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More to report on the ASNSW weekend at Wiruna NSW in March....
I visited the Bintel shop in York Street Sydney today and chatted with one of the staff, Don. A great bloke, passionate about astronomy, Don also happens to have been an organiser of this annual event for 11 out of the last 13/14 years!!! He told me all about it, and I am definitely coming!!
They usually expect a couple of hundred at least. (Don says it is not unheard of to get more than 10 times that many at equivalent meetings in the US that he goes to). Is camping on site only. You can book a motel room at Kandos (30kms away) but after viewing most of the night, who wants to jump in a car and drive 30kms when you can just crash where you are?
Theme this year is "Astrophotography". There are special workshops with gurus in this field. They will be running competitions for the best images, so bring your best efforts along.
You do NOT have to be a member of ASNSW to come. In fact, there is a get together at Wiruna on the first weekend of new moon each lunar month (the property is owned by ASNSW) which is open to visitors to come to share in the fun. So, if you can't make it in March, but would like to get out there some other time, you can, in the company of other astronomy enthusiasts.
Don made some rather bold statements about the nobility of amateur astronomers. He said in all of the years that the weekends have run, not a single thing has ever been stolen from anyone (not even a Nagler eyepiece!). At the end of a night's viewing it apparently expected that people just through a tarp with an occy strap over their scopes, and head for nigh nighs (but you take your Nagler eyepieces with you to bed!?).
Are you motivated to go? If you want to know more, visit the ASNSW website, or give Don a call at Bintel.
Rodstar
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