Throughout the year, Jeff Swick, Vice-President of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (Saskatoon Centre), kept leaving off-the-wall comments on Celestron's Flickr Photo Albums hinting that Celestron should come out and visit a different part of Canada and experience the Saskatchewan Summer Star Party firsthand.  For example, Jeff wrote "Come on....just a little more cable and we'll be able to plug into the Saskatchewan Summer Star Party."  Well, after reading a comment like that, I conducted my own investigation and decided to read more about the SSSP, now in its 14th year.  The SSSP is held yearly at Cypress Hills Inter-provincial Park, where its high elevation is filled with forests of pine and spruce trees along with abundant wildlife such as moose, elk and deer.  At night, the magnitude 7 sky is filled with stars and is probably one of the darkest sites to observe from in all of Canada - a perfect place to hold this yearly gathering of astronomy enthusiasts - mainly from the Alberta and Saskatchewan provinces. 

Celestron's Firmware Engineer, Derik DeVecchio, accompanied me on Celestron's first ever trip to the SSSP.  After arriving in Calgary, we took at nice 4.5 hour scenic drive along the Trans-Canada Highway to Maple Creek and then on to Cypress Hills.  We arrived on site as light drizzle began to fall, which soon turned to a steady downpour.  The roads became muddy, and the grounds saturated with water, yet campers and RVs were still entering the Meadows to claim their campsite.  We were immediately greeted and welcomed to the star party by our hosts - Ken From and Wade Williamson, of All-Star Telescopes; Jeff Swick, our initial contact person; Rick Huziak, Registrar & Registration and Les Dickson, Resort and Speaker Coordinator.  Eventually, the rain subsided enough for us to set up a temporary table at the All-Star Telescope tent to meet and greet star party participants, but soon after, the rains returned, and we hurriedly took cover.  That evening, a BBQ took place at the Recreation Hall (originally scheduled for the outdoor amphitheater).  With good food and conversations, the BBQ dinner was a great place to mingle about, make new friendships and stay dry.  Noted Canadian Astronomer and Author, Alan Dyer, introduced himself to us, and how great it was to finally got to meet the man behind one of our favorite astronomy books - "The Backyard Astronomer's Guide."  I must say, the Canadian folks really went out of their way to make us feel welcomed!

Rain and foggy conditions continued to plague the Cypress Hills area into the next day with no letup in sight.  Even though, everyone made the best out of the situation and congregated at the Cypress Hills Resort, located just around the corner from the Meadows, to talk astronomy and telescopes.  Derik and I took a drive around the park to check out the local wildlife and scenic points before our afternoon meeting with Les.  We eventually found our way back to the Meadows, but it was rather sad to see a field void of any telescopes.  However, good news began circulating that the Clear Sky Chart pointed to clearing skies for Saturday night.  Everyone remained optimistic and had their fingers crossed.  After dinner, people started to gather downstairs in the huge Wapiti Room for the casual 5 - 15 minutes Friday Evening Talks.  Scheduled presenters included Vance Petriew - Regina Centre's 100th Anniversary; Brian Richards - Kamloops Club Dome & Star Party; Chris Beckett - RASC Observing Certificate Program and Richard Huziak, The Grasslands Dark Sky Preserve.

Saturday morning started off with rain but soon became intermittent enough for people to return back to their campsites.  All-Star Telescopes, with a fully erected tent, opened for business selling the must-have telescope essentials, while Derik and I interacted with attendees and answered questions.  We also spent some time walking the Meadows to meet up with Celestron telescope owners to give them tips on how to better enhance their equipment's operations, which went over very well with everyone.  

After lunch, nearly everyone drove back to the Cypress Hills Resort for the much anticipated "Saturday Talks" in the Wapiti Room, which Derik and I, along with Alan Dyer and Stan Shadick, were scheduled to speak.  About 250 plus people were in the audience as Alan began the talks by delivering his presentation of "Latest and Greatest Images of Neat Things in the Sky."  Alan's provided stunning astrophotography works from Chile and incredible time lapsed videos of the night sky.  In addition, Alan shared his "unlucky" 13th eclipse expedition images from Tahiti.  His previous 12 eclipse adventures had been all clear. 

Derik and I were up next, and we divided our talks into two parts - Marketing and Engineering presentations.  My presentation was titled "Celestron on-the-go and its 50th Anniversary." I spoke about my 10 years with the company, and my first meeting with Celestron's Founder, Tom Johnson, when I was a young boy.  I went on to speak about the many star parties and school outreach programs Celestron have been involved with this year, and I highlighted Celestron's 50th Anniversary, and how Tom got started in developing a passion of building large aperture, affordable, high quality telescopes.  I also discussed our 50th Anniversary Mini-Site on Celestron's Homepage, and at the conclusion, I played the trailer from our Documentary film "The Path of Light," which received a loud applause from the audience. Derik spoke next and gave a humorous yet serious presentation on "Getting the most out of your Celestron Go-To Telescope."  He informed the audience how most customers usually skip over reading the instruction manual and therefore, miss out on many key handcontrol features which would greatly enhance their viewing experience.  Throughout his presentation, Derik constantly reminded the audience to "read the manual" which generated much laughter from the audience and became the theme of the entire presentation.  I rejoined Derik for 10 minutes of questions and answers immediately following his presentation.  We answered as many questions as we could until Les crossed his arms to signal that our time was up.  After the presentation, both Derik and I held our own impromptu workshops to give advices on handcontrol features and SCT collimation tips. 

Stan gave the final talk of the afternoon with his very informative presentation of "Investigating Exoplanets with Small Telescopes."  He covered what scientist have learned about the properties of exoplanets in over 380 planetary systems, and even how amateurs may be able to contribute to finding additional exoplanets.   What a great afternoon of talks. 

After the presentations concluded, the Awards Ceremony took place followed by the Door Prize Draw.  Awards were given in various categories including the 10th Anniversary Awards for those who have attended at least 10 of the last 14 SSSPs.  One winner was 9 year old Emily Petriew, daughter of Vance Petriew, who had discovered comet P/2001 Q2 Petriew at the 2001 SSSP!   Emily had attended her first ever SSSP even before her first birthday!  Other awards categories included the Finest NGC Awards and the Astro Photo & Sketch Contest Awards.  A Volunteer Prize Draw was held, where winners were picked beforehand, including our own Derik DeVecchio, who won a green laser pointer from a competitor of all things!  Finally, the grand Door Prize Draw took place.  Darrel Chatfield, door prize coordinator, called up Ken (All-Star Telescopes) along with Derik and me to the front to draw winners of the SkyMaster 25x70 binocular, a NexStar 127SLT and a 114LCM.  Each of us took turns drawing and announced the winning numbers.  Below are some of the lucky winners.

A group photo was taken outside followed by the delicious Dinner Banquet back in the Wapiti Room.  By this time, the sky was filled with white puffy clouds and lots of blue skies!  Being higher up in latitude also meant longer summer days here, even during the dinner hour.   The Clear Sky Chart correctly predicted the weather outlook as everyone was eager to finish dinner and get back to the Meadows to salvage one last clear night of observing.  When darkness fell, the night sky definitely lived up to everyone's expectation.  The Milky Way soon arched its way across the dark filled starry sky, and we gasped at seeing the myriad of stars from one of the best sites on the planet.  Every now and then, bright meteors from the Perseids Meteor Shower lit up the sky to a chorus of "oohs!"  Just a short walk away, a public star party took place at the tennis courts, where park visitors, comprised mostly of families, converged to listen to an expert guide who provided beginners with a tour of the summer constellations.   To look up and see M13, M31, the Sagittarius Star Cloud and more with the naked eyes, we knew this place was very special. 

The next morning, we stopped at the Meadows one last time to say our goodbyes to all the new friends we made at the SSSP.  To leave all this wonderful nature behind, especially with clearer days ahead was hard to do, but we reminded ourselves that there will always be a "next time."  We would like to say a big "thank you" to the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (Saskatoon Centre), Barb Wright, Jeff Swick, Rick Huziak, Les and Ellen Dickson, Alan Dyer, Darrel Chatfield, Kathleen Houston, Chris Beckett, Regina Centre, Ken From and Wade Williamson of All-Star Telescopes and many other dedicated volunteers that put on a wonderful 2010 SSSP and welcomed us (Celestron) to this great annual event.  Hopefully, we'll be invited back for a future SSSP, but until then, just remember Derik's famous quotation - "read the manual."

August has certainly been a busy month for the Celestron-on-the-go team.  The first weekend of August saw at least 4 separate star parties and trade show events which took place all around the same time!  One of the many events scheduled included the Ocean Institute Star Party held on August 7, 2010 at the Lazy W Ranch, a United Methodist Church Camp, located east of San Juan Capistrano, California, in the Cleveland National Forest.  The Ocean Institute is well known nationally for its hands-on approach for students and adults to learn more about marine sciences, environmental education and maritime history.  According to its website, more than 110,000 K-12 students and 6,000 teachers annually participate in the Institute's 61 award-winning, immersion style programs and recently, a stargazing program has been added to its list of events.

Art Director/Senior Graphics Designer, Scott Rivedal and I, drove up to the Lazy W Ranch and along the way, we noticed how desolate the road and scenery was becoming.  We instantly started thinking of the dark skies that we'd be encountering that night!   Once we arrived at the ranch, we met up with Ocean Institute's Kristel Arnott and Rudy Serna, along other staff members, local amateur astronomers and JPL Scientist, Dr. Ron Bunning.   Guests began arriving a short time later and were directed to the mess hall to listen in on Dr. Bunning's talk on "what's in the sky tonight?"  Dr. Bunning also presented images taken from JPL's WISE spacecraft.  Meanwhile, all of the star party volunteers began setting up their telescopes (of all different makes and models) at the "Fire Safe" area.  Scott and I brought along a CPC 800 and a NexStar 6SE and found a nice flat area on the bottom of a "dirt bowl" to set up.  

As dusk approached, the nearby hills began taking on a colorful reddish color and a sense of chill was in the air (literally).  A staff member yelled out "oh wow, everyone come here and check this out" and we all ran over to see what was going on.  It turned out that a huge, hairy tarantula had left its burrow and was scurrying along the grounds near our star party observing site.  I've heard of other folks encountering deer, moose, skunks or opossums on rural stargazing trips but never a tarantula.  Mark this as a first for us!  After taking a few photos of our unexpected "friend," the large arachnid was on its way, and we had a lot of stories to share with everyone later.

The evening started out with a clear sky with the "parade of planets" - Venus, Mars and Saturn forming somewhat of a triangle in the western sky and with no Moon out.  I quickly aligned our CPC 800 and NexStar 6SE and also shared alignment tips with Rudy, who recently began using his older NexStar 8 GPS again.  Scott brought out his DSLR camera and began taking wide angle Milky Way astrophotos.  From our location, the sky was relatively dark with the Milky Way easily visible streaming from the Sagittarius/Scorpius region through Cygnus and beyond.  Dr. Bunning's presentation had just concluded and guests began arriving to the observing field.  Each telescope pointed at various targets and knowledgeable telescope operators described the views.  Guests viewed planets, various double stars, open and globular star clusters, planetary and emission nebulaes.  Guests were really "wowed" by the crisp views of the Lagoon Nebula (M8) and the Great Hercules Cluster (M13).  As the night progressed, low level clouds suddenly appeared and began creeping over the hillside and marched down into our area.  Yes, it was a bit disappointing but at least everyone had the opportunity to see some of the best celestial objects of the summer sky before there was nothing left to be seen.

Celestron would like to say "thank you" to both Kristel and Rudy of the Ocean Institute for inviting Celestron to take part in your stargazing event.  We look forward to participating again at a future program, and who knows what mysterious two, four, six or eight legged creatures we'll run into next time!  Ah, the joys of being at summer camp - there's nothing quite like it!

This summer, AES Seaside Cinema, Redondo Beach, California, hosted a series of free movie nights for the community to enjoy, and the best part was that these events may have been the first outdoor solar-powered movie event ever held.  Imagine watching movies on the grass and sand knowing that the projector consisted only of "green technology" using energy supplied by our own Sun!  For four consecutive Friday evenings, family oriented movies such as "Back to the Future" (July 23rd), "Surf's Up" (July 30th), "The Sandlot" (August 6th) and "School of Rock" (August 13th), played to hundreds and hundreds of excited families and especially to the kids.

Earlier this spring, Scott Williams and Tom Kearney, the men behind AES Seaside Cinema and Seaside Ice, asked if Celestron would be interested to become involved in this special project and conduct a star party for guests at the August 6th movie screening.  Celestron already had a great working relationship with their organziation from a successful outdoor ice skating/star party last winter, so after checking the schedule and finding enough resources, Celestron quickly came on board.  In addition, Celestron donated an Anniversary FirstScope and a computerized 114LCM telescope for the raffle prizes.  Tickets for the special prizes were sold at each movie night for $10 per ticket with all proceeds benefiting the Redondo Beach Education Foundation, with AES matching all ticket sales revenues. 

Celestron Repair Technicians, Hector Antuna and Flavio Dominguez, accompanied me to Seaside Cinema for the movie and star party.  We brought along several telescopes and products for guests to enjoy including a CPC 800, a NexStar 6SE, AstroMaster 70AZ and a SkyScout to demonstrate.  We also distributed telescope catalogs, pens and posters at our booth, which the kids really enjoyed.  Prior to the start of the movie, Tom informed the audience of the raffle drawings and star party.  Both Hector and I were introduced to the crowds as we took turns on the microphone and discussed the various celestial objects that would be visible that evening.  The Redondo Beach Education Foundation then drew the luck winner for the Anniversary FirstScope.  The 114LCM would be drawn one week later.  Even before the raffle drawing concluded, Southern California's notorious marine layer roared into the coastal city and blanketed the area in a blink of an eye.  With many disappointed guests so eager to view Saturn (ourselves included), we could only do the next best thing and use the telescopes as spotting scopes to view the Palos Verdes coastline and various terrestrial targets.  Of course, it was also fun to demonstrate how the computerized telescopes worked and let the kids "drive" the telescopes with the hand controls.

AES Seaside Cinema Nights proved to be a fun filled way for the community to spend quality time with friends and family while watching cool movies and learning something new about science and space under the stars or in our case, clouds.  Even though, money was raised for a great cause.  We'll see what other cool events both Scott and Tom can come up with during this holiday season.   

The LeRoy Haynes Center, located in La Verne, CA, has been helping children with special needs relating to specialized treatments for emotional and behavioral development, learning disabilities, pervasive developmental disabilities, autism, and more since 1946.  The Center is one of the largest nonprofit organizations of its kind in the State of California and includes a State Certified Non-Public School with the goal of providing its students with the necessary skills to make a smooth transition into mainstream life.  With a wide variety of enrichment filled courses revolving around the arts, community service, computers, drama, music, team sports, and even science, the students are provided with the education, guidance, support and structure in order to help them achieve their goals and reach their full potentials in life. 

Recently, the Center's Science class, under the guidance of teacher, Paula Menger, acquired an older Celestron Celestar telescope which was kindly donated from an outside source.  Unfortunately, the telescope came with a few missing components which rendered the scope inoperable, to the disappointment of the class.  Upon hearing this news, Celestron decided to exchange the telescope for a modern, fully computerized NexStar 6SE.  The older model telescope would be returned to Celestron, cleaned up and put on display. Paula invited Celestron to visit the Center to present the telescope to one of the school's top administrators and provide a telescope demonstration for her class.

Upon my arrival to the LeRoy Haynes Center, I met up with Paula and together, we found a nice open spot in a grassy field to set up and conduct the demonstration and presentation.  I brought along several types of telescopes including a refractor, reflector and a catadioptric.  Although the weather was quite hot, the class didn't seem to mind too much, as most of the students were very eager to learn more about the telescopes.  During the demonstration, I spoke about the different characteristics and features of each telescope design.  For nearly all the class, this was their first opportunity to ever look through and use telescopes, so the demonstration provided a very educational, yet fun "hands on" learning experience for them.  The students eagerly took turns using the manually controlled telescopes to scan the school grounds to spy on their fellow classmates (much to their amusement) and view the neighboring hillsides.  Many were quite amazed to find cactus growing amongst the shrubbery and discovered a cell phone tower disguised as a tree.  Through the NexStar 6SE, the class viewed the Sun (with a solar filter) and the inner planets Mercury and Venus.  I already knew these planets were far enough in their respective orbits from the Sun, so spotting them through the telescope in the bright mid-morning sky was relatively easy.  Everyone seemed quite amazed how the NexStar was "smart" enough to find these planets in broad daylight and a few students quickly learned how to operate the hand control just by watching.  At the conclusion of the demonstration, I then presented the NexStar 6SE to LeRoy Haynes' Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer, Jane Woods, who along with Paula Menger, graciously accepted on behalf of the Center.  We then posed for a few photos, and I was then given a tour of the Science and Autism buildings.  A delicious hamburger lunch was on the menu that day inside the Center's cafeteria.

Talks are already underway for possibly conducting a star party that will include the entire school district perhaps later during the year.  Paula said "I feel the star party is a great idea that the students would really enjoy and the staff as well."  Until then, the Center will be able to spend time and get better acquainted with their new telescope to explore and open up new worlds all around them. 

On Wednesday evening, June 16, 2010, two very popular American classic rock bands - The Doobie Brothers and Chicago, returned to Southern California and performed a 3 hour set before a large audience at the indoor Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk, Universal City, CA.  Long time Doobie Brothers' singer, songwriter and musician, John McFee, who also happens to be an avid amateur astronomer and a good friend, invited me to attend the concert as one his guests.  Any fan who grew up with their music, can surely attest to the band's unique style of rock and roll mixed in with a touch of blues.  

Upon my arrival, I met up with some of John's other guests, including Stevie Nicks' bandmates - background vocalist, Sharon Celani and guitarist, Carlos Rios.  Luckily for us, traffic wasn't too bad getting to the venue, but we just made it to our seats with 10 minutes to spare before show time.  The Doobie Brothers opened up first with a pair of fan favorites including: "Take Me in Your Arms" and "Jesus is Just Alright" which got the audience standing on their feet early on.  The band then surprised everyone with a couple of new songs from an upcoming album that's slated to be released later this year.  Unfortunately, I don't recall the names of these new songs, but they were just as good as some of their older classics (in my opinion).  Judging by the crowd's enthusiastic reaction, it seemed most felt the same way too.

The set included many more fan favorites like "Long Train Running," "Black Water" and an oldie song which I've never heard before but liked instantly - "Clear as the Driven Snow."  I liked the song so much that I even downloaded it to my iPhone that same night.

During the intermission and set change, Carlos, Sharon and I went backstage to hangout with John and keyboard player, Guy Allison.  This was the band's time to relax a bit, meet up with their friends and family members and also to have dinner.  You know, I always wondered how a band passes the time before they go back out on stage, and now I know. 

Chicago performed next with a full horn section which just electrified the crowd.  The band performed some of their biggest hits including "Hard Habit to Break," "You're the Inspiration," "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," and "Saturday in the Park."  Although it seemed a bit strange not hearing former vocalist, Peter Cetera, singing those songs, the band still sounded great, but I must say again that their horn section was nothing short of spectacular that brought a lot of soul and energy to their music. 

The Doobie Brothers joined Chicago on stage during the encore set and both bands played a number of additional hits from each other, including: "Listen to the Music," "Takin it to the Streets," "Free" and "25 or 6 to 4," to name a few.  How cool to see 17 musicians up on stage together at the same time with a huge American flag as the backdrop.  With 4 guitar players, 2 bass players, 4 keyboard players, 4 horn players and 3 drummers keeping the same beat, the encore was simply sensational with the added harmonies that complimented each band's styles.  The Doobie Brothers and Chicago will continue to perform on tour together in the U.S. through July, so if they stop over in your town, I highly recommend you check them out.  And don't forget to "shout out" to John when you see him on stage performing.  It'll be an evening you won't soon forget.

On June 6-8, 2010, Celestron temporarily closed its doors and took its employees and VIP guests to beautiful Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA to celebrate the company's 50th Anniversary.  This jubilant occasion marked a major milestone in the company's history - half a century of telescope manufacturing and producing optical related products.  What better way of celebrating than by bringing the Celestron family together for a few days of fun and excitement. With over half a year that went into planning for this big affair, the event finally arrived, and boy did it take place in grand style.

Our chartered bus arrived at Pechanga late Sunday afternoon, and we were greeted by a welcome sign along with a modern day NexStar 8SE and a classic orange tube C8 (serial number 01), inside the hotel's lobby.  After settling in, the evening's reception took place at the Waterfall Patio with a buffet style dinner and open bar.  It was a great way to kick off the celebration in a casual, festive atmosphere, complete with a DJ and of course, TVs tuned in for game 2 of the 2010 NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the Boston Celtics.  Distinguished guests began to arrive, which included Celestron founder, Tom Johnson, his wife Marcia and son Greg; Synta founder, David Shen, and his family and colleagues; Celestron president and CEO, Joe Lupica, his wife Carole and daughters Krista and Jana; former Celestron owner and president, Alan Hale, his wife Cheri; and former Celestron owner and PlaneWave Instruments founder, Rick Hedrick, and his wife Julie.

One of the most touching moments of the 50th Anniversary celebration occurred when Lead Repair Technician, Hector Antuna, went to the front of the ballroom and took the microphone from the DJ and surprised everyone by going down on one knee and proposed to his long time girlfriend Mayra, to a chorus of cheers from everyone in attendance.  "Celestron has always been like my second family and it just seemed right that I would propose marriage to her (Mayra) in front of my Celestron family" said Hector afterwards.  For the record, Mayra said "Yes, I Do!"  We wish the happy couple a lifetime of happiness together.

After the delicious dinner buffet, there was yet another surprise that unfolded.  President Lupica called Mr. Shen to the front of the ballroom and presented him with a huge birthday card signed by all the employees.  A blue birthday cake was rolled out, complete with stars and planets decorations.  Everyone in the room gathered around and sang "Happy Birthday" and Mr. Shen then blew out all the candles as everyone applauded.  

The following day, Celestron scheduled an entire day full of activities for its employees and their guests.  Activities included a hot air balloon ride (unfortunately cancelled due to heavy morning fog), golf, spa services (massage or facial) and wine tasting.  For those who seeked adventures elsewhere, the hotel's swimming pool or venturing out to downtown Temecula were also great ways to spend the sunny afternoon.

The climax of the 50th Anniversary celebration took place that evening at the Journey's End Patio, located across the way from the main casino.  The theme was "Hawaiian style," so everyone came dressed in their finest aloha attire.  Leis and flowers were made available, which gave the event a real "tropical" feel.  A delicious Hawaiian style buffet was served, while Temecula's Vylani's Polynesian Dancers provided enticing island style entertainment with a variety of Polynesian, Hawaiian, Tahitian, and Maori style dances.  As dusk fell upon the luau, a male performer conducted a fiery knife dance on the patio deck which really captivated and amazed everyone - simply a spectacular sight to behold!

As the evening wore on, the festivities became interesting very quickly as dancers began escorting brave volunteers from the audience and ushered them to the dance floor.  Class was in session to learn some of the latest Polynesian dance moves.  Of course, it was all in good fun, and surprisingly, many learned they had hidden dance talents they never knew about!   When dinner concluded, president Lupica walked out onto the dance floor and gave an inspirational speech regarding Celestron's present state and the positive direction the company is moving towards.  Honored guest, Tom Johnson, was acknowledged for his tremendous accomplishments in the telescope industry for which this 50th Anniversary celebration would not have been possible.  Tom and his family were moved to hear how Celestron has now reclaimed its long held title as the number one telescope manufacturer in the world.  Tom spoke briefly and thanked Celestron's present management team and all the employees for a job well done.  Tom stated how much happiness and joy Celestron telescopes have brought to millions of people all over the world for all these years.  Present owner, David Shen, with the aid of a translator, was last to speak.  He also honored Tom's accomplishments and said in his opinion, "Tom was the best engineer ever."  David made it known how happy he is to be part of the Celestron family and wasn't hesitant to say what a successful partnership it's been for the past five years.  Everyone applauded and cheered loudly in agreement.  With the end of the evening's speeches, it was time for everyone to "hit" the dance floor and spend the rest of the evening dancing and singing karaoke.  What a splendid way to end the luau and the 50th Anniversary celebration for employees on an upbeat note.      

All of Celestron's employees would like to say a big "thank you" to Tom and Marcia Johnson, David Shen, Joe Lupica, Alan Hale and Rick Hedrick for your guidance and leadership for all these years through the good and challenging times.  We would also like to give a warm "thank you" shoutout to Celestron's Marketing Manager, Michelle Meskill, and Marketing Coordinator, Yasmine Rios, for planning and organizing such a fun and highly successful 50th Anniversary celebration.  Your efforts were very much appreciated!!  Here's to another 50 years and beyond Celestron!  What a memorable ride it's been!  The 50th Anniversary celebration is still in full swing and continuing on for the second half of the year, but for now, it's time for all of us to return back to the office and get back to the grind.

Celestron on-the-go continued on this week, and this time team Celestron met up with the Los Angeles Astronomical Society's Outreach team to help conduct an evening star party for the Roosevelt-Garfield Community Adult School.  Located in East Los Angeles, the school provides a variety of classes in job training, computer skills, High School Diploma preparation, GED, U.S. Citizenship, parenting skills and more.  Principal, Dr. Penny Kunitani, is a member of "Friends of the Observatory" (FOTO) at the Griffith Observatory and learned of LAAS Outreach programs and invited the club to conduct a star party for her school.  The LAAS holds their monthly meetings at the Griffith Observatory.

The LAAS's Outreach program is a key part of the club's goals of promoting the joys, wonders and understanding of astronomy and stargazing to the general public.  Don DeGregori, LAAS Outreach Coordinator, and his team, have been actively involved in Outreach programs for a number of years and are always willing to volunteer their time, especially to local schools and adult groups.  While telescope observing is unquestionably a big part of their Outreach programs, club members also bring along a wide variety of interactive displays and trivia games to help teach and make astronomy learning fun, especially for the school kids.

The marine layer blanketed the entire South Bay when I departed for East LA late that afternoon.  For awhile, I felt the star party would be doomed but something inside told me to drive on and think positive.  I'm glad I did because as I drove further inland, the clouds began to thin out and dissipate.  A blue pre-twilight sky appeared with Venus becoming barely visible towards the west, and the Moon, nearing 1st quarter, rode high in the sky.  When I drove into the school's parking lot, some members of the LAAS were already setting up their displays and telescopes, including a CGE 1400 and a C925 OTA.  As classes ended, the crowds began filling the observing area.  Many were very curious to see what was going on.  

With all the telescopes aligned and pointed at various celestial targets in the twilight sky, the star party began and provided nearly everyone with their first ever telescopic glimpses of Venus, Mars, Saturn, the Moon and even a naked eye view of the International Space Station passing overhead.  Yes, no matter which new groups of people we conduct telescope observing with; the results are always overwhelmingly positive with exclamations of joy and amazement.  Students, children and faculty members asked many great questions, such as "Why is Venus so bright?" "What are Saturn's rings made of?" "How many moons does Saturn have?" and many more!  We were all glad to answer.

The star party lasted only a short hour and a half and like at all great Outreach events, people didn't want the star party to end so soon.  Who can blame them?  With approximately 200 people in attendance that night, it's always a delight to help share the wonders and mysteries of our universe in which we all live in.  As we packed up, a family came by and said "Thank you so much for coming to our school and showing us something we've never seen before." "It's something we'll never forget."  Hearing these kinds of statements really motivates us to continue to do what we enjoying doing - to help bring astronomy to the community.  I hope you're enjoying your well deserved vacation Don!  We got you covered, and we'll see you all again at the next Outreach event.

It's hard to believe, but a year has gone by since we last visited our nation's 50th state to attend AstroDay - an annual celebration of astronomy, science and Hawaiian culture on the Big Island of Hawaii.  When Astronomy Week came upon us again this Spring, Marketing Coordinator, Yasmine Rios, and I journeyed back to the Aloha State, where its beautiful tropical beaches, palm trees, warm climate, active volcanoes, starry skies and friendly people, always makes traveling back to the islands so enticing and memorable. 

AstroDay, now in its 9th year, took place on Saturday, May 1, 2010 at the Prince Kuhio Plaza, Hilo, Hawaii.  AstroDay Founder and Science Education Outreach Officer (University of Hawaii (Hilo) Institute for Astronomy), Gary Fujihara, informed me that the goal has remained the same as it has since day one - to bring a better awareness for astronomy and science to the people of Hawaii and to all the visitors from around the world.  With approximately 30 exhibitors ranging from professional observatories to science and geology clubs, an abundance of interactive displays and children's activities were strewn throughout the mall which helped make learning about astronomy and science fun and exciting for entire families!  Like last year's event, Celestron's held its display tables next to center stage, and we brought along a wealth of products to demonstrate.  These items included our Limited Edition Anniversary FirstScope, 60LCM telescope, HandHeld Digital and Optical microscope, as well as our long time favorite - The SkyScout.  During the 6 hour event, we passed out sky almanacs, catalogs, Frisbees and product sell sheets, but the best part was conversing with and allowing guests to try our products.  Local favorite Disc Jockey, "DC in the Morning" once again served as Master of Ceremonies and kept the crowds entertained and informed of the day's festivities.  Children and adult hula and musical performances took place which kept the crowds entertained which really bestowed the Aloha Spirit upon everyone. What a great ensemble of talent!

At 2 pm, the Raffle Prize drawings took place, and I joined "DC" on stage to conduct the drawing.  Throughout the day, guests had the opportunity to sign up for a chance to win a few cool raffle prizes.  We donated several "Eyes on the Skies" books, an Anniversary FirstScope and this year's top prize, a NexStar 4SE.  Astronomy Magazine donated a Celestron IYA FirstScope for the event too, and entries were collected, along with entries from other institutions throughout the nation holding Astronomy Day events for a chance to win a NexStar 6SE Grand Prize!  Astronomy Magazine will draw the winner's name at a later date.  Last year, someone from Hawaii's AstroDay won the grand prize, so we'll see who the lucky winner will be this time.  "DC" and I had a blast on stage drawing winning names, but surprisingly, the majority of the winners were "no shows" and winners had to be present to win.  Rules are rules!  With the crowds urging us to keep on drawing, we did just that until one by one, winners stepped forward and claimed their prizes.  The winner of the Anniversary FirstScope, took the microphone and thanked everyone because she was thrilled beyond belief and wanted to win a telescope so much for her public outreach stargazing programs in Hawaii.  We were all very happy she won and glad to know that she'll put the telescope to good use!  Congratulations to all the winners!

After AstroDay concluded, Yasmine and I met up with my island relatives, and we then took a road trip to visit some of the local attractions.  No trip to the Big Island would be complete without visiting the Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii to learn more about Hawaii's connection to the stars.  We also stopped by the famous Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts Visitors Center and sampled some tasty vanilla and chocolate macadamia nut ice cream.  Lastly, we visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and took a long hike down Kilauea-Iki crater, walked through the Devastation Trail and the Thurston Lava Tube, and visited the Jaggar Museum overlooking Halemaumau crater.  Unfortunately, time ran out for us on this trip to visit the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station on Mauna Kea for some stargazing, but there will be another opportunity someday.  It's the one of the few places I have already visited in my lifetime where I saw both Polaris and the Southern Cross at the same time on opposite ends of the sky!  With its natural beauty and stark contrast between green rain forests, towering mountain tops, sandy beaches and volcanic deserts, the Big Island of Hawaii will always remain high on my list as a great vacation destination.

Celestron would like to say "Mahalo" (thank you in Hawaiian) to "Mr. AstroDay" Gary Fujihara, "DC in the Morning", the UH Institute for Astronomy, and to all the participants and tireless volunteers who made the commitment of "Bringing Astronomy to the People".  May you all continue to reach out and spread the wonders of astronomy and the Aloha Spirit to everyone you come across. 

In September of 2009, Celestron joined the University of Southern California (USC) Department of Physics and Astronomy as co-sponsors of a local elementary school's new astronomy club.  Mr. Ray Wong, who teaches at Weemes Elementary School near downtown Los Angeles, came up with the idea of forming a new type of club for his students that would be uniquely different from more traditional school club activities.   It had occurred to him "why not form a club that would be fun and interesting for his students to learn more about astronomy, science and space?"  The astronomy club gained acceptance with students, parents, faculty and administrators right away and became a great opportunity for the students to learn more about astronomy from visits by USC physics and astronomy graduate students and Celestron personnel.  These volunteers would not only share their astronomical knowledge but also serve as mentors and role models for the children. 

On Friday, May 7, 2010, the Weemes Elementary School's astronomy club held its first ever awards ceremony at the Seeley G. Mudd building on the USC campus.  The evening started off with dinner donated by many popular local eateries including - Panda Express, Domino's Pizza, Pasta Roma, Popeye's, Taco Bell and TOGOs, not to mention more snacks, drinks and goodies brought by the parents!  There was so much food, and so much to choose from!  Nearly 40 astronomy club students, parents, siblings, friends, VIP Dignitaries, and USC astronomy professors and students gathered inside one of the larger lecture halls for the awards ceremony.  Mr. Wong gave the opening speech and spoke of why the astronomy club came about and thanked all the volunteers and supporters for encouraging the student's interest in astronomy.  Following his remarks, several student officers from the club recognized and presented awards to special individuals who had supported the club from day one.  The kids even quizzed the award recipients with astronomy questions.  Some answered correctly, while others were corrected.  Naturally, it was all in good fun! Finally, each astronomy club member was recognized and called to the front of the lecture hall and presented with award certificates for successfully completing the program, as faculty and their proud parents looked on.  Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, was scheduled to appear and say a few words at the ceremony, but could not attend at the last moment and was represented instead, by Juliet Flores, from the Office of the Mayor. 

Additional speeches from USC's astronomy department followed suit; however, some of the graduate students, as well as Chris and I, had to leave early to prepare for the climax of the evening - the star party!  Observing would take place on top of the parking structure which featured a clear, unobstructed view of the night sky.  Grad students brought up two of their computerized telescopes - Celestron NexStar 8 and 11 GPS telescopes.  Chris brought a CPC 800, while I took my personal NexStar 6SE.  In addition, I also brought along an Anniversary FirstScope and telescope catalogs.  Telescopes were aimed at various objects in the night sky, but of course, Saturn would be king at this star party.  As soon as the awards ceremony concluded, about 80 people converged on top the nearby parking structure for the star party.  Venus, Mars, Saturn and Mizar were showcased, but unfortunately, no Moon was visible that evening.  Many youngsters seemed to gravitate towards the Anniversary FirstScope for a look at Venus, and a few students could be heard asking their parents to buy them the telescope.  The Anniversary FirstScope seemed to be the perfect size for the kids and not intimidating to use at all.  Lines became long and many people in attendance, including a Los Angeles School District Police Officer, were in awe to watch the computerized telescopes slew and find objects to view.  For many, it was their first time to witness such technology in action.  By 9 pm, the star party came to a conclusion and everyone went home happy after such a rewarding and fulfilling evening. 

We're certain everyone will still be talking about the star party for quite some time, and we hope the students will keep embracing the astronomy hobby for many years to come.  Until the new school year, we'll be looking forward to working with Teacher, Ray Wong again and help sponsor the next group of students for the Weemes Elementary School's astronomy club.  Astronomy and science is fun, and Ray's students will surely attest to that. 

400 years ago, the great Italian astronomer, Galileo Galilei published a short treatise called the Starry Messenger.  This treatise contained Galileo's telescopic observation notes of the Moon, stars and the moons of Jupiter.  On Saturday, April 17, 2010, in celebration of the Quadricentennial Year of Astronomy, the Irvine Valley College Astronomy Department and Celestron, teamed up to bring astronomy awareness to the general public.  Highlights included daytime and nighttime telescope observing of some of the same celestial objects Galileo viewed a long time ago.  The venue - the beautiful outdoor shopping mall "The Irvine Spectrum" located in Irvine, CA.

Celestron arrived at the venue bright and early, bringing along telescopes from all the popular models in the current lineup.  Staging took place at 2 separate locations - in front of the huge movie theater and in front of the giant Ferris wheel (it's about a 7 minute walk between the sites). The crew broke up into 2 teams to help train the 20 or so observational Honor students on how to operate and properly use our computerized telescopes.  A few of the Honor students also brought along digital video cameras to interview fellow students, personnel and guests to document the entire spectacle.  Under the guidance of Irvine Valley College Professors Roy McCord and Dr. Jennifer Tan, over 120 general astronomy students were on hand to work the booths and manage the crowds.  The students also distributed their own astronomy brochures and would receive class credit for obtaining at least 10 signatures from people they brought along or passers-by willing to look through the telescopes.  

With spring in the air, the weather felt warm and the sky appeared somewhat hazy - nothing unusual - just a typical day in Sunny Southern California. What better place to be on a Saturday afternoon. Each computerized telescopes were fitted with solar filters, so guests could view our nearest star.  Although the Sun appeared misty through all the haze and high level clouds, guests by the hundreds came by and remarked how impressive the Sun looked - even with no sunspots visible.  As the afternoon wore on, a highly recognizable bearded figure wearing a 16th century outfit suddenly appeared on scene.  Why it was Galileo himself (aka Paul Wicker, widely known as the GalileoGuy).  How nice of Galileo to visit the Irvine Spectrum to join in on the celebration honoring him!  Paul, I mean Galileo, mingled with all the astronomy students and entertained guests with his refracting telescope and stories of his amazing discoveries.  Parents and their children were very excited to meet and speak with Galileo and some parents even snapped photos of their children posing with the great astronomer.      

By late afternoon, the clouds thickened up considerably and a noticeable halo (Sun Dog) surrounded the Sun.  Was it a bad omen of more clouds to come?  In time, small pockets of sky began to materialize through the clouds, as everyone kept their fingers crossed and hoped for the best.  Finding the waxing crescent Moon proved to be quite a challenge with the stubborn clouds surrounding the Moon. However, we were finally able to spot the Moon through small breaks and quickly had all the telescopes locked in and tracking. Then, what could only be described as a small miracle, the clouds suddenly dissipated in a blink of an eye, as if someone took a giant fan and blew all the clouds away!  What an amazing example of what the power of positive thinking could conjure up in a time of crisis - just in time for the big public star party.  The Moon became very pronounced against a deep blue twilight sky with a bit of Earthshine visible.  A big sigh of relief could be heard for sure!  With the dinner hour now upon us, many new guests entered the scene on their way to the many fine restaurants or the huge Edwards 21 movie complex.  With many curious people taking notice of our telescope viewing opportunity, lines once again formed quickly, as everyone wanted to get a peek at the Moon.  Children, teens, parents, grandparents and everyone else in-between began to converge upon us - exactly what we wanted to see happen.

With the nighttime star party scheduled set to conclude at 9:00 pm, the student telescope operators tried to get as many celestial objects in to view before time ran out.  Everyone waited patiently for the planet Saturn to emerge from behind the giant Edwards Theater sign, and when Saturn did emerge, nearly all the telescopes were slewed towards the ringed planet.  Word quickly spread that Saturn had become the featured target and guests began pelting the astronomy students with questions about Saturn and for a chance to view.  For many guests, this was their first time ever to view Saturn, and as you can imagine, shouts of joy and amazement projected throughout the grounds.  The mood back near the Ferris wheel observing site mimicked exactly what was felt here.  Shouts of "oh my God, Saturn does exist!" and "looks like a beige ball with a line going through it" to "are you sure you guys aren't holding a picture of Saturn in front of the lens?" could be heard for the evening. 

As 9 o'clock finally approached, we knew we had to start shutting down the telescopes and turn away some people, but lines were still very long and guests were pleading to have one last look through the telescopes.  How can you say "no?"  That's one of the hardships of conducting a public outreach event on a set time limit.  Naturally, we don't want to turn anyone away.  The entire event was such a success that we informed the guests that there will be more opportunities for star parties in the future.  The main objective was to have more than a 1000 people look through the telescopes to become more aware of astronomy and learn about the contributions made by Galileo, who first used a telescope to look out into the night sky.  Mission accomplished.

Thank you Irvine Spectrum, Irvine Valley College, Professors McCord and Dr. Tan, as well as all the astronomy students, the Galileo Guy, Sprouts of Irvine, Dean Kathy Schrader, the IVC Foundation, the entire Celestron crew - Christy, Derek, Derik, Tyler and everyone else who contributed to make the Quadricentennial Year of Astronomy Celebration quite a success.  Please click on the first photo in this blog recap to be directed to the entire photo album on Celestron's Flickr Photos site.