A little late in posting, but I finally got some photos from the evening processed so now I can do a full report.
Wed Aug 11 was our annual Public Perseid Meteor Shower Night at Binbrook. Thanks to our Publicity Director Mario Carr, and various people for the interviews they provided, we had a great turn out. More than 250 people mad the journey to Binbrook despite a sky full of clouds, in hopes for clearings that would reveal the much anticipated meteor shower.
HAA members started arriving by 7:30pm and already found several people waiting inside the park. The gate saw a steady flow of cars coming in with at least 2 or 3 per vehicle. By 9pm, the main parking area was full and people were starting to fill the overflow section.
While waiting for darkness and clearing, John Gauvreau provided several interesting presentations for the crowds including a participatory demonstration with some of the many children in attendance. He also enhanced the anticipation by showing a piece of meteorite.
We did get a small break in the clouds to provide a brief viewing of Venus, Arcturus, and the Summer Triangle. But sadly it didn’t last nor spread enough to permit the sighting of any meteors. The crowds were excitedly patient, but eventually young children became antsy and bored, and when the realization that the skies weren’t going to clear, people started to leave.
This ended up being one of our very best attended public events. We can only imagine what the turnout might have been if the skies were clear. Due to the location, every person who attended made the deliberate effort to be there – no “walk-by” traffic as we often get when holding events in town.
I’d like to thank the many HAA’rs who came out to help with traffic control, setting up scopes, and entertaining the interested public. While some of the public were disappointed by the lack of meteors, I didn’t hear anyone complain which is a testament to how much they enjoyed the night, and the effort HAA members made to make people feel welcome and hold their interest. I’d also like to thank Binbrook Conservation Area and NPCA for allowing us to make the park available for this evening. And lastly I want to say thank you to everyone who came out to Binbrook. We hope you enjoyed yourselves and learned something while there. We’re sorry the weather didn’t cooperate, but next year the skies will be better (always the optimist). Remember that there are still a few nights remaining – just find a dark location and look up.
