Stargazing & Meteor Watching at Elk Island National Park - Fri, Aug 15 2008, Sat, Aug 16 2008

Stargazing & Meteor Watching at Elk Island National Park (8/15/2008)

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 15 2008, Sat, Aug 16 2008 6:30 PM (Carpool Departure: 5:30 PM *log in for location*)

Registration Cut Off:

Sun, Jul 27 2008 6:00:00 PM

Event Duration:

2 days

Difficulty Rating:

D1: Easy

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:

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

Are Dogs Permitted:

Itinerary:

Did you know that Elk Island National Park was recently designated as part of a dark sky preserve? 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. Unfortunately, Aug 12 is on a Tuesday - not the most convenient night for viewing it. Even though the meteor shower will not be at its peak intensity on August 15th, it should still be awesome!

The plan for this trip is very simple: Travel out to Elk Island on Friday evening. Set up camp at the Sandy Beach campground on Astotin Lake. Find a large open spot, where we will lie back and watch the stars and meteors.

Stargazing is obviously highly weather dependent. There are three possible scenarios for this event: a) if the weather will be clear, we will go as planned on Friday night. b) if the weather is expected to be cloudy on Friday, I will attempt to re-schedule our camping reservations for Sat Aug 16. c) if the weather will be too cloudy both evenings for stargazing (but is still appropriate for camping), we will still camp as planned. Details about any rescheduling to this event would be announced a couple of days before (when the weather forecast is available).

For stargazing – expect to be getting back to camp late (after midnight). 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 especially 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.

Camping: I will book 3 campsites at the Sandy Beach campground in Elk Island National Park. Maximum occupancy for these sites is 6 people and 2 tents per site. I will coordinate the sharing of tents and other camping equipment as necessary.

It is recommended that members arrange their own rides with someone they know and can rely on. I will of course help arrange a carpool for those that need it, but please note that refunds will not be given if a carpool arrangement falls through. And as with any carpool event, non-driving members may be bumped for driving members on the waitlist if we do not have enough drivers.

Carpool payment: for those that do want the EOC to arrange the carpool for you, we have a new communal payment system. Please DO NOT pay your drivers en route. Passengers will pay me and I will distribute the money to the carpool drivers evenly. SO PLEASE BRING CASH!!!

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
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.

Carpool to Event Distance (round trip):

85Km

Carpool Departure Time:

5:30 PM

Carpool Location:

Carpool Directions:

Carpool Cost:

The event coordinator(s) will help you to arrange a centralized carpool if you require it, but it's not guaranteed. Please DO NOT pay your driver en route. Passengers will pay the coordinator, and he/she will distribute the money to the carpool drivers. SO PLEASE BRING CASH!!! Approximate vehicle expense for this event is $24.65 (calculated at total Km * $0.29, effective Monday, April 29, 2024). This is based on $0.09/Km for maintenance, plus current gas price divided by 9. This cost will be multiplied by the number of carpooled cars, and divided by the number of carpool participants.

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 Sun, Jul 27 2008.

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!