Cloudy skies greeted 10 members (adults) of the Arva Friendship Club to the Cronyn Observatory for Exploring the Stars, Tuesday, February 12th, 2013, 7:00 p.m. Graduate student Emily McCullough made her digital slide presentation, “A Tour of Our Neighbourhood,” and this was followed by a tour of the dome.
RASC London Centre member Dave McCarter arrived, bringing the London Centre’s 25.4cm Dobsonian telescope optical tube with a newly installed 8 X 50mm right-angle finderscope. However, when placed on the Dobsonian mount it was found to be too heavy at the front end. Dave left early in the evening and a counterweight for the telescope will be installed later.
Upstairs in the dome Emily showed them the communications tower in south London through the Observatory’s 25.4cm refractor, using the 32mm Erfle eyepiece (137X). Emily and RASC London Centre member Everett Clark also showed them the weathervane on the roof of the Engineering building through the London Centre’s 25.4cm Dobsonian, using the 17mm Nagler eyepiece (66X). Everett also showed them the communications tower through the Observatory’s Meade 8-inch (20.3cm) Schmidt-Cassegrain, using the 26mm Plossl eyepiece (77X).
Bringing the group back downstairs into the lecture room, Emily distributed 10 “Star Finder” planispheres to the group and showed them how to assemble and use them. She also distributed 10 “Secrets of the Night Sky” sky charts (Canadian Space Agency). She also gave them advice on purchasing an amateur telescope. RASC London Centre member Bob Duff arrived around 8:50 p.m., just as Emily was finishing up with the “Star Finder” planispheres and “Secrets of the Night Sky” sky charts. The event finished up around 9:00 p.m. after a very enjoyable and informative evening about astronomy.
Bob Duff
Higher Education Liaison
RASC London Centre