Part 1 of my "How dew you dew" action for the Free State Star Party 3 - 5 June 2016

#FSstarparty
Dealing with dew at the Free State Star Party.
Maybe it will help. Some amateur astronomers are skeptical (3rd link). Maybe  a disk at the back to force more air onto the mirror as suggested by the author..

 Will use the fan  in combination  with heater made from nichrome wire (old electric blanket).
- Eyepiece area
- Secondary mirror

I will give feedback after the weekend.

Hannes Pieterse

Some links to helpfull web sites:
Using fans with Newtonian telescopes

Attaching a Cooling Fan to Newtonian Telescope

A simple telescope fan installation

To dew or not to dew and what to dew about it...

Get your dewing in place for the Free State Star Party 3-5 June 2016

 Image sourced from Deep-sky watch

Some "How dew you dew?"  web pages:
Dealing With Dew - By: Alan MacRobert | July 28, 2006 - Sky and telescope
Don't "Dew" This With Your Telescope… April 29, 2010 by Brian Ventrudo - One Minute Astronomer
Fighting Dew  - Telecope.com
Dealing With Dew
Dew Prevention
Telescope and dewing - Astro Tom

Get practical

• Home Made Dew Control System for a Telescope 
• Dew Heater Control and the Arduino

• Dew Busters Controls
  - Resistor heaters
  - Nichrome heaters
  - Star Diagonal heater

• Everybody's Do-It-Yourself Dew Heater - by Alan M. MacRobert
• Making Dew Heaters
• Build a Dew Heater from Resistors
• Homemade Heater Strips
•  Really easy to make arduino dew heater controller
• Dew Heaters for Night Sky Photograph
• Automatic Heater Control  for the Prevention of Dew  (Pdf)
• Dew Shields for 20x80 Triplet Binoculars
• A Portable, Dew-Proof, Astronomy Hutch

Transit of Mercury - Boyden Observatory - Bloemfontein, 9 May 2016

Photo: Hannes Pieterse

Students  from the Department of Physics from the University of the Free State watch the Mercury transit projected by the 20 cm Coelostat (Solar Telescope)  at Boyden Observatory, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

• Photo Gallery of the Mercury transit

Sunspots AR 2542 and 2543 are clearly visible on the gallery images without cloud interference.

3rd Free State Star Party

Photo: Frans Human (ASSA Bloemfontein)

A Stary Party in the warm heart of Central South Africa

3 - 5  June 2016 (Friday - Sunday)

Where
On the farm Gansvlei close to Brandfort (13km)
GPS Coordinates:  28°47'48.63"S   26°28'25.66"E Gansvlei Information (Pdf) Booking via Shaun Staats  -   assabfn@gmail.com

GPS Coordinates  28°47'48.63"S   26°28'25.66"E
 Google Earth - Gansvlei - FS Star Party

• Photo`s 2015 FS Star Party
• Photo`s 2014 FS Star Party

Observation site
Storage room close to observing site during night/day.
Separate astro photography site available not to disturb serious observers.
Electricity available for telescope and electronic equipment (No kettles or heaters).
Observers must bring their own leads to get power from a central point in the veld.
Bring covers if you want to leave your equipment in the veld during the day.
 
- Have respect for your fellow observers. Use your headlight sparingly. You are blinding someone next to you. No bright white/red lights when observing starts. 

Deep-sky Marathon
ASSA Bloemfontein did the  first Deep-sky Marathon on Gansvlei in 2014 . (ASSA Top-100 Observing List). It is based on the very popular Messier Marathon. It was customized for deep sky objects visible in Southern-Africa.

 Visit the ASSA Marathon web page Sections – Deep-sky Section > Nebulae >  Clusters >
- Deep-Sky Marathons

The FS Star Party is not about marathons alone. It is also an event where astro friends will do some serious observing, astro photography and relax with hot coffee and serious braaiing. 

Weather
Extreme – In 2014 we measured - 7°C during the first night. Prepare with warm clothing and bedding. In 201 5 dew caused havoc. Bring your dew heaters. Come prepared!

Meals
Bring your own food according to your dietary preferences.
Hot beverages will be available during the night at a Coffee point
Central braai area available. We braai early to be ready for the nights observing.
Brandfort - 13 km
- Branfort Slaghuis/Butchery is the place to buy your meat   (14 Voortrekker St, Brandfort)

Bloemfontein 52 km

Provisional Programme

Friday  –  3 June 2016
Morning/Afternoon: Arriving and setting up at observing point
Evening - Early Morning:  Observing

Saturday –  4 June 2016
Morning: Visit Brandfort or sleep late; (No official programme)
Evening - Early Morning:  Observing

Sunday –  5 June 2016
Breakfast and we all leave! 

General
 
Cost (2016)
1. Registration fee – R100 p/p
 
2. Accommodation costs

Per night Tariff:
R100 per person per night. Include bed, hot shower, kitchen

Camp in own tent:
R80 per person per night.  Include bed, hot shower, kitchen (Bring your own bedding. It is deep winter – be prepared.

- Wood for barbeque (Saturday afternoon) available.

- Venue avaiulable for Friday and Saturday night (3/4 June)
 
Cash payment on arrival.
Contact Shaun Staats – via assabfn@gmail.com   

To book
Cut and paste the info below and email your information to assabfn@gmail.com  
 
Name / Surname:
ASSA Centre / Other:
Number of people:
Email:
Cell no:
Bed in Room  (Number):          (No single/double Rooms available)
Camp site:

Other accommodation
 Various  
  Ou Pastorie 
  Lekkeslaap – Near Brandfort

June is Deepsky Marathon Month at the Free State Star Party - Helpful links

• Deep-Sky Marathons (ASSA Website) 
  (Dunlop Catalogue and Lacaille List available on this page)
• Article in Nightfall "Birth of a Deep-Sky Marathon"
• Deep-Sky Observer’s Companion Database – DOCdb
• ASSA Top-100 Deep-Sky Observing List
• Saguaro Astronomy Club’s 2015 All Arizona Messier Marathon
• Free State Star Party
• Stellarium software
• Cartes du Ciel software
• Jet stream predictions for Southern Africa
• Deep-Sky Hunter Star Atlas 

Six naked-eye planets

In the last week of January and into the first week of February, all six naked-eye planets - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Earth - will be visible at the same time.

In the last week of January and into the first week of February, all six naked-eye planets - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Earth - will be visible at the same time.

Starting late-January, in the morning sky shortly before sunrise, six planets will be visible at the same time. The trickiest planet to catch will be Mercury, which - as the planet nearest the Sun and thus never moving too far from our bright star - will be low in the east before sunrise.

Start looking on the morning of January 23, when super-low Mercury may be visible before sunrise. It gets easier each morning afterwards.

From January 26 to about February 07, the Moon joins the sextet, waning to a beautiful slender crescent on February 06, when it makes a spectacular grouping with Venus and Mercury - this is not to be missed!

•  How to see the Gathering Of The Planets
• Visit psychohistorian.org

A Southern hemisphere astronomy bucket list

Zodiacal Light in the Free State sky during the 2015 Free State Star Party (Photo: Hannes Pieterse)

A Bucket List to die for!  Auke Slotegraaf, Section Director, Deep-sky Section (Astronomical Society of Southern Africa) created the list.

A Southern hemisphere astronomy bucket list

Category A: Earth and the solar system

• The Earth’s shadow
• A geostationary satellite
• A –8 mag. Iridium flare
• Structure in the International Space Station
• The zodiacal light & the gegenschein
• The green flash
• Complete list...

- Visit psychohistorian.org to see the rest and start observing to complete the list.
- Free State Star Party  3 - 5  June 2016

Bloemfontein - Observation of the International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) can easily be spotted with the naked eye. Because of its size (110m x 100m x 30m), it reflects a large amount of sunlight.
The best time to observe the ISS is when it is nighttime at your location, and the Space Station is sunlit. Often, such a viewing situation occurs in the morning before sunrise, or in the evening after sunset.

- View over Bloemfontein

Cloud formation ove Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa

VVV's oor Kaapstad? Nee, maar foto's van ongewone wolkformasies oor Tafelberg en die Skiereiland het die afgelope paar...
Posted by Die Burger on Tuesday, 10 November 2015

Comparison optical telescope primary mirrors

Read more....

• 10 Biggest Telescopes on Earth: How They Measure Up

Pre-order your astronomy wall calendar now!

Click to enlarge and read the pre-order information

Last year's astronomy wall calendar was extremely well received and I've decided to make one for 2016 (yes, it's almost next year already...).

Attached are the details and the October 24 pre-order offer.

If you think your members may be interested, please pass this on to them - thanks!

Send email to Auke (auke(at)psychohistorian.org) with your information.

Best regards,
Auke Slotegraaf