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RASC Niagara Observatory
Opened in the fall of 1997, the Niagara Centre observatory is located just a 40 minute drive from St. Catharines and is available for member use .
Made possible with the generous donations of building materials by Centre members Denis Maheu and John Nemy, the observatory features a roll-off roof design angled at a 45 degree slope towards the southern sky.
The roll-off section is a reinforced garage door which runs along tracks extending out from the west side of the building. This design allows for ease of operation and quick set-up and closing times. The observatory currently houses a Meade DS-16 Newtonian reflector.
In recent years the centre has added severl new observing pads, and is currently in the process of building another observatory building to house our 12" Meade LX200.
The Centre conducts monthly observing sessions for the membership, called Members' Nights, Saturday nights (Raindate: The next day [Sunday night]) at the observatory. The dates for Members' Nights are selected in advance by the Members' Observing Coordinator/Observatory Director. The person who currently holds this position is Les Marczi. To ensure dark viewing conditions, scheduled star nights are held at or near the time of a New Moon or when the Moon rises well past midnight. Observing begins at dusk and usually lasts late into the night. Members also can be found observing at the observatory on most clear nights.
A typical observing session consists of viewing currently visible planets and deep sky objects. Members also bring their own telescopes for a specific observing activity and to provide additional observing possibilities for members. Astrophotography is also a popular activity at the observatory.
Membership Use of the Observatory
As an added benefit of membership, Niagara Centre members are welcome to participate in all scheduled activities at the observatory. Members may also become keyholders to conduct their own observing projects at their convenience.
To become a keyholder, a member is required to attend a training session at the observatory and pay an initial fee of $25.00 ($20.00 maintenance fee + $5.00 key fee) and $10.00/year thereafter to help offset operating and maintenance costs.
CCD Project
To offer new observing experiences for our members and to acknowledge a growing interest in electronic imaging in the hobby and the Centre in particular, the Niagara Centre set up a Project Fund to raise monies for the purchase of a CCD/Computer System. Along with donations and member pledges, as well as a much appreciated grant from the RASC, the Centre is actively using the camera and is making it available for the use of the membership.
After much discussion, the Board of Directors of the centre decided to purchase a Meade Pictor 216XT CCD camera as well as an 80486 laptop computer to run the software. This equipment will be available for members' use as well as for public education.
A CCD Imaging Group was formed in 2001 for Niagara Centre members who would like to learn more about electronic imaging and to gain experience using the Centre's CCD camera system. Contact Glen Pidsadnick for more information
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