| RTMC Astronomy Expo May 23-27, 2013
Camp Oakes
Big Bear City, California
.jpg (116937 bytes)](2007-05_RTMC_Telescope_Field2690.jpg)
Main Telescope Field at the
RTMC Astronomy Expo
Originally called the Telescope Makers Conference,
the Riverside Telescope Makers Conference (RTMC) was founded in 1969 by Clifford W. Holmes
as a way for amateur telescope makers to share their craft. In 1975, the RTMC moved to its
current home at Camp Oakes, a YMCA camp near Big Bear City. Located 50 miles northeast of
Riverside in the San Bernardino mountains, the site offers space for camping, several
dormitories and 18 three-sided shelters, a meeting/dining hall, and the Charles Walker
Observatory. The camp is located at an elevation of 7,600 feet. Click on the following
link to view a labeled aerial photograph
of Camp Oakes.
Since its inception, the RTMC has expanded to encompass all
aspects of amateur astronomy from beginning to advanced topics and from telescope making
to "armchair" astronomy. Recently, the RTMC has included events for the whole
family with horseback riding, hikes, activities for spouses and activities for the young
kids. In 2000, the official name of the conference was changed to the "RTMC Astronomy
Expo."
During the RTMC the camp has more people than a typical
recreational campground of its size, but the primary reason for attending is precisely
because it offers a chance to rub shoulders with a large number of people who know
telescopes and like to talk about them. What we offer is a chance to see and look through
a large variety of telescopes (with relatively dark skies and high altitude), attend talks
by professional and amateur astronomers on different aspects of telescope construction and
use, see some astronomical equipment and software in use, and buy astronomical equipment
and software (often at reduced prices). The vendors contribute door prizes for Saturday
and Sunday evenings. We don't know exactly what prizes we'll have in advance, but in the
past there have been telescopes of 8 to 12 inches in aperture.
Vendors ranging from major telescope manufacturers to
people selling T-shirts have booths at the telescope field and along the paths leading to
it.
Date
The 45th annual RTMC Astronomy Expo will take place from
Thursday, May 23 through
Monday, May 27, 2013.
Location
YMCA Camp Oakes, five miles southeast of Big Bear City on State
Route 38 at Lake Williams Road between mileposts 44 and 45. This location is about 50
miles northeast of Riverside in the San Bernardino mountains.
Longitude 116° 45' 15" West
Latitude 34° 13' 50" North
Altitude 7250 feet (2210 meters)
Click here for maps and directions..
Moonrise and Moonset (PDT)
Thursday, May 23: moonset
4:23 AM, moonrise 6:28
PM
Friday, May 24: moonset 5:13 AM, moonrise 7:37 PM
Saturday, May 25: moonset 6:09 AM, moonrise 8:42 PM
Sunday, May 26: moonset 7:12 AM, moonrise 9:43 PM
Monday, May
27: moonset 8:18 AM, moonrise 10:37 PM
Kids Camp - New for 2013
A PDF file for the Kids Camp is available by
clicking on the image.
This year Camp Oakes is sponsoring a staffed Kids
Camp with arts & crafts and camp activities for groups aged 5-6,
7-9, and 10+. Lunch is included in the fee of $15 ($20 after May
10).
Keynote Speaker
Our keynote speaker for Saturday night will be
Trina Ray. Trina has been at JPL for many years and has lots of
experience and lots of stories to share. She is a leader of the team
planning observations of Titan during each Cassini flyby of that
intriguing moon and will share highlights of Cassini's discoveries
across the Saturn system. Trina is very entertaining... you won't
want to miss this!
Warren Keller AstroImaging Workshop, Sunday May
26th
Some of the finest astroimagers in the world have
shared their expertise at the Astronomy Expo throughout the years.
This year, teacher extraordinaire Warren Keller will be leading the
program.
Warren, (of
billionsandbillions.com) is not only an accomplished imager in
his own right (see his M13 photo), but has shared his expertise in
many forms, including his comprehensive "Five S’s" series of
articles in Astrophoto Insight Magazine, his extensive "Image
Processing 4 Astrophotography" tutorials, and his new series on
PixInsight. He will have lots to offer both the beginner and the
advanced imager.
The imaging workshop is a premium event at RTMC
Astronomy Expo, runs from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Sunday, and requires
an additional registration fee. Participation is limited, and
workshops have sold out every year, so be sure to register for this
workshop early.
Scheduled Speakers
Saturday (not the actual scheduled order,
which is TBD)
"The Cleaning and Characterization of the Chamberlin 20-inch
Clark Objective" - Jack Eastman
"The Overhaul of the Saegmuller Equatorial of the Chamberlin
Observatory" - Jack Eastman
"Palomar Observatory History" - Steven Flanders
"Science at Palomar Observatory" - Kin Searcy
"Alt-Alt Telescopes with Video Feedback Control
System" - Howard Royster
"Using low-cost / low-tech materials to improve
astronomy education and outreach" - Daniel Barth
"The Hubble Deep Fields" - Timothy Thompson
"Women Hold up Half the Sky: a Brief History of
Women in Astronomy" - Joann Eisberg
"Telescopes, Eyepieces, and
Astrographs" - Richard Berry
Sunday
"45 Years of
Spectacular and Interesting Comets" - Charles Morris
"Observing Comet Ison" - Steve Edberg and Charles Morris
"Through Rose Colored Glasses: What We See Depends
on How We Look" -
Alex McConahay
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