Hamilton Amateur Astronomers: Mallincams: For Outreach and Observing in Light Polluted Areas

As light pollution impacts the abilities of amateur astronomers to view with their telescopes anything faint in cities or the suburbs, they are forced to drive greater distances to reach dark sites. But what if it were possible to observe faint deep sky objects from the heart of the city or suburb light domes? This presentation will show how astro-video technologies can take you beyond the ordinary eyepiece views in light-polluted skies.

Francois van Heerden
Francois van Heerden is a life member of the Toronto Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. He does ongoing public outreach but to engage young people, realized he needed to be able to deliver a more immersive experience to catch their attention. The solution presented itself in a panel discussion at Ad Astra (the Science-Fiction and Fantasy literary convention) one year. The MC, Larry Stewart (a well-known illustrator of books) complained loudly in an astronomy session about something called a Mallincam and having to yell at Rock Mallin to stop ruining his night vision by putting M13 on a large monitor!  And the rest is history – the Mallincam technology is revolutionizing outreach. The Mallincam is revolutionizing observing for amateurs – especially for those individuals who want to engage in research projects such as occultation timing or measuring planetary transits of distant stars.

Door Prizes
There will be a draw for door prizes at the meeting and a free door prize ticket to all who arrive before the 7:30 start time!

Food Share Donations
Donations of non-perishable food for the Hamilton Food Share program will be collected at this meeting. Please drop off any items at the drop-box located near the entrance of the auditorium. All donations gratefully accepted and thanks to your generosity we’ve collected thousands of pounds of food since we began. Let’s keep up the great work as the need continues.

Who can attend: Everyone
Fee: Free
Reservations: Not required
Organized by: Hamilton Amateur Astronomers
Location: The Hamilton Spectator, 44 Frid Street, Hamilton, ON  L8N 3G3 (near the junction of Highway 403 and Main St. West)

http://www.amateurastronomy.org/mallincams-outreach-observing-light-polluted-areas/