more observing evenings???

[ApophisAstros]

Going on from my reply to myself, has it ever been put
forward for more regular observing evenings at high elms?
Perhaps contact each other by text at the last minute
If clear skies or not,  picking the best night each week
I'd be prepared to do some organising or holding of
Keys etc
Just wanted to put this out there......
   Roger

[Mike]

Roger,

Sounds to me like you are volunteering to take over as Observing Officer, for which we of course need a volunteer for

I don't think we can get ad hoc observing nights as we have to inform Beeche in advance so they can arrange for the top gate to be opened.

However, there are plenty of other public spots dotted around the area that could be used at short notice. We quite often walk over to the playground opposite the pub for adhoc observing on occasion, though its not as dark as High Elms.

[Rick]

Basically it's down to the Observing Officer. Once upon a time there were often two observing evenings a month, but quite a few of them had rather low turn-outs. I know this because I was Observing Officer at the time...
If the Observing Officer is willing to go and sit in the pub twice a month rather than once, I doubt folk will complain.

I understand the post of Observing Officer will fall vacant in February...

[ApophisAstros]

Roger,

Sounds to me like you are volunteering to take over as Observing Officer, for which we of course need a volunteer for

I don't think we can get ad hoc observing nights as we have to inform Beeche in advance so they can arrange for the top gate to be opened.

However, there are plenty of other public spots dotted around the area that could be used at short notice. We quite often walk over to the playground opposite the pub for adhoc observing on occasion, though its not as dark as High Elms.

how far in advance do you have to inform beeche ?

[Mike]

No idea to be honest as Miriam has always taken care of that. Miriam can you answer that one?

[mickw]

Are the fees we pay to BEECHE dependent on the amount of evenings we go there ?

IIRC a member of staff has to come and open the main gate - so a fee could be required
Also the owners of the gatehouse might get a bit peed off if it becomes frequent.

[Mike]

No I open the main gate. We need then to unlock the top post.

As far as I know we do not pay for the observing evenings.

Roger - If I were you I would find out if there is an appetite from the membership for extra observing evenings first. As it is we struggle to get people to come to the current ones. There are less and less people turning up to both observing evenings and deep sky camps unfortunately.

[Kenny]

I would be interested in a wider variety of adhoc events based upon the weather ie clear tonight let's go out. Depends whether the High Elms site would allow short notice access. I'd also be interested in other accessible sitesif we can find any. The park opposite the pub is a compromise at best. We need somewhere darker.