have done many of them. I introduced what was called Scope day at the MPAS (ASF) I think they still have them but they where very successful.

So if anyone wants to ask ?? on in particulars on observing. Say star hopping (old school:lol:) or collimation or what eyepieces to choose or maybe what can I get out of my small scope etc etc let me know and I will discuss with Ken and I can see no problems in organizing something.

But an open forum ? and answer time could be the way to go. With everyone putting in there 2 c worth.
All it needs is a chair person and away we go.:thumbsup:

See you soon :)

[Octane]

I'd love a talk on collimation. I'm hoping to buy a Newtonian at some stage and it would be quite beneficial. :thumbsup:

H

[Jen]

BOTH ERIC :lol::lol:

[Jen]

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: sounds like a fantastic idea Paul yes i would love to have a few lessons and see what things look like with different scopes and eyepieces (i want to look at getting another nice eypiece for my scope but have no idea which one) :screwy:i would love to see Dougys lessons on imaging too :D From start to finish :P

Clear skies all weekend this time i hope :prey::prey:

[barx1963]

Damn...Damn...Damn... Sounds like SV is going to be better than ever... and I can't go!:mad2::mad2::mad2:
Blast....damn...curses!

[Chillie]

Maybe next year or when I get my next car. I am fiercely independent and like to get around myself.

Thanks for the offer but Horsham is 2 hours drive up the road from Ballarat.

[barx1963]

Henry, try and get there, you won't regret it! 2 hours is really not that far.

[GrampianStars]

The answer is 42
:lol: you never know when Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz and those callous Vogon Constructor Fleets
might be passing by!
:eyepop:
http://www.joblo.com/newsimages1/news-hitch-cover3.jpg

[HolyWars]

Seriously cant wait!!$#@$%#@^%

It is going to be awesome....and very educational for me personally in the cosmic world :D

[ballaratdragons]

Yes, Dave will be running a workshop :thumbsup:
Times and details to come.

I also have to slot the Band in somewhere. Yep, a Band again. :)
I also may be possibly getting 'Shane Gilbert' guitarist for bands such as Marcia Hines, REO Speedwagon, and some other big USA bands but I forget who.

[Jen]

:hi::hi: Gday Ken that sounds cool :rockband:

[ballaratdragons]

PROGRAM (so far)

Saturday

2:00pm: The Snake Valley Astronomical Association's guide to Visual observing By David Girling.

The Steps;

1. How to choose your scope and eyepieces that suit you.
2. Choosing filters.
3. Basics on finding your way around the sky.
4. And a special "Dave's Tips" on making you a better observer!!
5. Collimating demo with hands on how to collimate your scope.

6:00pm: Saturday Night Feast

Times of other events to come as they are confirmed :thumbsup:

[Dave47tuc]

So PGC hunter (SAB) you will be there ???

What about you Geoff?

[Starkler]

Aww Dave if you're giving one of your talks I'll just have to be there.

How many people: 1
Number of nights: 3
Which nights: F,S,S
Bunkhouse or Camping: BH
Saturday Night Feast: yup!

[Dave47tuc]

;) good one Geoff.
Now if can only get Sab to come. maybe Jen could convince him :help:

[mill]

Whoohoo!!! Geoff is sucked in :P

For Sab pgchunter, only a guarantee of splendid clear weather with NO wind, not too cold neither too hot, seeing 10/10, clouds none visible, and did i say that the weather has to be guaranteed perfect ?

C'mon pgc get over there and have some fun under the clouds with those drops of water coming down :windy:
Just kidding ;)

[Jen]

:lol:

:lol: yeah c'mon Sab you owe me a cruiser session :rofl::cheers:

The skies have to be better than Melbourne you might actually see a star or two :P


Is it March yet :question::prey:

[erick]

Not sure what we can promise about the sandflies. Here is the outcome of last March - first night!

[Jen]

:eyepop: now ya tell me about these things :scared3:

[erick]

Just make up a mosquito net cover for the scope and you. Not sure what it will do for your observing! :D




Apparently it was the first time in four years. I think the lake was well down. Maybe different conditions this year so we go back to only the mozzies to deal with, and the horseflies during the day!

[bird]

Hi Guys, I'm considering coming down to this camp - I've missed far too many of them in the past :-)

Are there any cabin spots left, or should I pack a tent?

I've requested enough leave from my daytime job to come down for the Fri/Sat/Sun, and I'd be in for whatever meals are planned.

Not sure if I'll bring a scope or not, depends on a few things. I might come sans scope and just walk around and hassle everyone else :-)

cheers, Bird

[Dave47tuc]

Hi Anthony, it would be super if you came along. :thumbsup:

I hope Chris will be there too? :thumbsup:

[Hagar]

You're just a bit delicate Eric. A bottle of good single malt repellent and you won't feel a thing.

[Jen]

Awsome see you there Bird :thumbsup: wow there is going to be a few new faces this time round cool :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Jen]

:rofl::rofl::rofl: lol Doug ;)

[erick]

Hmmmm, I don't drink it. I guess I have to whack them with it? (Or let them drink it?)

[pgc hunter]

I decided I'm not going to Snake Valley.

[bird]

Hey guys, just a followup to my earlier post - is Ken or one of the organisers watching this thread? I'd like to register to come along, but I need to know if there are any bunks left or if I need to bring a tent :-)

cheers, Bird

[Jen]

Awwwww :rolleyes:

[Jen]

:hi: Hey Bird yeah Ken does pop in quite often, last time he was on he did say there was a few cabins left so you should be fine :thumbsup:

[ballaratdragons]

Hi Anthony, yep there are still bunks available.

Be good to have you back again after such a looong absence :thumbsup:

I've booked you in for the 3 nights and the Feast :)

And Geoff, I have booked you in also :thumbsup:

[Dave47tuc]

:sadeyes: :( :sadeyes: :(

maybe next time :D

[bird]

Thanks Ken, it'll be good to catch up again with everyone and also people I haven't met yet (not mentioning any names)

cheers, Bird

[Jen]

:whistle::whistle::whistle::whistle :

:innocent::innocent::innocent:

[Dave47tuc]

Watch out Bird you mite loose a feather or two :lol:

[Dave47tuc]

For those thinking of coming to this camp let me tell you, if you have not been to one do yourself a favor and come to this one.

With many images on site and hopefully plenty of observers you will get to look at and through many telescopes.

Also Mars and Saturn well placed in March.
And Orion riding high in the sky early with Carina, Crux etc coming up out of the south east then Corvus, Leo etc later there will be so much to see if you don't make it well :rolleyes:

There will be next one in November ;)

[erick]

And it's Messier Marathon time. You can observe over 90 from the March Snake Valley camp!

[Jen]

Was wondering is any one up for teaching imaging classes :D
Im a good student honest ;)
:innocent:

[JohnG]

I am sure we can arrange some hands on stuff for ya, Jen :D

Cheers

[danielsun]

Hey Bird, great to hear you are coming down.:thumbsup:
Be nice to catch up again and the camps are just getting better every time.;)

Cheers Daniel.

[Jen]

Awsome sounds great thanks John :thanx:
:D

[byronpaul]

erick ..... are you planning an all-nighter again :question::question:

[bird]

Hey Daniel, will be good to catch up again. It's been too long.

cheers, Bird

[erick]

Several, if the weather conditions permit, but no MM this year. I got Bambo's 600 to chase down! http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=45678

[desler]

It will be nice to have some company when the sun comes up Eric!
:):):):):):rofl::rofl::rofl:



Darren

[erick]

Last November you just had the company of my camera, clicking away on its timelapse photos of the observing field - I was tucked up in my bunkhouse! :lol:

[DavidU]

I don't think I can make it for the weekend but may be able to come for a few hours to say hello to some IIS's I have not met.

[Jen]

:eyepop::eyepop::sadeyes:

[ballaratdragons]

Oops!

Just realised I didn't put the Fees in this thread :screwy:

FEES:
Bunkhouses (per person)
2 nights $40.00
3 nights $60.00
4 nights $80.00

Campsite (per person)
1 night $18.00
2 nights $36.00
3 nights $54.00
4 nights $72.00

Children under 5 y.o. - FREE

The Spectacular 'SATURDAY NIGHT FEAST' will be on again!
Adults -$20.00 - Under 15 yo -$15.00

No need to pay in advance. Payment made on arrival :thumbsup:

[Jen]

hey Ken :hi:

Yep i conned my brother to come with me again yayy

So lock it in eddie :lol:

Corey and I and campsite, four nights this time im not missing out on nothing this time hehe :lol: and Sat nite feast YES PLEASE ;)

I will be leaving Swan Hill @ around 4pm so make sure you guys save me a spot LOL

PS have the lawns been mowed this time or i do i need to bring the lawn mower :lol::lol::lol:
And do we need some special light breaking tools too :rofl:

See you all soon :)

Oh guess what............ its finally MARCH yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy :D
:cool::cool::cool:

[Rob_K]

Snake Valley comets

Seeing as I can’t go :( , at least I can provide a list of what are probably the best comets for visual observing – with the battery of big cannons that’ll be there, all these should be within reach. All info from Starry Night except mags, which are based on current observations.

If you just want to see a comet, at a reasonable hour, then try 81P at around midnight (later if you’re staying up) – it’s the biggest & brightest of these, but still no great shakes at about mag 9.5. In addition to this list there are a few others around the mag 13+ range, but don’t bother unless you’re a comet nut. Sorry about the decimal minutes in the positions – this is the way Starry Night gives them out, and you can do the seconds conversions if you want.

Evening:
29P Schassmann-Wachmann – mag 11-12, in Leo. Small round glow, no tail
Fri 11pm, 39° alt: RA 09hr 22.414m, Dec 13° 08.358’
Sat 11pm, 39° alt: RA 09hr 22.072m, Dec 13° 09.460’

Late evening:
81P Wild – mag 9.5, in Virgo. Nice coma, has a tail! Maximum altitude of about 60° in the north at 4am.
Fri midnight, 25° alt (and rising): RA 14h 09.336m, Dec -06° 51.929’
Sat midnight, 25° alt (and rising): RA 14h 08.661m, Dec -06° 53.358’

Early morning:
C/2009 K5 McNaught – mag 10, in Aquila. Small round glow, no tail.
Fri/Sat 5am, 18° alt: RA 19h 09.880m, Dec 03° 44.427’
Sat/Sun 5am, 18° alt: RA 19h 11.196m, Dec 04° 36.568’

C/2006 W3 Christensen – mag 11, in Capricornus. Small round glow, no tail.
Fri/Sat 5am, 22° alt: RA 20h 16.438m, Dec -24° 52.027’
Sat/Sun 5am, 22° alt: RA 20h 16.438m, Dec -24° 58.994’

65P Gunn – tough, mag 13-odd in Sagittarius but brightening. Tiny glow if anything.
Fri/Sat 5am, 32° alt: RA 19h 24.702m, Dec -25° 10.465’
Sat/Sun 5am, 32° alt: RA 19h 26.548m, Dec –25° 10.279’

No Iridium flare predictions, sorry... :rolleyes: ;) :P

Have a great time everyone, and don't forget the reports! :thumbsup:

Cheers -

[byronpaul]

Rob, :thanx: for the heads-up !!!!!

Will definitely be looking for each of these.

Shame you wont be there adding more numbers to the Visual group that is going to take over the southern part of the field :P:P:P

Catch you at Easter :thumbsup:

[ballaratdragons]

You sure you don't want to ring a friend or go 50/50 :lol:

Yep, he's locked in :thumbsup:

[desler]

What time can we get into the site on Friday.


I'm thinking I would like to get there lunch time ish.. Any promise of good skies, I want to be set up and ready to go, well before dark o'cklock.

Yesss I know I'm eager!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And no Jen, Not one emoticon!


Darren

[dannat]

in reply to what time you can go there - i would say 5 mins after I have arrived and picked my spot ;)

[Dave47tuc]

One week to go :thumbsup: normally camps start at 2pm onwards. But I know people have been there earlier. I hope to be there by lunch Friday, but my scope takes 2 min to set up ;)

Hope fully the weather will be kind. But either way it will be just nice being there, even with Jen and her bro hanging around :lol:

I pray for one real great night of great seeing perfect transparency:help: not much to ask is it :rolleyes:

[Starkler]

Only 1 week to go! :jump2:

Time for lots of :party::jump::clap::party2:

Hopefully the weather stays :sunny: rather than :windy:

Bring your along your :astron::computer: and :campfire: if needed and dont forget your :cold: weather gear. Jen might need her :evil2:

So come along and say :gday: to friends old and new, and im sure there will be :help2: for anyone who wants it.

:thumbsup:

[mill]

Bugger with everyone coming so early, i have to set up camp on Thursday night :P

[Dave47tuc]

So catch ya Thursday night then martin :lol:

[mill]

:eyepop::eyepop::welcome:

[mill]

Had a look at the weather for Ballarat and it clears up on Thursday :cool::2thumbs:
Not that the weather predictions are ever right here in Australia :screwy:

[joeallen]

I'd love to come to the camp. Will only be able to make Friday avro, night and part of Saturday. Have 2 events to attend that weekend. I want to meet this Jen character, she sounds like fun gal.

[joeallen]

I will also need a camping spot for Friday night only. Is there a fee for the camp? Sounds like a fun place to hold a star event.

[erick]

OK, here's the offer. I'll have leftover stuff to refurbish your pushbuttons and it goes off - so happy to let you have what is left after I do my handset.

Read:-
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=566694#post566694

Edit - I should have mentioned - it takes 24 hour to set/dry so you do without your handset for a night!

[Jen]

:eyepop::eyepop: shame on you im gonna attack your tent in the middle of the night and finger paint emoticons all over it LMAO :eyepop::eyepop:

[Jen]

:lol::lol:

:hi::hi:gday Joe you will have such a great time on Friday night that you will find that you will cancel all other plans and stay for the whole weekend :rofl::rofl: Sat night is the best, that seems to be when all the big scopes pop out from no where :P Great company and lots of toys to play with, where else would you rather be ;):thumbsup:
:D:D

[Dave47tuc]

Very stormy in Vic today :windy:

But just a warning for those who have not been to this camp before.
It will get very cold at night even this time of year , it can get down to 1 or 2 c early morning.

lets hope for nice crisp clear nights. :)

[joeallen]

Well Jen, I have never been to one of these star parties before. So I will see how the one night goes. I had previously made appointments for Saturday and Sunday. If all goes well, I will make better plans for November.

[ballaratdragons]

Darren, you can arrive any time you like, but the owner of the camp won't be unlocking anything till around 2pm. :thumbsup:

[mill]

If he is on time, unlike last time :P
Man i have never ever seen anyone move that slow :rofl::rofl:
Ummmmm except for the car mechanic i saw changing some windscreen wipers, it took him more than half an hour :eyepop:

[desler]

Relax and take it easy Martin,


Your going to need your rest, I would imagine your going to be giving lots of tours of your set-up and new toys. It's been a long time between drinks, so to speak and I'm itching to go!


Not a problem Ken! Just planning my weekend already. I just wanted to get in and beat Martin, to the best spot!!!!!!!



Darren

[mill]

Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! You are not getting my precious (<<<--- Lord of the rings voice here).
Mhahahahahahaha :D

[Dave47tuc]

There's a best spot on that big field :question: :shrug: :confused2: :rolleyes:

[mill]

Ah good you don't know Dave, and we are not going to tell you, Mhuhahahaahaha.

[mill]

PS: 5 Day's

[Dave47tuc]

Oh that's right you blokes need a power station to run all that stuff your use :lol:

[mill]

Ooohhhhh!!!! I smell jealousy :P

[leon]

Hope the weather gets better by next weekend guys, ;) lucky it wasn't this weekend. :windy:

Leon :thumbsup:

[HolyWars]

Oh dont worry about that, I will be there for Saturday night so it's certainly going to be cloudy :lol:

[HolyWars]

http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/vic/forecasts/ballarat.shtml

Well a good sign, just checked the Bureau's forecasts for the week and it claims fri/sat to be sunny 22/23 light winds....but we all know this is just a guess :D

[danielsun]

I supose it's good that all the bad weather is getting out of the way now and Hopefully should be all clear for next week.

[erick]

I have a good feeling about the weather. :sunny:

[leon]

Well according to the weather report tonight, it will be sunny, Fri, Sat, Sun.

Leon

[Jen]

:sunny::sunny:

:party::party:

Woooohoooo
:clap::clap:

If not, Leon im stealing your van :lol::lol: :evil:

[dannat]

anybody going to snake valley attempting a messier list? i am going to try for atleast 50 with the binos

[Dave47tuc]

Daniel, I'm sure some will do some messier hunting, but with Bino's I'm unsure. But it will be good to hear how many you get. I'm going to do or a least part of JB 600.

[Dave47tuc]

:eyepop: to good to be true ;)

Forecast for Friday

Sunny. Light winds.
Precis:
Sunny.
Min
8
Max
22
Forecast for Saturday

Sunny. Light winds.
Precis:
Sunny.
Min
9
Max
23
Forecast for Sunday

Mostly sunny. Winds northerly and light.
Precis:
Mostly sunny.
Min
10
Max
24
Forecast for Monday

Mostly sunny. Light winds.
Precis:
Mostly sunny.
Min
13
Max
23
Forecast for Tuesday

Sunny. Winds southeasterly and light.
Precis:
Sunny.
Min
11
Max
25

The next routine forecast will be issued at 5:30 am EDT Wednesday.

[Paddy]

Even promising temperatures conducive to a good sleep in every day.

[pgc hunter]

:eyepop: This can't be the same Melbourne I'm familiar with! :lol:

[Dave47tuc]

Snake Valley ::stargaze: :astron:

Sab's place : :cloudy:

:evil2:

[ballaratdragons]

Today I have been given a 99.9% confirmation that Shane Gilbert will be entertaining us at 5pm on Saturday.

Shane is the guitarist for people such as Marcia Hines, Christine Anu, James Brown etc, and has played in concerts along with bands like Little River Band, and has played for some big name U.S. performers.

Just before Shane plays at 5:00pm we will be entertained by 'Jam Sandwich' again at 4:45pm :)


So until I have 100% confirmation (suppose to know tomorrow) this is the program:

SATURDAY

2:00pm - S.V.A.A. Guide to Visual Observing by David Girling
1. How to choose your Scope and Eyepieces
2. Choosing Filters
3. Basics on finding your way around the sky
4. Dave's tips on making you a better observer!

4:45pm - Entertainment by 'Jam Sandwich'

5:00pm - Entertainment by Shane Gilbert

6:00pm - SATURDAY NIGHT FEAST

:thumbsup:

Weather forecast is for perfect weather throughout the whole Camp :)

[byronpaul]

Ken,

great program !!!!!

But I now have to race home on Saturday morning with Lachlan and return with him to Snake Valley about 4:30pm. I have Junior Basketball Coaching committments I can't get out of and Lachlan has to play as well else his team will have to give a walkover.

So I'm going to miss Dave's Workshop and I'm spewing :mad2: :( :mad2: :(

Apart from the 6 or so hours we'll be absent, can't wait !!!!

I'll have to butter Dave up to give me a summary on Sunday :P :P

p.s. Lachlan said he's looking forward to catching up with your boys.

Regards,
Paul

[Dave47tuc]

It's all good Paul. Just take it easy with all that driving.

We can sit down and chat on whatever you need over the weekend.
Write down a few ? so you don't forget and we can go over things ;)

Oh I will take raisin toast with that butter :lol:

[ballaratdragons]

Take your time, Paul :driving:

We'll all be here whenever you get back. No rush. :thumbsup:

[desler]

Looks like you've pulled out all the stops Ken.


Can't wait to get out under those Dark Skies and catch up.



See ya Friday!



Darren

[Paddy]

Great program Ken!

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks Patrick :)

I think our SVAA Astro Camps must be the only Astro Camps in the world to have Bands at the event :lol:

Oops, I might have started something :P

[erick]

How about we add fireworks at midnight each night? :cool: That would be unique............................. ..




OK, I'll go back to charging up my batteries :o

[Chillie]

Just what you need to kill your night vision.:eyepop:

Have fun at the weekend.:D

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol:

[peterbat]

Ok, the weather conditions are too good to pass up :-)

Add me to the list please Ken ...
1 camping spot Friday night
4 camping spots Saturday night
I've managed to convince the family to come, but they're going to be late, so we'll have to miss the feast :-(

Peter

[DavidU]

:rofl::rofl::lol:

[danielsun]

Hey Sab, with all the storms cloud and rain going here on I have been a little worried and thought you would be curled up in the foetal position in a corner somewhere. :lol: :poke:

Cheers Daniel.

[bird]

I'll get there just after lunch on Friday, maybe 1pm or something.

I'm bringing my new baby... the Green Machine (http://www.acquerra.com.au/astro/equipment/trailer/)

cheers, Bird

[Octane]

What do I need to bring (apart from scope stuff)? I'll be bunking it up I think, with Doug and John.

H

[erick]

earplugs? :lol:

Towel, soap etc.

Your favourite coffee/tea.

Insect repellent - roll on, not spray - for day and night.

[byronpaul]

H,

you need to bring plenty of warm clothes for the nights, cool clothes for the days, food and drink rations (except for Sat Feast if you've chosen that).

Mattress and base are included in cabins, but I'm not sure about sheets and blankets so you might need to check that out (can somebody confirm?).

Toothpicks .... as the nights are going to be GREAT and there's no time to sleep .... :P :P

And as erick said ..... plenty of roll-on insect repellent!!!!!

See you there.

Regards,
Paul

[Octane]

Thanks, gents.

I'll be bringing my Hepworths freezer suit so that should keep me plenty warm.

I'll bring a sleeping bag to throw on the bunks and a doona and pillows. That should do it.

Doug, John and I will probably do some food shopping at Ballarat on the way down.

I don't intend on sleeping until after the sun comes up -- that's the norm for me.

Can't wait -- I'm dying for an astro fix. I hope someone brings some spare binoculars that I could possibly borrow. I'd actually like to do some widefield observing whilst I'm imaging.

See you guys soon!

H

[erick]

12x60 on a tripod? 20x80 on something more substantial? I wasn't planning on bringing but I can, What would you like?

[erick]

You won't need the doona if sleeping after sunup - it will warm up quickly in the cabins. One good sleeping bag should do.

[Octane]

Eric,

Thanks so much for your kind offer.

I don't want to trouble you too much -- the 12x60s on a simple tripod would be uber. :D

Cheers, mate.

H

[Jen]

2 more sleeps :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

I already have the scope all packed up ready to go :D

Is it Friday yet :question: :P:P

[danielsun]

H, don't forget to bring yourself some munchies. We have the Saturday night feast but you will want to bring up some goodies for brekkie lunch and dinner for the other days.


Cheers Daniel.

[Octane]

Dan,

Yep, Doug, John and I will pick up supplies from Ballarat on our way.

See you there!

H

[erick]

Argh! I'm not ready - too much work, work,work........

[niko]

Damn!!!! Damn damn damn!!!!! I knew this camp was coming up but have been so disorganised this year (and busy) it completely slipped my mind.

I'm so bummed out I won't be there :( I was hoping to get autoguiding up and running this year too!

Have a great camp everyone and I hope the weather is kind to you

cheers

niko

[ballaratdragons]

Peter, booked you all in :thumbsup:

[ballaratdragons]

Pity you can't make it. See you in November ;)

[barx1963]

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I may be in the vicinity on the Sunday, if I can I may pop my head in and say hi!

Malcolm

[Jen]

And the eggs and bacon for brekky the guys made the place smell so good last time i had to race up the street to go get some :thumbsup::thumbsup::D

[danielsun]

Hey Niko, shame you can't make it this time, hope to see you in November.;)

Cheers Daniel.

[richardda1st]

Hi Ken, please check for PM I sent you.

Hope to attend, especially for the Saturday program.

Thanks
Richard

[byronpaul]

Richard,

hope you can make it .... will be a good visual crew on hand this time around.

Have you added any more neat gadgets to the dob?

Regards,
Paul

[erick]

batteries are a'chargin' :jump:

[Rob_K]

Hey, I'm in if that's OK Ken! Last minute change of plans - I can make it Sat night only. :D

So I'll book a camping spot (= car :P ) and feast. Hope to arrive early Sat afternoon. Look forward to catching up with everyone!

Queues for viewing through the Tasco must be orderly, and behind the rope. ;) :lol:

Cheers -

[dannat]

Rob - will you need me to help with security around the scope..i'm bring my Taser (er laser) just in case:fight:

[asloan]

Hi Everyone,

Looking forward to meeting all of you and some clear, dark skies!

Ken - please book me in as per the following:

Name: Adam Sloan
How many people: 1
Number of nights: 1
Which nights: Saturday
Bunkhouse or Camping: Camping (tent)
Saturday Night Feast: Yes please!

[danielsun]

Queues for viewing through the Tasco must be orderly, and behind the rope. ;) :lol:

Cheers -[/QUOTE]:rofl::rofl:
Great news you can make it Rob.:thumbsup:

Boy, haven't things changed for me. A few years ago all I needed to pack was the dob, argonavis, stool, and batteries. Now it's all cameras laptops, extension cords, chargers, power supplies and enough cables to choke an elephant.
Forgeting one thing could be disasterous so my checklist is a mile long, even taken today off just to pack.
Can't wait to get there!

Cheers Daniel.

[Dave47tuc]

Daniel, a day off to pack :lol:

be great to see you Adam :thumbsup: Geez I will have a few x scopes I have sold there :P maybe I should also sell the one I have now :lol: and make it at least 3 :screwy:
Who wants to buy it :question:

[bird]

All packed and ready to roll... leaving in an hour or so and probably going to stop at Seymour as usual tonight and then onto the camp just after lunch tomorrow... see you there!

Bird

[Dave47tuc]

Safe trip Anthony and to everyone see you there. :)

[leon]

Nice to see so many going hopefully I will catch up with you all over the weekend, have a safe trip to all those traveling some distance.

Leon

[richardda1st]

Yes should be good, just hope I can make it.
Have only added adjustable feet to fine tune the level. Makes using the alt/az settings very accurate.

[erick]

OK, early to bed. Need a full night's sleep given the weekend forecast! Pack tomorrow. Decide what to bring then!

One more sleep.............................. ........:zzz2:

[ballaratdragons]

Those Booked in:

Ken (me)
Jake
Dave47Tuc
Marg
Rodney
Mill
Desler
Pete
John G
Hagar
Humayan
Leon
Jen
Erick
Jeff
Michael
Emiel
Daniel
Byron Paul
Bill (holywars)
Tim (tnott)
Paddy
Geoff (Starkler)
Anthony (Bird)
Dan (Dannat)
Joe
Peter (Peterbat)
Barry (Pres of BAS)
Rob (RobK)
Richard (Richardda1st)
Adam (asloan)
and anyone else I've forgotten :shrug:

[Octane]

After an epic 5.5 hour drive, I've made it to Doug's.

See you guys tomorrow.

H

[Jen]

:D im too excited to sleep, im still awake dam it :rofl::rofl:

[richardda1st]

Time to go to Snake Valley.:):D:P;):lol::eyepop::thumbs up::rofl:

[Jen]

Are any of you guys there yet :question: and online ;)

[DavidU]

Hello hello?

[HolyWars]

Hope you guys/girls are having a good time (couldn't make it, car probs) Cant wait to hear about it :D

[dannat]

nobody seems to have reported yet so i will be brief..both nights were clear & crisp, sat slightly better...though the dew became heavy

attached is a couple of pics


This morning just before 6 i stood with H as the crescent moon rose...first it appeared someone had shone a torch onto a tree on the horizon - then slowly it moved into view..it was an awesome sight. Jen just missed the start but appeared from around a tent

[richardda1st]

:thumbsup:Fantastic, just fantastic, only regret is I had only 2 nights.:eyepop::thumbsup:

For those who missed out.... HaHa (Simpsons):P sorry about that.:P

Thanks for all your help and guidance Patrick.:)

Thanks for some great views Patrick & Tim.:)

Thanks for some help with proper colmination David.:)

And of course Thanks Ken & SVAA, (Astro Camp plus great live music):thumbsup:

[barx1963]

Spent Friday and Sat nights doing non-astro stuff (dancing!) and cursing that I was missing those clear skies at SV. Hope you all had a great time!:sadeyes:

[Paddy]

Got back this afternoon. I had such a good weekend. What a great bunch of people. I really enjoyed catching up with people that I already knew and meeting some I didn't know. Plus good music and great to learn from more experienced astronomers. And the views through Tim Nott's 22" - fantastic! Apart from the myriad faint galaxies that were visible, M104 and M83 were just amazing. And Richard, it was a pleasure to spend time with you and enjoy the views through your scope.

Many thanks to Ken and all the Snake Valley crew and to Shane for some great blues.

[Rob_K]

Great camp, even though I only had one night there. :D Terrific to catch up with people and meet a few new ones. Excellent observing conditions and saw so much stuff, including 3 comets, numerous galaxies, clusters, nebulae etc. Highlights for me were Thor's Helmet through Tim's 22", and Saturn through Anthony's scope.

Highlights of observing through my own scope were Thor's Helmet (visible unfiltered as a background glow in a rich starfield, and with OIII filter as a large dim nebula with a flicker of the horns), Saturn at 225x, and comet C/2009 K5 McNaught in the early morning as a small roundish glow, easily visible. Sunspots today were good, in white light (Baader AstroSolar Safety Film Filter). Moonrise this morning - what can you say?!! Brilliant, the earthshine nudging above the treeline first, rising as a luminous orb and followed by a delicate thin sliver of a waning crescent.

Thanks to everyone who took pity on a poor old dig and let me look through their scopes - particularly Tim, Anthony, Barry & Eric. Viewing through Tim's massive scope was AWESOME, and it's always great to spend a bit of quality time with Barry & his 12" dob. Also Daniel and his binoculars - great sights including Pleiades & Beehive Cluster.

Finally thanks to Ken & the SV crew for another fantastic camp - top job guys! :thumbsup:

Here's some shots. First, view over observing field this morning - Sunday (several people had packed up and left by the time I took this photo - the field was very impressive when I got there late Sat arvo).

Second, Tim's 22" scope with lake in background.

Third - as if it wasn't bad enough being pestered half the night for views through the mighty 4.5", they were even lining up in daylight! ;) :lol:


Cheers -

[peterbat]

Thanks to Ken and SVAA for such a great weekend!
Kirsty and the kids came up this time, for Saturday night, and spent quite a bit of time at the scope - using an Argo makes it very easy for them, and makes it harder for me to get time at the eyepiece. :(
Funniest moment of the weekend was the kids' pronouncement that looking at M42 in Tim's 22" was awesome, but that looking at it through our 16" lightbridge made it look small and faint :shrug:

Peter

[tnott]

Just arrived back in Adelaide after a fantastic few days and nights. Great to catch up with everyone and special thanks must go to Ken for putting it on. Had fun during the day lounging around and chatting to others that actually share an interest in astronomical matters.

Friday night was nice and clear but the seeing was fairly ordinary to start with. Started off with the big bright DSOs for the adoring fans with the obligatory oohs and aahs. :P Afterwards did a tour of various objects in Centaurus including squillions of galaxies and quite a few interesting planetaries.

Later on the seeing got much better giving solid, sharp views of Saturn through various scopes.

On the second night, I used the Argo Navis' Tour function to find many galaxies in Volans including one spectacular but very faint cluster of them around an ESO that I could not find in any references! Must track that one down again somehow. Also viewed the big, spectacular galaxies in Virgo and Coma B., since they were well-placed in the North. Also got some good views of the Horsehead thanks to Eric's 2" HBeta filter.

On the third day, Rob set up the mighty Tasco to view the sun and it revealed some complex sunspots.

The third night began with a look at some bigger emission Nebulae, using Eric's 2" OIII filter in the 28mm UWAN at 80X. The Rosette was nice but required the viewer to spiral around to get the whole thing in. Ditto for the Vela Supernova Remnant which is spectacular but huge! Saw the nebulosity around the Christmas Tree Cluster for the first time, but the Cone Nebula was only a slight darkening of the field, a bit like looking at the Horsehead without a filter. Then did a tour of Galaxies in Dorado.

The seeing was also very good on this night, and I was surprised by how easy it was to see Sirius B for the first time in Bird's scope. The sky started to cloud up more and more so brought an end to viewing by about 1am, so most retired to the kitchen for some talking rubbish.

Wish I could do this every month!

[dalemadison]

Sorry I missed this camp. Have to try and make it in Oct.

Dale

[DavidU]

One thinks he may shoot oneself ! Damn
Still, I had a few hours on Sat night with Bojan and his wife observing.

[Dave47tuc]

Hi all,
First many thanks Ken :thumbsup: and to the SVAA :thumbsup:
Well I have been going to these camps since they started in Nov - 2005 well I have missed a couple. But this one was the best for me.
Reason Observing with Tim's 22" and the moment Saturn was so sharp in all scopes etc etc etc.
It was great to make new friends and catch up with everyone, these events can be more about the people than the sky. It is really nice to chew the fat with people who have the same interest as you.
A observing report would be to much to put to keys on this computer.
To say I have had some of the best deep sky views I have ever had in 30 years. :eyepop:

[GTB_an_Owl]

was it cold down there "H" ?

or are you expecting an advertisement fee ?

geoff

[Moonman]

Thanks to all of you who worked to make this weekend a great time. I learnt stuff in two days that would have taken a lot longer here at home. Thanks Daniel and Martin for all your assistance with getting up and going with my imaging equipment ans software.

Thanks to Ken's boys, Jake and Aaron for spending time with Emiel(my son) he had a fantastic time.

Thanks to Dave Tuc47 for a great evening on the friday of observing, I discovered a couple of new(to me) and interesting galaxies and globular clusters.

I've attached a couple of panoramas of the campsite and dam.

Also after discovering a bent bolt on my EQ6 I carried out a repair this morning with some replacement parts from our local nuts and bolts shop. Picture attached. Fortunately only half of the interior thread in the hole was torn out after removal so the replacement had sufficient to thread onto.(phew).

cheers

Michael

[pgc hunter]

Observing report or it didn't happen!!!

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks to all who came to Camp. You guys make it an event. :thumbsup:
If you didn't turn up I'd be sitting in a paddock all by myself :P

It was fantastic!

The weather came just as I ordered it.

The company was great, the food was great, the sky was great, the entertainment was great (well, Shane was), the weather was great, the sleep-ins were great, etc etc.

It was . . . ummm . . . GREAT! :lol:

I finally got all my gear working pefectly
and you wouldn't believe what it was all this time
I have not been able to image since last October because . . . drum roll please






I had the wrong settings on the USB port. :rolleyes:

Thanks heaps to Martin(Mill) who clicked it from 'USB COM port 9' to 'USB COM port 7'. :rofl:


I truly believe that this 10th Camp was a total success. Peoples faces showed they were having a good time, and almost everyone said so :)
Many have already booked for November :lol:

As usual, the ladies from the CFA did a fantastic Saturday Night Feast, and Shane Gilbert really played and sang up a storm with his amazing talent. A 'World Class Show' just for us :2thumbs:

Once again, thanks to everyone for coming and making it a great time :thumbsup:

[bird]

Thanks to Ken and the other organisers for another great camp - this was the first one I could make it to in 3 years and for me it was probably the best so far. Highlights were meeting new faces, looking at and through other peoples stuff, including Tims amazing 22" uberdob, and seeing some things like the trapezium G and Sirius B visually for the first time through my metal monster.

The seeing late on saturday night, after about 1am Sunday morning, was magnificent, and Saturn was really putting on a show with all the small moons on display, although sadly not all at the same time as Mimas had hidden behind the rings by later in the night.

cheers, Bird

[bird]

ps after getting home and re-reading the recent article in AS&T about seeing Sirius B I suddenly became paranoid that what we had seen as "Sirius B" might have been an internal reflection... but I've re-checked it just now and there's no doubt that it's the real deal. Same location in all eyepieces and it doesn't move if I put it at the edge of the ep in any direction.

cheers, Bird

[Starkler]

Well said Ken and I totally agree. I have been to most of the camps over the 5 years since they started and this would equal the first for being the best one for me :)

Many thanks to Ken and SVAA and congrats on another successful camp :thumbsup:


Pics:

1: SDM ....2:Adam and 12"Skywatcher... 3: Dave47tuc and Danielsun .... 4:Birds 14.5" newt..... 5:Lots of refractors ....6:Ellois (sp?) and Daniel ....7: More finderscopes posing as real telescopes :P.... 8: Our lady of the purple font, seen here modelling a tank top in Skywatcher-blue

[Starkler]

Repost of above pics to save people cricking their necks :P

[desler]

Now that I've had a nanny nap, I feel up to writing my assessment of the Camp!

How much fun was that?

Deep clear skies, great company, a wealth of experienced Astronomers who are more than willing to share their talents and knowledge!

The local ladies once again did a wonderful job on saturday night, I only wish I didn't feel so tired after the feast.

Dave's excellent presentation on Saturday and the entertainment was a wonderful highlight!

Did I mention the company. I think I need 7 Months till the next camp for my stomach muscles to stop aching I laughed that much. Seeing the field on Saturday night was a sight to behold, scopes of every type and people having a great time.

A lot of applause to Ken and the SVAA for an absolutely fantastic weekend.

IS IT NOVEMBER YET???????????????

Darren

[Hagar]

What a wonderfull camp this one was. Clear skies each night so not much sleep was had by all. The company was, as usual top class with lots of old faces and some new ones.
The usual little quirks with equipment kept everyone busy. One of the joys of Astrophotography. My only problem wasn't recognised until I tried to process some images on the last day when I discovered I had been shooting away all camp with an incorrect bias setting which has ruined all the images taken.
The clarity of the sky was beyond belief, being some of the best and most stable skies I have seen.
As usual some very funny events happened during the camp. Probably best left at the camp as well. (A few sighs of relief I bet)

Great to see a lot of old friends and look forward to the November Camp. Thanks to Ken and the SVA group for another ripper.

[erick]

With fingers crossed behind our backs, we told the newcomers:- "Yes the weather is always this good at these camps!"

But we couldn't have had much better (OK, that slight dusting of rain early Monday night and the few hours of cloud over four nights was less than perfect).

I was amazed by a dewless Mon/Tue night! After all had collapsed to bed Tue morning, I had an extra hour or so observing, then I packed up all my gear in bone-dry conditions! Then brought some breakfast back to the field and sat and watched the sky lighten, the last few meteors, the stars fade and our home star come into view.

I can only echo what others have said - this was the best camp yet for many reasons.

To see the observing field packed with people and scopes on Saturday afternoon and through the night was marvellous.

Thanks to Ken, club members, other camp regulars, and all others who attended.

Photos and stories to come..............

[Louwai]

Looks like a great time was had by all.... Wish I was there.....
Maybe I'll surprise you next year... :)

[erick]

ps. one weekend earlier would have been a disaster, weather-wise!

[Octane]

That was easily the best camp I've been to. I've never been so productive at an astro camp before guaged purely by the fact that I saw 3 sunrises out of 4 days! I spent so much time under the sun during the day that I've come home with a bit of a tan, lol.

The company was wonderful with everyone willing to help each other out. It was great to meet and hang with people I knew and to make new friends.

I was mesmerised by Shane Gilbert's guitar playing during the entertainment session and could quite easily have sat their and watched him play well into the dark!

I'm still baffled by two things, though:

1. the bizarre bright (magnitude -1 to -2?) object (which I initially thought was the ISS) sailing/undulating across the early morning sky, and;
2. the stationary flashing light(s) amongst the star field. I can only think that they're geostationary satellites. Otherwise, I, for one, welcome our new overlords.

The drive home was uneventful, but, quite long. Still, pleasant, though. I saw a nice sight as I was heading towards Bacchus Marsh (I think it was). On the fairly steep decline, I saw an enormous eagle hovering/soaring/flying and being attacked by some other kind of black-coloured birds. I thought they may have been crows at first, but, they just seemed like too many. Maybe they were contesting the eagle on some food? As I got towards Gundagai I witnessed an amazing sunset. There was a bit of haze in the atmosphere and the light was pink! Yes, pink! I thought many times about pulling over and getting the camera out but decided against it. There was no-one else on the road and so the rest of the trip home was just overtaking trucks. I think it took 9 hours to get home.

Thank you, Ken, and everyone else for making it a wonderful camp. If I have any leave left over in November, I'll be there.

H

[tnott]

It was definitely there!
I have an eyepiece that gives an internal reflection that appears to be a smaller companion to a bright star. The giveaway is that it moves around the main star as you move your head. The one we saw did not change position.

As you said, it was also visible in different eyepieces and the 22" as well (Sirius was bloody bright though!:D).

[erick]

A few happy snaps

[erick]

Last day - beautiful sunrise.

[erick]

A rough widefield of the Magellanic Clouds drifting under the SCP.

(and that's not the Coalsack gone walkabout - but a real atmospheric cloud drifting under the LMC in this image :sadeyes: )

[danielsun]

Lovely pics there Eric.;)

What a great camp!! Had a great time and the combination of Doug, Pete and Darren had us all in stitches of laughter. Saturday was fantastic which began with an informative talk from Dave (47 tuc) thanks Dave:thumbsup: and then the entertainment from Ken and his boys (Jam Sandwich):thumbsup: leading up to the main act of Shane Gilbert who was absolutly brilliant and blew us all away with his talent.:eyepop:Then the yummy Satuday night feast, The lamb was so tender it just melted in your mouth.
It was great catching up with all the regulars and meeting many new faces along with H who is now alias ( Captain Photoshop) who spent some time giving some of us some priceless processing tips.Thanks H.;)
Thanks Ken it was once again a camp to remember, cant wait for the next one.
Here are some snaps.
Love Martins sticker 4th pic.:rofl:

Cheers Daniel.

[danielsun]

And a few more.
PS. Anyone heard from Jen yet? Hope she got back O.K.

[mill]

Okie dokie more pictures :)

[mill]

And some more.

[danielsun]

Just had to post this one of Birds canon.

Cheers Daniel.

[Starkler]

Was it hot or cold there I forgot :lol:

[erick]

H. worried about the sandflies? Or was it the spiders? :D

[desler]

By the look of the photo of your legs Eric, probably the sandflies!



Darren

[Jen]

Wow wow wow how awsome was that camp :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
I had the best time met some new peeps and was great to catch up with the ones i met from the last camp :)

Im not sure where to start the company was great the feast was yummy, the skies were clear and listening to Shane was amazing :thumbsup:

It has taken me a week to get back into the swing of things at home i havnt been online all week as as soon as i go to get im line i fall asleep trying to catch up on sleep that i deprived my self of having all weekend :lol::lol: but the skies were awsome there was no way i was sleeping while the sky was so clear ;)

Thanks guys for all your help i learnt so much once again :thumbsup: I now have a modified scope thanks to Mr Handy Man Erick :lol: he moved my mirrow up the tube of my scope so i can now start a bit of imaging woohooo yes it worked i now can focus thank you Eric your a legend :thumbsup:
And thanks to Daniel, H, Martin for all the imaging tips your guys are the best :thumbsup: And thank you to Darrenn, Pete and Dougy for the laughs you are funny fellas i have sore ribs from laughing so much :lol::lol: Dougy hope ya got ya plumbing sorted out before you got home :lol::lol::lol:

And Dave and Geoff thanks for the time i had with your scopes loved that im getting the feel for those scopes now (much more comfortable moving them around now ;)) And thank you to all of you guys who all happily shared there knowlege around :)

But last but not least :eyepop::eyepop::eyepop: wow wow wow looking through Birds baby hubble scope :eyepop: i have never seen saturn look that good in my life i will never forget that Thanks Bird :thumbsup::thumbsup: And Tims 22" what a mighty fine scope that is i never realised how big the Rosette Nebula really was :eyepop:

And most of all thank you Ken for once again a very successful camp:P see you again in November :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

IS IT NOVEMBER YET :question:


Thanks guys :love::love:

Love Jen
xoxoxox

[danielsun]

Hey Jen, Glad all is well, Hadn't seen you on and was begining to get a little worried there wondering if you made it back from camp.
It sure was a great time.:)


Cheers Daniel.

[jjjnettie]

I'm loving the reports and the pictures.
Thanks for sharing the good times with us!

[Starkler]

I reckon it bears a resemblance to this ;)