Stargazing & Meteor Watching at Elk Island National Park - Fri, Aug 13 2010

Stargazing & Meteor Watching at Elk Island National Park (8/13/2010)

PRE-REGISTRATION & PAYMENT REQUIRED: Once you've reviewed the event details, and decided you'd like to join us, you MUST sign up at the bottom of this page. After you sign up at the bottom, you will be presented with information about how to pay. Late payments are NOT accepted for this event, in any circumstance.

You are STRONGLY encouraged to read this page in its entirety before signing up. If you'd like to attend, we ask that you abide by our rules and procedures as a time/cost saving process (with an end result of keeping membership free and lower cost events).

The Basics:

Event Type:

Overnight

Event Location:

Elk Island National Park

Date(s) & Time:

Fri, Aug 13 2010 6:30 PM

Registration Cut Off:

Thu, Jul 29 2010 6:00:00 PM

Event Duration:

Overnight

Difficulty Rating:

D2: Easy to Moderate

Event Coordinator(s):

Ryan
You must be logged in to get the Event Coordinator contact information.

Member Cost:

$10.50/Person (See Detailed Cost Info Below)

Participant Info:

Who's Invited:

Members Only, All - DO NOT USE

Maximum Group Size:

Minimum Group Size:

Number Registered So Far:

12 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)

Are Dogs Permitted:

Itinerary:

In September 2006, the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve was established as a partnership between the Royal Astronomical Society – Edmonton, the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada. The Beaver Hills Preserve is a 300 square kilometre region, and includes Elk Island National Park and the Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area.

On August 12, the Perseids Meteor Shower, which is active from July 17 - August 24th, will reach its peak. So, if we can get clear skies on the night of August 13th, we should see a really good show. Even better, there is a new moon on August 10th, which means that there should be very little moonlight blocking our view on the night of the 13th.

The plan for this trip is very simple: Travel out to Elk Island on Friday evening and set up camp at the Sandy Beach campground on Astotin Lake. During the evening we'll socialize around a campfire, and late in the evening we'll walk to the Astotin Lake beach to watch this awesome celestial show.

Expect to be getting back to camp late (possibly after midnight) after stargazing. The stars are blocked out by the city lights in Edmonton, so we should really make the most of this opportunity. Make sure that you dress warmly (in layers), as even though this event is planned for late summer, we will be away from our campsite, and the late evening/early morning air could get rather chilly. It is particularly likely that you will get chilly participating in an activity such as stargazing where you are not moving around. Please also have a look at the etiquette rules for darksites. In particular, flash photography and any other forms of white lights (flashlights with regular white light, matches) should not be used when we are stargazing.

Of course, stargazing is obviously highly weather dependent. If it just appears that the weather will be too cloudy for stargazing, we'll still try to camp as planned, but may have to lose out on the stargazing aspect of the event.

I am planning to book 3 campsites at the Sandy Beach campground in Elk Island National Park. Maximum occupancy for these sites is 2 tents/6 people per site. Please let me know in advance if you have a tent you can bring and a partner you intend to share a tent with.

I'm not planning to formally organize a carpool for this event, and I recommend that everyone arrange their own rides with someone you know and can rely on. I will of course help to arrange rides for anyone who needs it. Please note that refunds will not be given if a carpool arrangement falls through.

Required Items to Bring:
Parks pass or money for park entry
Tent
Sleeping Bag
Food

Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.
Flashlight that produces red light
Binoculars or Telescope
Star chart
Warm jacket
Toque, gloves/mittens
Something to lie on (e.g. thermarest)
A blanket

How to Get There:

Event Directions:

Take the Yellowhead Highway east out of Edmonton. Travel east on Highway 16/Yellowhead approximately 20km past Ardrossen. Turn left to enter the park. Follow the main road through the park to the Sandy Beach Campground at Astotin Lake.

Notes:

- Registration is NOT COMPLETE until you've signed up and paid by the registration cut off date. The money must be in the EOC's possession by that date. No exceptions.
- When a minimum group size appears, this is to let you know that the event will be cancelled with refunds to those who have already paid, if the minimum number of registered participants is not met. For any events where EOC needs a minimum number of participants, there will be absolutely no refunds of money if you cancel.
- We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines at all times while participating in EOC events.
- Please scroll through and read the entire online waiver when you sign up.
- Details of this event are subject to undergo a change at any point in time, with or without warning.

Cost & Payment:

Member Cost:

$10.50/Person

Non-Member Cost:

$10.50/Person

Cost Includes:

Camping fees/fire permit for Sandy Beach Campground

Payment Cut Off:

Payment must be received by the EOC on Thu, Jul 29 2010.

Make a Payment:

Click here for the details. PLEASE PAY AFTER YOU HAVE SIGNED UP BELOW.

Voluntary Donation: ( What is this?)
Suggested donation amount for this event is: $2.00/Person.

Cancellation/Partial Attendance:
Please review our Cancellation Policy carefully!