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From Friday, August 22nd to Sunday, August 24th, I joined fellow Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) Winnipeg Centre members for our annual Spruce Woods Star Party. The weather wasn’t always in our favour, but the weekend still had plenty of memorable moments, camaraderie, and glimpses of the night sky that remind me why I love star parties so much.  Star Party Community Tent Friday, August 22nd – Arrival and CloudsI arrived just over a half hour after sunset with just enough light left to set up the tent and inflate the air mattress (non-red lights are banned at night at star parties to protect night vision). The difference between Spruce Woods and city skies was immediately apparent when the clouds mostly cleared after camp setup was complete. The stars and constellations popped against the darker backdrop, far beyond what I normally see in Winnipeg or even at Bird’s Hill Provincial Park, which is still very much affected by light pollution from nearby Winnipeg. But as quickly as the stars appeared, the clouds rolled in and stayed for the rest of the night. I woke up a couple times hoping for a clearing, but clear skies never came. The thick clouds stuck through the morning, with the first hint of sunlight breaking through around 9:30-10am the next day. At least I had something to keep me engaged through the long, cloudy night: A lineup of excellent ‘Astrum Space’ astronomy podcasts (Apple Podcasts, YouTube Catalogue), always a great companion when the sky doesn’t cooperate (and before falling asleep on typical nights). Star Party Campsite Saturday, August 23rd – Activities, Tours, and ObservingThe morning began with optimism. I set up my SeeStar S50 to observe the sun peeking through a patch of sky—only for the clouds to move back in almost immediately. I packed it away and switched gears for a refreshing bike ride on campground trails. Kiche Manitou Campground has an amazing collection of paths connecting virtually all areas of the campground. Cycling or hiking the trails is the best way to get around.
Campground Trails Later came the swap meet, always a highlight. This year it was hosted by one of our members dressed as a pirate, making this amateur astronomer buy-and-sell even more fun.
Sadly, I missed this year’s telescope tour, but I believe it was brief. Coming back from the showers around 7:20pm, I overheard someone loudly say, “And that concludes the telescope tour”, or something to that effect. If true, that’s far shorter than the 1–2 hours of previous years. However it makes sense as not many scopes were set up due to the poor sky conditions. Later that night we got lucky, with the clouds breaking a bit for Gerry’s famous binocular tour. His tours are always a favourite of mine–packed with inspiration, facts, and cosmic perspective. He pointed out where Voyager 1 is located in our sky (the constellation Ophiuchus) and how far away it is (around one light-day from Earth). It’s one of the fastest human-made objects, yet would take thousands of years to reach Proxima Centauri (and that’s only if it were headed that way). He also showed how clusters of stars can appear spread across the sky because our solar system is drifting through them. We explored constellations and asterisms like Sagitta and the Coathanger within the Summer Triangle. That was just a taste of Gerry’s amazing tour. You’ll have to attend yourself for the full experience. ;) I’m seriously considering purchasing image-stabilized binoculars for next year (and to enhance my astronomy gear kit). I held back from purchasing them this time, but tours like Gerry’s really highlight their value. Too bad my not purchasing those binoculars didn’t help us get better weather (I’m referencing that amateur astronomer superstition/joke: Buy a new telescope, pair of binoculars, or desirable new astronomy gear, and the weather is guaranteed to turn on you—sometimes for quite a while). After the tour, I turned to my own gear. With my Celestron Regal M2 100mm ED spotting scope, I revisited some favourites: The Double Cluster in Perseus, the shimmering Pleiades, and the always-magnificent Saturn with its iconic rings. My SeeStar S50 also came back out, this time targeting deep-sky objects. I managed to image:
SeeStar's Object Information & My Images (Saturday Night/Sunday Morning) One of the SeeStar’s best qualities is that I can monitor it remotely from inside my tent—perfect for nights like this when the chill sinks in. I drifted in and out of sleep, waking up to switch targets before crawling back into my sleeping bag. By 4 am, I stepped outside one last time to pack everything up. Dew was everywhere (hooray for the anti-dew feature on my SeeStar S50 (Note: It runs the battery down faster)), but seeing Orion rising in the east alongside Taurus the Bull and the Pleiades, then turning to see the rest of the night sky, just filled me with awe and delight. Sunday, August 24th – Breakfast, Raffle, and FarewellSunday morning brought one of the most beloved traditions of the Star Party: The community breakfast. Plates were piled with sausages, pancakes, eggs, fruit, and hash browns (the latter disappearing especially quickly).  Members hard at work cooking breakfast. Then came the raffle. I walked away with a new toque and a screen/lens cleaning kit—useful prizes for future observing sessions and of particular note after the cold and dew this weekend. Afterward, we posed for a group photograph before packing up camp and heading back to the city. Even with the clouds, Spruce Woods was awesome. I’m already counting the days until next year’s Spruce Woods Star Party. With a little luck, the skies will open wider, the nights will last longer, and I’ll have my new image-stabilized binoculars in hand.
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