Public Astronomy Night in Armidale 8th May, 2010

[ausastronomer]

Hi all,

Just a short note to let anyone in the New England and Northern Rivers region know there will be a Public Astronomy night in Armidale, next Saturday Night, the 8th May, 2010. This event will be held in the grounds of the Presbyterian Ladies College, which is just out of town.

The event is co hosted by:-

The University of New England
Northern Tablelands Astro Society
The Presbyterian Ladies College
and The Three Rivers Foundation of Australia (3RF)

Here is a link to an article in the Armidale Express about the event:-

http://www.armidaleexpress.com.au/news/local/news/general/monster-telescopes-booked-for-star-party/1817475.aspx

Here is a link to the 3RF Australia website who are providing the large scopes, sky tour guides and guest speakers.

www.3rf.com.au

The volunteers from 3RF who will be in attendance are:-

Lachlan McDonald, Tony Buckley, Andrew Murrell and myself.

The guest speakers will be Tony Buckley and Andrew Murrell.

The telescopes we will be providing will include:-

30"/F4.5 SDM
25"/F5 Obsession
2 x 18"/F4.5 Obsessions
14"/F4.5 SDM

All of these scopes are fitted with Argo Navis and Servocat GOTO Drive systems.

There will also be some smaller scopes provided by the Northern Tablelands Astro Society.

The cost is $5 per person and tea and coffee is available.

Everyone is welcome and the more that turn up the better. I look forward to meeting some of you there and be sure to come up and introduce yourself.

Cheers,
John B

[Outbackmanyep]

Hi John,
Thanks again for coming up, we had at least 200 people there and good feedback from the public!
Much appreciated and it was a great night (except for the fog!)
I will post some pics when i get them off the camera!

Cheers!

[ausastronomer]

Hi Chris,

It was my pleasure to attend, give a talk to the masses; and then show them all the sights out on the observing field. I would have thought that 250 was a pretty conservative estimate of the attendance. I would have guessed at 200 to 250 in the hall and between 300 and 400 on the observing field. We were certainly very happy with the crowd that showed up. I hope we can make this an annual event possibly held a month or so earlier to avoid the dew we encountered on Saturday night. My family and I certainly had a great weekend and we will be back again next year.

Cheers,
John B

[Outbackmanyep]

No worries John,
I'll have to set a date!

Cheers!

[bird]

Hi John, it's good to see an event in Armidale - I went to university there in the 80's and after that lived there for a couple of years, very close to the PLC.

cheers, Bird