Sixth Annual Southern California Astronomy Exposition

Don’t miss the Southern California Astronomy Expo (SCAE) on Saturday, July 10th and Saturday, July 17th, 2010 at Oceanside Photo & Telescope! The store will be open from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM on Saturday, July 10th and from 10:00 AM until 7:00 PM on July 17th. Check out the line-up of events they have planned for SCAE…you gotta come! And if you don’t live in the SoCal area? Don’t be discouraged. This isn’t a shameless attempt at advertising – it’s your chance to win some very expensive astronomy equipment. OPT is offering a free, on-line giveaway to Universe Today readers with total prizes worth more than $8000. All you have to do is register to get your chance to win!

Saturday, July 10th – SCAE Swap Meet & Star Party on Palomar Mountain!

Swap Meet at OPT: Bring your gently used (or maybe not so gently used) astronomy gear and join OPT for a day of fun and selling in the parking lot! OPT will provide the tables and you provide everything else. The day will start at 10 AM and end at 4:30 PM. Don’t forget to bring an umbrella or other portable shade with you if you don’t like the sun!

Star Party on Palomar Mountain: The party is far from over after the swap meet ends at OPT, and this year, we are doing something completely different! Since the 10th of July happens to be very close to New Moon, we decided to have a star party at a dark sky site, and what better location than in the shadow of the 200″ Hale Telescope on Palomar? The only thing stopping us was parking considerations, but we solved that one by chartering several buses for the evening to take attendees up to the mountain and back. The star party will start at dusk and go until 11 PM. Staff members from OPT and volunteers will have a variety of telescopes set up to gaze at old favorites like Saturn, Venus, & Mars as well as a myriad of galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, and more! Representatives from companies like Apogee, Meade, Celestron, Chronos, and Planewave will also be on hand to demonstrate their telescopes, mounts, and imaging cameras… just wait until you see a galaxy through one of the big scopes out there, or the beautiful images that can be produced with an Apogee CCD camera!

Important Note: The site for this star party does not have parking facilities and you will not be allowed to park along the road. If you want to attend, you MUST ride on one of the buses we will provide. Buses will pick up riders at both a coastal and inland location. A limited number of Star Party Bus Tickets are now available. Ticket prices are $20 for adults and $10 for children under 12. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. You will be mailed a boarding pass for each person in your party, and this boarding pass must be shown each time you board the bus as well as when you enter the star party area. You will also be mailed more information about the bus pick up locations. Since an outdoor star party is definitely dependent on weather, you will receive a refund for the ticket price if the event is officially canceled.

Saturday, July 17th – Telescope & Astronomy Demonstration

On Saturday, July 17th, almost forty telescope, CCD, and other astronomy product manufacturers and organizations will be on hand at OPT to show off their latest and greatest gear, and you’re invited! The SCAE 2010 Telescope & Astronomy Demonstration kicks off at 10 AM and runs through 7 PM. This year there will be more going on than ever to keep you busy and entertained. Special speakers will give presentations in the Gallery throughout the day, your favorite manufacturers will introduce new and exciting products on the Soapbox Stage all day long.

The SCAE Online Giveaway, where everyone, even those folks who can’t attend SCAE, can sign up for a chance to win one of four prizes worth a combined total of over $8,000! Sign up begins Monday, June 7th and runs through midnight, July 16th, 2010. Just click HERE to register!!

The Southern California Astronomy Exposition will be located at OPT’s beautiful showroom location. The address is 918 Mission Avenue in Oceanside, California. They are located 250 yards west of Interstate 5 on the corner of Mission Avenue and Horne Street. See you there!