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A cosmic-curious youth at the 2009 Astronomy in the Park event that will be happening again on August 16, 2014 at Porpoise Bay Provincial Park. The all day event will feature telescopes, info and activities, sponsored by Sunshine Coast members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Photo Allan Forest
Two events sky watchers and fun-seeking locals should mark on their calendars are a Star Party in Sandy Hook, this Saturday July 26 and Astronomy in the Park on August 16 at Porpoise Bay hosted by Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) Coast members.
Astronomers and the Sandy Hook Community Association will be hosting Star Party on July 26. Visitors taking in this outdoor event a short drive from Sechelt will be reminded that summer is a super time to look up and experience our spectacular skies.
“It’s a never ending display of celestial wonders,” says local star watcher and RASC member, Charles Ennis, “give me a dark sky with no clouds and I’ll show you a lot of stuff.”
This will be the first event for the Sandy Hook area to make use of the Coast Society’s telescopes with keen astronomers sharing knowledge of cosmos with the public. Astronomy club spokesperson, Ennis says it’s a great way to reconnect with the night skies.
“People are encouraged to do all kinds of things to connect with nature,” Ennis said, but many forget how stargazing does that so well. Weather permitting, the Sandy Hook Star Party starts at 7:30 pm when solar scopes will be set up for viewing flares and sun spots. The night scopes will be set up by 9 pm at Tot Park, which is at the corner of Deerhorn Dr. and Skookumchuk Rd.
“This is the first time we’ve held this event, (at this location) and if it is successful we may make it a yearly one,” Ennis noted.
Some cosmic events to enjoy include solar flares and sunspots, Perseid meteor showers and Super Moon events along with Saturn, Spica and a comet called Swift-Tuttle.
Coming up on August 16 from 1 pm until 11:30 pm there’s Astronomy in the Park star party at Porpoise Bay Provincial Park, also sponsored by the Coast Astronomers. The club will again invite the public to peek through high-tech telescopes, get facts from the information booth along with star finders, moon maps, activities Cosmic Event continued from page 1 and more. An amphitheatre presentation will feature amateur astronomers of all ages talking about all the important work amateurs do, as there are so many things to keep track of in our universe. Then night scopes will be tuned to sky features that reveal more heavenly bodies for all to enjoy.
As a hobby or a professional stargazer, one has a completely different sense of the kind of wonders night skies have to offer, Ennis said, adding they are thrilled to share their enthusiasm with the public. When you put on events and start showing people things in the sky, Ennis explained, it amazes them just how much stuff is out there.
“Our ancestors, who sat around campfires would know exactly what they were seeing because they saw it all the time, but we have acquired some disconnection with our skies,” he noted.
Telescopes are also akin to time machines, he enthused, in that the farther away you are looking, the farther into the past we are seeing cosmic events that happen in our universe.
The Sunshine Coast Centre of the Royal Canadian Astronomical Society hosts events throughout the year, including astro cafes at Davis Bay and other locations. Memberships are also available. For info: see the website http:// sunshinecoastastronomy. wordpress.com
Phone: 778-458-2666 or e-mail cuhulain@telus.net
Apryl Veld
