I'm off to the Queensland Astrofest this July!

Hi folks,

This coming July new Moon the annual Queensland Astrofest is on from July 18 to July 27:

Link to Queensland Astrofest 2014

I'll be heading north of the border for three nights under Queensland skies.  Will be my longest stay in Queensland and I'm really looking forward to it.

I'll be presenting two workshops on the afternoon of Friday 25.  One on Observing Tips and the second on astronomical sketching.  In the Observing Tips I'll be covering items starting from the anatomy of the human eye and how to make the most of it, telescope types and focal ratio and its significance to observing, eyepieces and their influence, matching telescope design to eyepiece design, filters and how to make the most of them, and practical telescope observing tips.

In the sketching workshop I'll be doing practical demonstrations on using the Mellish Technique, covering globular clusters, galaxies and nebulae.  I'll be showing how to exploit layering to achieve distinct effects and to develop form and volume.  I'll also do a demonstration on how I use the same media I use for the Mellish Technique to produce my Lunar sketches, and how quick and forgiving these materials are.

I'll then switch hats on the Saturday to give a presentation for Gondwana Telescopes, demonstrating how these compact and robust instruments assemble into fine, balanced and practical instruments.  I hand craft these instruments individually to each primary mirror.  I am very proud of these instruments, as much as my sketches.

If you are heading to Astrofest this July, I look forward to getting to meet you there.

Alex.