DSC 29 - 31st July

[Carole]

I have started this thread off, but I shall be away myself.

Any-one who is interested please sign up here, but you'll have to suss out a camp and let them know yourselves.  I am pretty sure you guys have the phone number for Cairds which is unlikley to be able to accommodate you, otherwise there is Running Waters New Romney or anything else any-one can come up with.

Carole

[julian]

I will also be away   

julian

[Carole]

I'm going to take my DSLR camera with me as I shall be camping in the Van in Shropshire with hubby and the dog, so if the skies are clear, hoping to get some widefield imaging which I have done little of. Not taking the full rig due to space, and not having fellow members to keep an eye on my kit and having to go out during the day time.   

DSC enthusiasm seems to have waned of late, is it lack of enthusiasm, or availability? I know the weather is often against us, but there have been a few chances when we could have gone but not enough people were interested.

We don't appear to have done an OAS DSC since October 2015.

Carole

[Fay]

well a  lot of the time, DSC is on the same dates as Kelling, and if it was not, we would have to have a while to sort ourselves out from one star camp to another. People at work have to book off work in advance, and Kelling is paid for in advance.

there are no new members that are interested in going, the only thing new members are interested in, is the monthly meeting. this is always successful, with a lot of good speakers.

Because of the bad skies, DSC has to be a social time as well as a decent sky time. if only a couple of people go, there is no social side. we used to go, bad weather or not, but then, we always had a  good attendance of regulars.

I would have thought new younger members would be around, being that Outreach does such a good job, but we see  a younger "possible" arrive once and thats the last we see of them. if we already had a younger contingency, I think new ones would be more willing to stay.

what is the answer, what does everyone think?  I say "everyone" but how many look on the forum? only about the same 6 of us.

It would be good for the imagers to mix in with another club, but there are none in the nearish vacinity.

it seems observing night is none existent, I must say Doug & Rose have continued to try and support it, to no avail. even observing nights, a few years ago, used to have a good attendance, good sky or not, mostly not.

If there is a solution, for DSC and Observing nights, i know not what it is. 

Fay

[Carole]

Well I personally would be willing to go even if there was only me and one other person just to get the dark skies.

Carole

[doug]

Well said, Fay. There area lot of home truths in your post.... I have made suggestions that the Observing evening be restarted in October but have had naff comments from some people. I assumed that the Observing evenings was the Observing Officers job and if the light night months were ill attended because of not getting dark until about 23.00 hrs, it may be better to curtail them until October. And now I`m in the doo-doos for suggesting the idea.... No wonder the attendance is dropping for the observing evenings; I think I will retire under a stone and lick my wounds....I jest

It`ll all be alright on the night..... we hope.

Despondent Doug.

[The Thing]

Dear Despondent Doug.

A thought - maybe newbies would be more interested in observing evenings if they were informed what they might be able to observe - I know they get a list a the monthly meeting but it would do no harm to repeat it then they will know why they should bother. A bit more outreachy and handholdy as well.

Likewise for DSCs. The first qualification for nebies is liking camping not being an expert observer or imager so maybe it should be presented as camping in a dark place with a few knowledgeable persons available to help find their way round the skies. Certainly when I first went to a DSC it was for the camping and to get to know other society members.

I can't help feeling that Facebook is now the place to 'advertise' the societies activities as people only need to subscribe to the appropriate page to always be informed when its updated. Not that I am a Facebook user but then I'm relatively old these days and was brought up on bulletin boards and new fangled forums. My wife however is always on it

BTW this thread is well hijacked! Sorry Carol, maybe Rick can split it.

Duncan

[doug]

Thanks for the constructive comments, Duncan. Always welcome. Will do.

Doug. Cheerful now.

[RachelC]

Hi Carol

I have spoken with you separately about being interesting in a DSC in the fall but only if it is the place that has the b&b and I can get a room!!

I am afraid there won't be any compromise from me regarding staying in a tent, campervan etc...

Let me know when you are thinking of dates and even if we have to tweak it slightly so there is availability of a room for me and even if it's just a couple of us, I think it would be a really good experience for me.

And it will be my first one too so I can practice lots of stuff! And it will be a social too.

Thanks 

Rachel

[Carole]

Well a few meetings ago, I did do a presentation on what the DSC experience would be like including options and help on hand.  I was hoping that would drum up some interest. 

I think the guy from London (can't remember his name, who did the transit of Mercury), was interested, and Rachel said she might come when she can get B&B at Cairds.

Carole

[MarkS]

The DSC weekend coincides with the New Romney Country Fayre on Saturday where I am helping to man the AAS (Ashford Astro Soc) stall.

So on Thursday night we have the OAS meeting.
Friday night Greg is the speaker at the AAS meeting - I definitely can't miss that!
Saturday during the day I'll be at New Romney.

If DSC is held at New Romney then I'll definitely come along otherwise the logistics might rule out Friday night for me.

Mark

[Fay]

what are the good points about Ashford Society, Mark? I am thinking they may have a younger contingency. 

[MarkS]

what are the good points about Ashford Society, Mark? I am thinking they may have a younger contingency.

1) It meets just 3 miles from where I live
2) There are a good number of young people and children - it is deliberately a family friendly society.  It aims to pass on a love of astronomy to the next generation.
3) Every monthly meeting night is also a potential observing night - if the skies are clear the scopes and binos will be out.

Mark