MnAstro Forums

Hi everyone,

Due to the rainout on May 17th, we are rescheduling the next MAS Beginner group (B-SIG) observing session to Saturday June 1st at Metcalf Field at Belwin Conservancy, near Afton. It will start at 8:00pm (sunset is at 9:00pm that night). This event is weather dependent.

If you are planning to attend please respond here (with your e-mail address) or drop me an e-mail at sureshks1@msn.com so I can keep you informed of changes due to weather.

There is no charge to attend an MAS Beginner group event, and you do not need to be an MAS member to attend -- everyone is welcome, including children. The purpose is to help beginners learn the night sky, and to learn how to set up and use a telescope. Volunteers from the MAS will be on hand to answer your questions and show you objects thru their own telescopes.

Bringing a telescope to the event is optional, but if you one, bring it!! If you need help with learning how to set up and use it, we are happy to help. There is AC power available at Metcalf Field, so if you need power to run your telescope or other equipment, just bring an extension cord so you can connect.

The Moon will be largely out of the way this night. It will rise around 3am, and will be just 27% illuminated. This means that we will we have a reasonably dark sky almost the entire night! Springtime is prime season for viewing galaxies and globular clusters. We will peer into the constellations Ursa Major, Virgo, Canes Venatici and Coma Berenices to seek out some of the sky’s best galaxies, such as the Whirlpool, Bode's & Cigar, Markarian's Chain, Sunflower, Black Eye and the Leo Triplet, and globulars such as M3, M5, M13. Later on in the evening, the Summer Milky Way will clear the treetops in the east, and we can view some of the beautiful open clusters and nebulae embedded within it.

We'll have the goodie table once again!! Feel free to bring something to share, such as cookies or other treats. This is totally optional, and no one should feel obligated to do so.

If you'd like to join us, please bring a lawn chair or blanket. Also, bring a few extra clothing layers in case temps dip at night.

Directions to Metcalf Field: (see this Google Maps link): https://goo.gl/maps/UNkt67YPWg4qAjuP6
Metcalf Field GPS Coordinates: 44.93734 N / 92.82157 W

For more information on Metcalf Field, see here: http://www.mnastro.org/facilities/metcalf/

Directions: Head east past Woodbury on I-94 to the Manning exit (exit 253). Turn south and then take the first left onto Hudson Road S. Continue east about 1.5 miles and turn right onto Indian Trail. Check your odometer here, and then travel 1.1 miles. You'll see an unmarked chain-link gate on the right side. This is the entrance to Metcalf field. Enter the dirt path and park on the left side. There are 2 small reflectors on poles marking the entrance. If you have a telescope with you, you can also park on the right (north side) of the field.

If you haven't been to Metcalf Field, it can be a little difficult to locate the entrance. So please arrive in daylight.

I plan on making the Go/No Go call weather call on Thursday May 30th. So please check this thread for updates, or e-mail me at sureshks1@msn.com to stay informed.

Also, if you'd like to volunteer to help out at this or any future Beginner group events, please let me know!

We hope to see you there!!

Suresh

Hi Suresh,
I plan on attending with my wife.
Steve

Great Steve!

Suresh

Hi all,

The weather forecasts appear promising for Saturday night, but I'd like to wait till tomorrow to do a final confirmation.

But as of now, it would be a Go for Saturday night's BSIG!

Best,

Suresh

After reviewing the weather forecasts, the BSIG is a GO for tomorrow night (Saturday June 1st).

We'll start up at 8:00pm at Metcalf Field.

We hope to see you!

Suresh

That was a blast last night everyone!! When’s the next one!?

Hi everyone,

Last night we finally had good weather night for a BSIG!!! I counted 57 attendees on a beautiful night, but it was probably a bit higher with family members. Metcalf Field was filled with around 35 telescopes of every size and type. With the Moon out of the way, we hunted deep sky objects all night long. Highlights include viewing Markarian's Chain, the Whirlpool Galaxy, Comet 2023 A3 Tsuchinshan, the Crescent Nebula, the Leo Triplet, the Ring Nebula, M13, M5, M3, M4 and the Saturn Nebula! In addition to the visual tour, Phil, Vidur and Ian also brought along imaging gear, and showed people how they image deep sky objects.

There was good energy all across the field. Attendees also brought along some excellent treats. My favorite had to be that banana bread... yum!

The crowd was still pretty large at 1:00am and a few of us were still there past 3:00am. More than half of the crowd said that they were first timers to a BSIG event, which was excellent!! Some also mentioned interest in joining the MAS!! As we do at these events, we highlighted the bi-monthly public nights at ELO, our amazing club facilities, our monthly general meeting and the benefits of membership.

Here's a link to the pics I took that night: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

If you have some additional ones, please feel free to post them here, or send them to me (@ sureshks1@msn.com) and I will upload them to my Google folder.

Special thanks to our MAS volunteers for helping out last night!! Andy Fraser, Ian Behar, Don Gazdik, Dave Falkner, Phil Ramsay, Jason Asper, Vidur Parkash and Ahmed & Noha Reda. In addition to providing a tour of the night sky, we helped people with resolving equipment issues, learning how to use their gear and also with information on equipment they may be interested in procuring.

The next BSIG is scheduled for 8:00pm on Saturday June 15th, back at Metcalf Field. I hope you can join us then!

Suresh