General Assembly & Saskatchewan Summer Star Party

by Richard Huziak and Kathleen Houston, SSSP Registrars

Hello everyone! Greetings from the General Assembly/Sask Summer Star Party - Aug 13 - 16, 2009!

Well - it is 2 weeks to go to the first-ever RASC General Assembly held at a Dark-Sky Preserve, or a star party, for that matter, and here's the poop!

We have 306 people registered as of July 14 - this alone will make it the largest SSSP ever, and we still have a month of later registrants to go! Our larger attendance will put a strain on our facilities, but we will do our best to make things run smoothly. Currently registrants from 9 provinces,1 territory and a few US states are making plans to be with us!

If you haven't registered yet, it is about time that you did! If you intend to walk-in last minute, you will likely not have the Friday Social or Saturday banquet available since there are only 50 tickets left for each - likely will be gone within the next 8 days. Plan to get your mail-in registrations to us by the August long weekend, or if you will decide later than that, just wait to pay at the star party, since organizers will be on site by August 11 or 12. Drop in participants are always welcome.

The Website.

The accommodation situation remains the same - we are short resort hotel/cabin/condo rooms - same as we were a year ago - so if you are holding onto a room you won't use or are willing to double up, please let me know so we can fill some of our waiting list. If you need to stay under a roof and haven't booked yet, then you will need to stay in Maple Creek, 20 minutes away. You should also book for the 2010 SSSP soon - we will have a room shortage then, too, since they are still renovating the cabins. 2011 onward will have the full contingent of rooms available. If you are camping - no problem - the Meadows campground is huge. Bring your own table, though - always chronically short of picnic tables up there. There are only about 48 powered sites.

Winery Tour - we have room for about 18 more people, and the tour will not conflict with the National Council close-out meeting, so NC members can either leave with the main tour or catch up soon after if you want to go! Sign up now!

Moon at GA/SSSP 2009 - we planned this star party with the 3rd quarter moon in the sky during the first night as not to conflict with Starfest and their organizers who are attending our GA/SSSP. So come on time and stay after the official GA/SSSP dates to enjoy dark skies of the Cypress Hills DSP. Even though we will have some moon to start, you will be treated to an occultation of the Pleiades by the moon on Aug 13/14 - watch the stars wink out on the bright edge and reappear on the dark edge. You will have to be set up on the S side of the Meadows to see this, since it occurs low in the sky.

• 2009 August 12-13 - Perseid Meteor Peak (Bruce McCurdy will give a meteor clinic on Friday, Aug 14) Last Quarter Moon
• 2009 August 13-14 - Jupiter at Opposition Waning Moon Occults the Pleiades
• 2009 August 16-17 - Neptune Opposition
• 2009 August 19-20 - New Moon