Dark Sky Astronomy Weekend: Big Dipper

A view of milky way galaxy from manning park lookout

That’s right – Dark Sky Astronomy Weekend is back this fall. With not 1 weekend, but 2 weekends full of Dark Sky fun!

TICKETS LIVE NOW!

This weekend, starting October 28th, is best suited for our amateur enthusiast astronomers. Maybe you know a thing or two about our Dark Sky, and you might even have your own telescope! You’ll learn more than the average beginner during this weekend. Come prepared with your questions.

Workshops available throughout the weekend, and Saturday morning will have breakfast included. Our special guest, Rouzbeh Bidshahri, will be talking about astrophotography. Saturday night stargazing will be at the Cascade Lookout (weather dependent) with transportation provided.

Book your accommodations at our Resort here. Reach out to our Front Desk: email – info@manningpark.com or phone – 604 668 5922. Alternative accommodations are Skyview RV Campground or Sunshine Valley RV Resorts & Cabins.

Rouzbeh Bidshahri

Rouzbeh Bidshahri started photography in the late 90’s before the age of digital cameras. Curiosity led him to explore various forms of astrophotography, including lunar, solar, planetary, widefield, and deep sky imaging with DSLR, CCD, and cooled CMOS cameras along with high-speed planetary cameras for lucky-imaging. Over the years he ended up constructing four personal observatories and imaged from three continents and four countries.

His more recent work has been focused on larger observatory class telescopes with the goal of capturing high resolution deep sky images. The high-quality data can also be ordered now, and he work with individuals and institutions to provide both training and consultation.

Images and details on his website: www.RouzAstro.com 

For more details download the event schedule

Big Dipper Weekend Schedule

Dark Sky Astronomy Weekend: Little Dipper

A view of milky way galaxy from manning park lookout

That’s right – Dark Sky Astronomy Weekend is back this fall. With not 1 weekend, but 2 weekends full of Dark Sky fun!

TICKETS LIVE NOW!

This weekend, starting October 21st, is geared towards our future Astronomers, with lots of beginner-friendly information.

There will be workshops, a mobile planetarium, and kids activities. Our guest speaker, Christopher Gainor, will be talking about the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Telescope. Saturday night stargazing will be done at the Cascade Lookout (weather dependent) with transportation provided.

Book your accommodations at our Resort here. Reach out to our Front Desk: email – info@manningpark.com or phone – 604 668 5922. Alternative accommodations are Skyview RV Campground or Sunshine Valley RV Resorts & Cabins.

Christopher Gainor Bio

Chris Gainor is a historian and writer specializing in spaceflight and astronomy. He is the editor of Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly. His latest book, Not Yet Imagined, tells the story of the Hubble Space Telescope. Chris is a past president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

For more details download the event schedule

Little Dipper Weekend Schedule

Manning Park Dark Sky Astronomy Weekend – Postponed

Due to COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to postpone this year’s Dark Sky Astronomy Weekend until 2021. The health and safety of our community, guests, volunteers, and staff who make this event so ‘out of this world’ is our highest priority. The stars aren’t going anywhere, so we hope to see you back again next year with a safe event that is better than ever.

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Astronomy Weekend at Manning Park Resort Draws Enthusiastic Crowds

The stars aligned for Manning Park Resort’s first Astronomy Weekend from October 12- 14th. With clear, cloudless skies and a full weekend itinerary of events, the first Manning Park Dark Sky Astronomy Weekend drew over 250 people to gaze upwards towards the stars.

Star experts from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) in Vancouver shared their knowledge with eager astronomers of all levels at multiple stargazing locations on Friday and Saturday nights. The weekend highlight included a shuttle bus trip to the Cascade Lookout which offers impressive mountain views during the day, and endless skies at night.

Combining educational and cultural events, indoor sessions throughout the weekend covered astrophotography, observational astronomy and how to locate and chart asteroids. Families were kept active with kid-friendly astronomy themed crafts, solar viewing, a walking tour of stories of constellations and yoga under the stars.

Catherine Laird, a participant in the Cascade Stargazer package said, “It was a fascinating and inspirational weekend!”

The Fraser Valley Regional Library provided telescopes for the event, to promote their new Telescope Loan Program, which allows you to borrow a telescope using just your library card.

“The enthusiasm and energy were palpable throughout the whole Resort this weekend,”says Manning Park Resort’s general manager, Vern Schram.

By virtue of being 65 km away from any major city, avid astronomy buffs have long known that Manning Park has some of the darkest skies around, which makes it an excellent location for stargazing.

“Judging by the interest and success of this event, this is something we definitely want to build on,” says Schram. “We also intend to pursue Dark Sky designation through RASC to preserve this pristine alpine environment for stargazing.”

 

Keep looking up to the stars this fall with our Dark Sky Discount!

(Oct 18, 2018)

Manning Park Dark Sky – Astronomy Weekend Schedule

While you have had your eyes on the skies watching the Perseid Meteor Shower this weekend, we have been planning for Manning Park’s first Dark Sky event – our Astronomy Weekend this October 12-14, 2018!

We are so excited to share the action-packed itinerary with you now: https://manningpark.com/event/astronomy-weekend/

Check out the stellar weekend we have planned, featuring workshops, star experts, yoga, astrophotography, star-gazing & more, all in the pristine alpine environment of Manning Park.

Registration is open for the event with 2 packages available: The Lightning Lake Stargazer Package is $25 per person and gives you a wrist band for entry into all indoor events, as well as your own Stargazer package. The Cascade Stargazer Package is $45 and includes entry to all events, Stargazer package, as well as the shuttle bus to the Cascade Lookout Stargazing Event. (Family rates available) Check the itinerary for our free events too!

(Aug 12, 2018)

If you want to know more about our Manning Park Dark Sky events, sign up for our mailing list to hear more: