What's your name? Introduce yourself to IFAS!

I received this link from a former German colleague of mine. Flight from Frankfurt. (36 hour trip)

www.eclipse-journeys.com/2008/journeys/eclipsetour15-2008.pdf

John,

One huge thanks for the link to the PDF dodument. It suits my personal needs absolutely perfect since it is geared for those interested in the eclipse only and without any extended stays etc.

No problem Anthony. If you like I can PM you a contact in the German group-you may be able to tag along. I don't think they have made firmplans yet. He is a former colleague of mine but used to work at the Berlin observatory. I managed to get a tour of the observatory (even though it is was closed to the public) last time i was in Berlin. Amazing to see the bullet marks in the telescope but it survived the bombing.

Hi everybody,

I am from Athens, Greece, 39 ys. old. I am an amateur astronomer, mostly hunting asteroid occultations. Last August I was involved in a successfull observation of an uranian satellite occ. event. My club in Greece is EAE www.astronomia.org.gr/ (sory, only greek lang!).

Why sign-in here? Well, I have visited Ireland 5 ys ago and I loved the country and the people! But a more realistic reason is that I would like to hear and exchange some info and ideas about the eclipse of August 1. We are many amateurs here that try to find a good/better/best scenario for the Novosibirsk expedition!

My greetings to all!

Welcome Vagelis. Hope you find your time enjoyable and useful here.
Good to see that you can go observing with your club very often - you are fortunate to have so many clear skies down there in Greece. Would your club's members have many large telescopes? What's the light poillution like?

Hi Michael,

I am happy to share some info about my club, since I am the observing coordinator. Well, we have about 150 members. 40-50 of us are the more active (mountain observation). Most people have 10" SCT or Newt. Many have 8" dobs. Some ATM'ers have built 10", 12", 14", 16" & 20" dobs. The "killers" are 3 Obsessions, two 15" and one 18", and an ATM 16".
You can see some pics at astronomia.org.gr/Coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=6 and at
astronomia.org.gr/Coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=5&page=1
We are priviledged to observe from an excellent site at 1.450m, where there is a mountain refuge. So we can use it both at summer and winter.
Although Light pollution is worse than some years ago, it is not a big problem yet. Typically we observe from fairly dark skies, 5.5mag or 6mag stars visible with naked eye.

By the way, please take it for granted that if anyone of you guys wishes to visit us anytime, at New Moon, is more than welcome!

Greetings,
Vagelis.

Hi Vagelis,
welcome, those are great loink with some excellent image, I especially like this one
astronomia.org.gr/Coppermine/displayimag...p?album=5&pos=11
We dont have your weather but we do what we can on the observing side of things.
I'd really like to go observing at your observing site some day.

Thanks for the info re the club's observing activities.

Someday (next year perhaps??) some of us might take you up on that offer of joining you for an observing session. I've been thinking alot lately of going on a dedicated astronomy trip for a few days to a good observing location (La Palma for example). It would also be great to head to Greece sometime and have almost-guaranteed clear skies and see objects from a lower latitude in the company of our Greek friends.

This is really a good idea. We can organize it and have a great time. Maybe next spring or summer. This spring we will organize for the first time a Messier Marathon for southern Greece observers. An interesting bonus is a view of Omega Centauri.
In summer time things are much more safe as regards the weather. The site is Mt. Parnon at LAT 37deg 16min, 3hrs drive from Athens. We usually count 60 - 100 observers. Most of us prefer mountain camping (me included), and there is an option to stay either in the mount refuge (30 beds), where the charge is really minimal, or at hotels 40 min drive from the observing site.
I and a handfull of people use to visit the site EVERY single month of the year, regardless the weather, with or without telescopes, unless there is winter snowfall and the road is closed. But in the summer months it is a paradise there.
Well, it is up to you! You are all welcome!

Vagelis