39 replies to this topic

[JWBriggs]

Regarding youth-friendly programs, I regret to say that ESSP 2024 will not feature any beyond what the simple experience of being at the rustic Montosa Camp can offer.  Beyond the natural environment, the event will be for hard-core astronomy enthusiasts, most of whom will be tent camping between Juniper trees.  (See photos posted above in this thread.)

 

Other annual events, like Stellafane in Vermont, are doing a great job to include special activities for kids.  That organization, however, is a century old and has a much larger team of dedicated volunteers running it.  2024 will be ESSP's first time at the Montosa site, and we'll be learning a lot in the process.  My own hunch is that the Camp will prove an ideal location for a long-running and ongoing star party.  With the relatively high altitude, the dark skies, and the general freedom & elbow room, participants need only hope for luck with the weather.  We've been unusually lucky with clear skies at ESSP in recent years.

 

I can share that our lineup of featured speakers is very good, and I'll report more about them as soon as possible.  It's also working out that we'll have a cook operating the camp kitchen, which will allow a meal plan to be offered to registrants.  I'll post more about that here when details are confirmed.

 

An example we're following from Stellafane, by the way, will be the option of informal, fast-paced contributed short talks on late Friday afternoon.  In other words, if you are coming, please consider sharing a presentation about yourself, your astronomical interests, a work in progress, etc.  These will run Friday starting at 5:00 PM, and similar to Stellafane, held to 12 minutes and/or 20 images.  A windows PC and a full HDMI projector will be available.  Register by contacting me, first-come first-served.  (Informal presentations have been a very popular feature at Stellafane for many years.)

 

We also anticipate an excellent environment for an astronomical swap-meet running Saturday morning, October 5th.

 

--John W. Briggs,

ESSP Program Chair,

  writing for Magdalena Astronomical Society, Inc.

[Etrsi_645]

What are the approximate high and low temperatures in early October?

[steveastrouk]

What are the approximate high and low temperatures in early October?

Between 67-36 F at Magdalena, you are fractionally higher at the site.

[houstonderk]

I signed up and hopefully will get time off work for it. While I was looking at the Okie tex party, I am glad to see another option that is around the new mexico area.

[holdt]

I've just competed registration. It will be my first visit to the Magdalena/VLA area in 20 years. I will be bringing a 127mm MakCass and binoculars.

[Stevo_K]

Besides Cabins, RV hook-ups and the lecture hall,  what amenities are available?  
Are there restrooms? Showers? 
Will there be a dedicated observing area?  Or will we set up wherever we're camping/staying?

[holdt]

Hi Stevo_K,

 

According to the Magdalena Astro Soc. website there will be a restroom, not sure about showers.  I haven't seen any indication of whether there will be a dedicated observing area.  Also, it is not clear where the camping will be.  RV sites and cabins are identified on the map but there is no indication whether camping will be dispersed or...

 

From their website:     For any inquiries regarding the star party, please contact us at : esspchair@enchantedskies.org

Edited by holdt, 22 September 2024 - 05:12 PM.

[Stevo_K]

Hi Stevo_K,

 

According to the Magdalena Astro Soc. website there will be a restroom, not sure about showers.  I haven't seen any indication of whether there will be a dedicated observing area.  Also, it is not clear where the camping will be.  RV sites and cabins are identified on the map but there is no indication whether camping will be dispersed or...

 

From their website:     For any inquiries regarding the star party, please contact us at : esspchair@enchantedskies.org

According to the website, and reservation form, camping is dispersed.

It would be nice to be able to take a shower, though...

[JWBriggs]

Hi Folks--

 

This is our first time using this site, so it will be something of a learning experience for all of us.  But I can relay this: 

 

Yes, there is a restroom building with male & female areas, each side with two showers and two real toilets.  It's an older building and this is rural New Mexico, and its's a camp.  But for whatever compromise the setting entails, it comes with very dark skies!

 

Also, we are renting two portable toilets including two hand-wash stations, similar to previous years.  (And egad, they have become expensive!)

 

While the RV hookups are, of course, in a structured area, the general camping will be dispersed, as I would describe how it is at Stellafane and in the old days at RTMC at Camp Oaks in California.  We envision three suggested observing areas and are naming them after the stars of the Summer Triangle.  At past ESSPs, some people have set up equipment in a central observing area, while others set up near their car/RV/tent.  The choice will continue to be up to the participant.  I myself like setting up with plenty of space around me.  This is certainly possible at Montosa Camp!

 

If all goes pretty well this year at Montosa Camp, I have a strong hunch we'll plan to continue there in the future.  This year, especially with the transition to a new site and our ongoing adjustment to natural turnover in our small Magdalena astronomy club, we decided to run ESSP for only three nights.  In some previous years, we've dared to run it longer, especially to make the experience worthwhile for people travelling long distances.  The length of ESSP will be an ongoing careful consideration, and I myself hope it can evolve into a week-long event.  It will depend simply on the interest of the participants!

 

Finally, we can relay that the lecture venue is especially nice at this camp -- it's a relatively new metal building that was built as a spacious chapel, with excellent male & female restroom facilities.  The camp is large, so the chapel is maybe a couple minutes' walk from, say, the kitchen & rustic dining area.  A suggested observing area near the chapel may have the best view of the southern horizon.  The VLA radio telescope array is to the southwest and is about eight miles distant.

 

The only unfortunate thing about this site is how very few cabins & "rooms" there are.  It's truly mainly a "camp." 

 

The speaker's program is reasonably final, and I'm attaching a low-resolution copy of it.  Please check it out.  We are very proud of our distinguished volunteer speakers!

 

--John W. Briggs,

ESSP 2024 Program Chair,

writing for MAS., Inc., and the ESSP Local Organizing Committee 

Attached Files

•  ESSP 2024 Program Draft Version 2 very low res.pdf   438.43KB   53 downloads

Edited by JWBriggs, 22 September 2024 - 07:55 PM.

[JWBriggs]

I attach below a supplement to our Program that encourages participation in our informal Friday "Twilight Talks" session, October 4.

 

Cheers–

 

--JWB.

 

 

 Friday Twilight Talks.pdf   108.28KB   41 downloads

 

 

[houstonderk]

Some easy to post gopro timelapses for the 3 nights at the site. The facebook page doesn't allow posts so will just post here. Of course the image file sizes here are very small as well.

 

https://youtu.be/nEr...97xLfSJ_SijiHkF

[steveastrouk]

A great event. Will be back !

10/10 in all areas.

[ClownFish]

I had a wonderful 3 nights under those incredible Bortle-1 skies. 
 

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[ClownFish]

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[houstonderk]

Got done with my images but this site has very limited size inputs so just linking my facebook post with the images for ease. I did 1 target per night with each of the 2 scopes and stuck with galaxy type targets for the 12.5 cdk planewave and dark nebula with the 100mm lunt mt while doing solar during the day with it.

 

https://www.facebook...BYA27RgG878bnt/

 

For more statistic info regarding capture info, please refer to my telescopius page.

 

https://telescopius....ile/houstonderk