Commercial Exhibits
Astronomical dealers will be on hand to demonstrate and sell the latest from the world of astronomy. If there is something that you've been thinking of adding to your observing equipment and want to examine, or possibly test, under actual observing conditions, this is your golden opportunity. Commercial exhibits are located in the open field to the west of the main tent and along the roadway just north of the main tent.
Featured Manufacturers
Doug George, Diffraction Limited, "Polar Alignment Workshop", Doug George, Small Tent, Friday 4:30 p.m., is President of Diffraction Limited, an Ottawa-based company that produces astronomical imaging products including MaxIm DL, MaxDSLR and MaxPoint. In addition to enjoying astrophotography and observing occultations, Doug enjoys participating in patrol programs. He has co-discovered one comet visually, and co-discovered 12 supernovae as a member of the Puckett Observatory Supernova Search team.
Trailed stars are the bane of astrophotographers everywhere - and a poor polar alignment is the most common cause. In this workshop we learn the basics of polar alignment, how much accuracy is needed, and how to get aligned quickly and accurately. Some of the techniques that will be covered are: bore site alignment, setting circle method, drift alignment, the Boltwood method and software pointing model method using MaxPoint.
Wayne Parker, SkyShed Observatories, "The SkyShed POD", Small Tent, Friday 1:30 p.m., is a Five-time Juno Award Winning, and Grammy Nominated Musician. Wayne has spent his life pursuing two main passions: Music with his rock group, Glass Tiger, and Astronomy with his observatory company, "SkyShed Observatories".
In 2003, Wayne debuted a new kind of roll off observatory at Starfest. Since then, SkyShed Roll Off has sold over 3000 Plans, Kits, and Installations worldwide.
This year Wayne is debuting a revolutionary domed observatory called SkyShed POD ((Personal Observatory Dome). POD went on sale in April and is already a hit in North America, Europe, and Oceania.
Wayne will be discussing the story behind the development of SkyShed POD, and the next step in the SkyShed project, the creation of a worldwide online network that will unite and excite astronomers like never before.
There will be a number of SkyShed PODs on site at Starfest 2007. Complete product details are available at www.skyshedpod.com.
Featured Retailers
Stephen Barnes, Sky Optics, "Eyepiece Section Workshop", Small Tent, Friday 2:30 p.m., has been an amateur astronomer since childhood. He has turned his love of astronomy into a vocation and in 1996 opened Sky Optics, a retail telescope store in Burlington, Ontario. Steve is also an award winning astrophotographer.
Eyepieces are an essential component of every telescope, matching them to the scope and type of objects to be observed is important to achieve optimum performance. In this workshop Steve will cover the factors to be considered in choosing eyepieces for your collection from different eyepiece designs to choosing focal lengths and designs that best suit your telescope.
Bruce Engels and Marc Fitkin, Efstonscience, "Telescope Fundamentals Workshop", Small Tent, Friday 10:00 a.m., are avid amateur astronomers who have more than 35 years of experience between them. Bruce and Marc are Astronomy Representatives at Eftstonscience.
Purchasing a telescope can be an extremely confusing and frustrating experience unless you know what your astronomical interests are, and what type of telescope and mounting best supports those interests. In this workshop Bruce and Mike will describe the various types of telescopes and mountings commercially available today, and their suitability to a variety of different observing and astrophotographic endeavors. Common jargon and fundamental concepts such as light grasp, magnification and field of view will be explained. They will then offer some practical advice on how to determine what telescope is best for you and answer any questions you may have.
Brady Johnson, KW Telescope and Nature, "GOTO German Equatorial Mounts: Versatility and Performance", Small Tent, Friday 11:00 a.m., owns and operates KW Telescope and Nature in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario. He is an avid astrophotographer and active member of the KW Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, including two years as President.
The versatile German Equatorial Mount (GEM) is available from several manufacturers with GOTO electronics. This talk covers the basic operation of the GEM and features of the GOTO electronics relevant to both observational astronomers and astrophotographers, including a section on autoguiding. The popular EQ6 Pro and HEQ5 Pro mounts from SkyWatcher Telescope Corp. will be discussed in some detail.
