Sunday Evening Barbecue
To welcome everybody on Sunday evening, we will start with a complimentary barbecue at the camp's fire pit. The dining room is also available in case of a fire ban.
The barbecue is made possible by the kind generosity of our meal sponsor, Eric Brown, from Austin, TX.
Eric is a representative of Aldoria, a company that collects, processes and leverages space situational awareness data to protect critical assets in space.
Aldoria, head-quartered in Paris, France, has collaborated with the Medicine Hat Astronomy Club to deploy a 5-scope remote-controlled monitoring station in southern Alberta.
If you will be joining us for the barbecue and any of your party have specific dietary requirements, e.g. vegetarian or gluten-free, please let us know when you register.
Complimentary Coffee Bar
A complimentary coffee bar will run throughout the week, thanks to the great people at South Country Co‑op Ltd.
South Country Co‑op is a leader in community support programs, and generously assists many local organizations such as ours. Please support their business whenever you can.
Please click the graphic to visit South Country Co‑op's web site.
Children's Astronomy Workshop
A fun and educational, hands-on experience for all of our budding young astronomers.
Provisionally scheduled for 11:00am on Monday, 22nd September.
Laser Sky-Tour
A chance for beginners to learn about the autumn constellations and their showcase attractions under very dark sky conditions.
Scheduled for 9:00pm on the evening of Monday, 22nd September, but will be postponed until the first clear night if cloudy.
On-site Vendor - All-Star Telescope
We are pleased to have the extremely knowledgeable and helpful people from All-Star Telescope join our star party to provide for all our astronomy and astrophotography equipment needs.
All-Star Telescope is Canada’s go-to shop for telescopes, astrophotography equipment and binoculars. They love astronomy, astrophotography, and birding, and are enthusiastic about helping people enjoy these hobbies.
Please click the graphic to visit All-Star Telescope's web site.
Save the Shipping!
Let All-Star Telescope know before the event of any particular items you would like to buy, or even just have a closer look at, and if possible they will bring them for you, saving you the shipping costs!
Lukasz Gornisiewicz's Slideshows
Lukasz is excited to show everybody his latest wide-field astrophotos.
Provisionally scheduled for 2:00pm on Monday, 22nd September.
Star Party Telescopes
For those without their own telescopes, and for hard-core imagers who do not have room to pack any visual equipment, we provide three Dobsonian telescopes, with Telrads and eyepieces, for anyone to use.
These Sky-Watcher 8" telescopes are simple and intuitive, and anyone can learn to use one in less than a minute!
Buy-and-Sell Tables
Tables will be available for attendees to sell their surplus stuff, and hopefully find some interesting new stuff.
Provisionally scheduled for 11:00am on Tuesday, 23rd September.
Feature Presentations
Twilight Dipper: Looking northwest on a late summer's evening from one of Ken Hewitt-White's favourite high-altitude observing sites in Manning Provincial Park, B.C.
Ken Hewitt-White: Having Fun Under BC Skies
2:00pm on Wednesday, 24th September.
Long-time telescope enthusiast Ken Hewitt-White takes a trip down memory lane to some of the rural and high-altitude observing haunts he frequented during the 1990s and early 2000s.
His old colour slides finally digitized, Ken relives enjoyable and light-hearted stargazing moments he’s never forgotten.
Join him for the journey!
2:00pm on Wednesday, 24th September.
Chilean Skies: The Milky Way glitters over an observatory in the Andes Mountains near Vicuna, Chile. Photo by John Nemy.
John Nemy: Island in the Stars
2:00pm on Wednesday, 24th September.
Astronomy offers personal perspectives like no other field of study.
From the coffee shops of Cairo in Egypt, to the pristine, high-altitude skies of the Atacama Desert in Chile, John Nemy’s multi-media show carries the audience on a unique voyage into the cosmos.
Come for the images — and John’s own music!
Weekend Observing Challenge
Participate in a fun observing challenge that will lead you to twenty fascinating targets in the September sky.
Awards will be presented to the first 5 people that complete the challenge at this year's star party.
The challenge awards are generously sponsored by Eagle Butte Observatory.
James Paulson: The Mystery of Ringed Systems
2:00pm on Thursday, 25th September (provisional).
James presents a hypothesis and supporting data on the present collection of ringed planetary systems, and an examination of our ideas on planetary evolution in the modern astronomy era.
Astronomy Cinema
Astronomy related programming will be presented throughout the week in the auditorium.
Open Mic
Participants will have the opportunity to make short presentations to the group on any subject they choose, as long as it is something generally related to astronomy or the hobby.
A laptop computer feeds an LCD projector and a sound system. Powerpoint presentations are ideal.
Astrophotography Contest
Our astrophotography contest is open to all registrants and will be judged by SASP participants. See the SASP 2024 gallery for last year's winners.
Awards will be given for the most voted-for astrophotos in each of four categories; wide-field, solar system, deep-sky, and 'image from event'.
For more information or to submit an entry, click the button below.
