2016 Grand Canyon Star Party - Thank You!

[Skylook123]

Following is a Thank You I sent to all GCSP volunteers for whom I had an email address.

Grand Canyon Star Party Volunteers,

 

I am sending my personal thanks for all your efforts, and to thank you all for how well everything came out.  I’ll apologize for being somewhat late in getting this out; some of you know I had short-notice heart surgery four days after GCSP, and rehab is as good an excuse as any for the delay.  All is going great, however, so call it luck of the Irish.

 

This was an extremely special event, with the International Dark Sky Association designating Grand Canyon National Park as a Provisional International Dark Sky Park.  There are now three years to complete the modifications for full status, which will correspond with the 2019 100^th Anniversary of the Grand Canyon National Park.  All of the volunteers at GCSPs over the 26 years played a role in this award, accomplishing an essential education and environmental awareness function that goes into the award determination.  Well Done, everyone! 

 

CBS Morning News recognized this noteworthy event with a feature on Dark Skies along with the IDA award to GCNP.  If you missed the showing of the news feature on August 12, you can view it at:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/grand-canyon-star-party-dark-sky-designation

or on YouTube at

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3NpqDu__Cw

It focuses attention on dark skies including video of a night at GCSP, and interviews with Ranger Rader Lane, IDA Program Director John Barrentine, and a great personal touch by our own astronomer volunteer Marina Corrieri.

 

Mike Magras has established a Dropbox picture sharing site to post or view GCSP photos:  https://www.dropbox.com/home/GCSP 2016, or contact Mike at mike@sargamites.net)

 

I have to thank the NPS for all of the support before and during the event; Ranger Marker Marshall's exceptional coordination and behind the scenes arrangements and patience with my fumbling efforts, Rangers Mike Weaver, Ty Korlovetz and Rader Lane for their great assistance, and especially my grandkids Karina and Stephen who always looked for more to do, to help move things along. 

 

The weather was less favorable than recent years, but we set a record for volunteers at well over 120 astronomers, so the total contacts we accomplished will again be impressive.  Our A-Team of outreach practitioners from around North America, England, and France made thousands of people aware of their universe, and touched a lot of people's lives. 

 

Special thanks to Kevin LeGore, founder and director of Focus Astronomy who arranged the donations of eight Celestron First Scopes to the Grand Canyon Association, which we awarded to eight young visitors at drawings at the end of the night theater talks.

 

I really need to thank Mae Smith and Dr. Mary Turner for the special day time hands-on demonstrations of Space Rocks they did in front of the Visitor Center.  What a great, personal interaction with the visitors!  And thanks to all of you who set up during the day around the park with solar and planetary observing and spread the word of the night activities.

 

Thanks also to our evening speakers. Each talk was a unique look at the night sky, from our place in the universe, wise lighting and light use, the inner workings of stars and their signatures, how eclipses occur and how and where to view the American Eclipse of 2017, personal interaction with the night skies, the starry nights of the Grand Canyon, and the unification of astral and geological effects and using several forms of light to compose striking images.

 

Thanks again to Gary Fix (www.garytheastronomer.com) from Massachusetts, who once again presented his daily sextant lessons at the visitor center, then nightly set up with us out back and presented his study of Italian cathedrals their architectural demonstration of True North.

 

Thanks also to George Barber and all of you helpers for all the effort to continue our traditional Thursday huevos rancheros breakfast!

 

Finally, special gratitude to Mae Smith, who not only arranged the design contest, inventory purchase, and sales of this year’s GCSP T-Shirts, but also volunteered to be our point of contact in Mather Campground.  Thanks VERY much, Mae!

 

Once again, we left the Grand Canyon charged up for next year, June 17-24, 2017. THANK YOU ALL!!

 

 

[Knighty2112]

Wow! 120 astronomers assisting! Sounds like a big event! Sorry to hear about your heart problem after the event. Hope you recover well mate, and are soon back out under dark skies again! All the best!  

[daz]

This SP is definitely on my Top Ten To-Do!! Going to browse the photo's...

[daz]

@Skylook123 - Jim, the Dropbox link is not right. You need the link to the shared folder - your link just opens MY Dropbox! It should look something like https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7lr73ygko4l0kmc/AAC_Tl-9vXWKhYerrsQlD444a?dl=0

[Skylook123]

Sorry, Daz, but I personally don't use Dropbox; the share site for the Grand Canyon Star Party was set up by one of the volunteers, and he used the email addresses of those attending to set up view and posting permissions.   I don't believe that anyone not on the attendance list can get access to the pictures.  If someone is not on the share list, my experience is that one's personal Dropbox is opened.

[Skylook123]

Below are some images from GCSP.  On the final Saturday, we have an astronomer's pot luck in the campground.  Also from the campground, a view of the Milky Way taken by volunteer Bernie Sanden, who also provided the day and night images of our telescope setup location.  Finally, volunteer Brian Betcher caught a photo of a mother elk giving birth to a new baby elk near the campground.

[Knighty2112]

Great photos!  

[Skylook123]

Thanks!  I'll have some more pictures in their own thread in the next day or so.

[Paz]

Sounds like a great event, well done to everyone who helped make it happen.