1 | Jasper Dark Sky

OCTOBER 16 — 25, 2015 | JASPER, CANADA

Full Event Details

WWW.JASPERDARKSKY.TRAVEL

2 | Jasper Dark Sky

Jasper’s Dark Sky invites astronomers at every level to gaze upon the wonder of one of the world’s largest dark sky preserves. As daylight hours begin to recede, October is the ideal time to celebrate the skies with the annual Jasper Dark Sky Festival, an ever-growing festival aimed at connecting all ages to our universe and beyond. BUILD YOUR SCHEDULE

There are a variety of fun events throughout October, some paid and some free. Check out the full schedule online at www.jasperdarksky.travel/events-tickets or pick up the event guide at the Jasper Visitor’s Centre (500 Connaught Drive) starting October 15.

DOWNLOAD STARGAZING APPS Learn how to identify the constellations and planets you’ll be seeing and impress your friends! Take a look at our list of must have apps!

MASTER THE BASICS OF DARK SKY PHOTOGRAPHYA regular iPhone photo won’t cut it! Learn more with our night sky photography tips listed in this guide.

DRESS IN WARM LAYERSOctober in Jasper can be a little chilly. Don’t forget mitts, scarves and toques — just in case.

GET IN THE RIGHT HEADSPACEGet in the Dark Sky mood by building a space playlist — check out www.jasperdarksky.travel/blog for ideas!

DID YOU KNOW?

At 11,000 square kilometres, Jasper is considered to be one of the world’s largest Dark Sky Preserves.

If you could travel to the nearest star in a car at 100km an hour, it would take 356,908,917,036 years!

The first man-made object sent into space was the Russian satellite named Sputnik in 1957.

IN THIS GUIDE

Map of Lake Annette P.3

Schedule of Events P.4

Photo Apps + Dark Sky Photography Tips P.5

Star Chart Constellation Map P.6

FAQs P.7

Be Prepared for Dark Sky

3 | Jasper Dark Sky

PARKS CANADA INTERP. PROGRAMEngage with Jasper National Park Interpreters who will enrich you with knowledge about the importance of the Jasper Dark Sky preserve and First Nations’ culture and history.

CREATURES OF THE NIGHT PRESENTER: LEANNE STANDING TIME: DROP IN AT YOUR LEISURE When the sun goes down over Jasper, the night shift comes out to prowl the park. Discover the special adaptations that enable Jasper’s nocturnal wildlife to make a living on the dark side.

STORIES OF THE CONSTELLATIONS PRESENTER: BRIAN CATTO TIMES: 8:00–10:30PM EVERY 30 MINUTES

RASC ASTRONOMERSDiscover the night sky with members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Edmonton Chapter who will open your eyes to the wonders of stars and teach you how to venture beyond the night sky through the lens of a telescope.

DEEP SKY TELESCOPES TIME: DROP IN AT YOUR LEISURE Explore deep into the night sky with volunteers from RASC-E, armed with their deep sky telescopes.

ABORIGINAL PROGRAMMINGABORIGINAL FIREHUB TIME: DROP IN AT YOUR LEISURE First Nations dark sky stories are observations that were connected through story and ceremony; interlinking the sky, the land and the people with timeless understandings that foster traditional values, strengths, and wisdom.

SONGS AND STORYTELLING PRESENTER: ELDER MARRY RAIN TIME: 8:00PM TO 8:25PM AND 9:30PM TO 9:55PM

SHARING FIRST NATIONS CULTURE THROUGH SONG PRESENTER: BEARHEAD SISTERS TIME: 8:30PM. TO 8:55PM AND 10:00PMTO 10:25PM

FIRST NATIONS DRUMMING AND SONGS PRESENTER: WARRIOR WOMEN TIME: 9:00PM TO 9:25PM. AND 10:30PM TO 10:55PM

TELUS WORLD OF SCIENCEJoin staff from the TELUS World of Science – Edmonton for some star gazing and some science under the Moonlit sky. See cutaways models of telescopes, actual meteorites, astronomical tools, laser tours of the night sky all with some glow in the dark fun.

SCIENCE UNDER THE MOONLIT SKY TIME: DROP IN AT YOUR LEISURE Join Frank Florian and the Science in Motion team for some star gazing, actual meteorites, astronomical tools, laser tours of the night sky.

ANNETTE LAKESHUTTLE DROP

WASHROOMS

FIREPIT

Guest Speakers(with controlled firepits)

RASC Astronomers

Telus World of Science

Aboriginal Programming (with controlled firepits)

No Visitor Cars Past This Point

Parks Canada Interp. Program

GUEST SPEAKERSBe inspired by our engaging guest speakers Alan Dyer, Dr. Brian Ventrudo and Ivan Semeniuk who’ll go “beyond the stars” with invigorating discussions on pop culture in space and quirky takes on current popular topics.

NAVIGATING THE STARS PRESENTER: ALAN DYER TIME: 8:00PM TO 8:25PM AND 9:30PM TO 9:55PM

THE BACKYARD COSMOLOGIST PRESENTER: BRIAN VENTRUDO TIME: 8:30PM TO 8:55PM AND 10:00PMTO 10:25PM

PLURALITY OF WORLDS PRESENTER: IVAN SEMENIUK TIME: 9:00PM. TO 9:25PM AND 10:30PM. TO 10:55PM

Beyond the Stars at Lake Annette

4 | Jasper Dark Sky

Dark Sky Photography4:30pm to 6:30pm - Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Aurora-gazing on Pyramid Island10:00pm to 12:00am - Jasper Planetarium

Dark Sky Photography9:30pm to 12:30am - Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Glacier & Stargazing Overnight AdventurePickup 3:45pm to 4:30pm - Brewster Glacier Skywalk

Dark Sky Photography4:30pm to 6:30pm - Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Glacier Skywalk Stargazing 4:30pm to 11:30pm - Brewster Glacier Skywalk

Dining in the Dome6:00pm to 9:00pm - Jasper Planetarium

Stargazing at The Jasper SkyTram8:00pm to 11:00pm - Jasper SkyTram

Dark Sky Photography9:30pm to 12:30am - Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Kakasitipiskak10:00pm - Jasper National Park Heritage Fire Hall

So You Want to Be a Rocket Scientist?12:00pm/1:15pm/2:30pm - Centennial Field

Dark Sky Photography4:30pm to 6:30pm - Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

The Sky is Not the Limit6:30pm to 7:30pm - Centennial Field

VIP Stargazing from the Top of the World7:00pm to 10:00pm - Jasper SkyTram

Beyond the Stars8:00pm to 11:00pm - Lake Anne�e

Dark Sky Photography9:30pm to 12:30am - Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Sky is Not the Limit A�er-Party10:00pm to 12:00am - Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Big Bang Expo11:00am to 3:00pm - Centennial Field

Space & Science Seminars11:00am/12:00pm/1:00pm - Centennial Field

Dark Sky Festival Brewery Tour Plus1:00pm - Jasper Brewing Co

Dark Sky Science Showcase (DS3)1:00pm to 3:00pm - Centennial Field

Daytime Solar Viewing2:00pm to 4:00pm - Centennial Field

Dark Sky Photography4:30pm to 6:30pm - Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

A Night of Mythbusting & Science6:00pm to 7:30pm - Centennial Field

Una Noche Italiana Dinner6:00pm to 10:00pm - Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Dining in the Dome7:30pm to 10:30pm - Jasper Planetarium

Stargazing in Jasper8:00pm to 10:00pm - Visitor Info Centre Lawn

Dark Sky Photography9:30pm to 12:30am - Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Saturday, 17 Oct 2015Friday, 16 Oct 2015

Friday, 23 Oct 2015 Saturday, 24 Oct 2015

Schedule

5 | Jasper Dark Sky

MUST HAVE

Stargazing Apps

NIGHT SKY

Photography Tips

Photopills | iOS | $11.99 An amazing all in one photo app that helps you first plan as well as capture night sky photography through your iPhone

• Helps you capture star trails• Captures photos using long exposure calculators,

timelapse and many other features• Uses virtual reality to plan where the milky way is

going to be.

Luminos | iOS | $11.99 Provides 3D view of planets, moons, over 2.5M stars and thousands of other objects.

• Recreate famous Meteor showers• Suggests objects to observe based on the date• Point your phone into sky to identify planets and

stars near you

Pocket Universe | iOS | $3.49 Gives you observation tips and quizzes to test your knowledge about what you have seen.

• Good for beginners (learning tool)• Point phone into sky to identify planets and stars

near you• Suggests objects to observe based on the date

Star Chart | iOS & Android | Free FREE app that uses your phone’s compass to locate planets and stars near you

• You can set location to see the stars on the other side of the planet in real time

• Time shifter to see what the sky will look like 10,000 years in the future

SkyView | iOS & Android | Free FREE app that uses the back camera to give you information like the paths of object in the sky and names of the celestial bodies

• Search for and locate specific stars or space stations

• Share to social media (twitter, facebook, instagram)

Tools (for simplest night sky capturing capabilities)

• Tripod (for camera/smartphone stability during long exposures)

• Full frame camera (for better ISO capabilities)• Fisheye or wide angle lense (widest view of the sky)• Intervalometer (when aiming to shoot star trails with

long exposures)• An Extra Battery (long exposures may use more

battery than you’re used to)

General Tips

• Get far away from the city to avoid “light pollution” (at least 50 miles from a big city for the cleanest looking sky)

• Always aim to shoot on nights of a new moon phase. Capturing photos during anything larger than a half moon phase can become very difficult, making the sky look like daytime

• During summertime (June October) the milky way’s position is particularly vibrant and easy to capture

• When editing your photos, try playing around with the exposure, temperature and hue to create some very unique scenes

• Dress for the weather, capturing photographs at night is not an activity that keeps you warm and moving.

• Use headlamps or a small lantern to light your foreground objects

Smartphone Tips

• Photopills is an amazing all in one app for the Iphone ($11.99) which includes sun and moon planning, star trails, long exposure calculators, timelapse and virtual reality to help plan where the milky way is going to be.

• To effect shutter speed, get the iPhone app Slow Shutter Cam ($1.19). For android, try Camera FV 5 Lite (Free)

• Avoid using a flash at all times, and the HDR setting tends to slow down the speed of your camera, ultimately diminishing the performance

• Avoid your digital zoom as tempting as it may be, the zoom with compromise the quality of the photo

DSLR Tips

• Exposure should sit around 15 -25 sec, longer than 30 sec can start to show very small star trails

• Set white balance to tungsten or fluorescent (auto balance tends to create an orange night sky)

• Shoot your photographs in raw format to preserve editing capabilities.

DSLR Camera Settings To Start With (NO MOON)

25 second exposure f/2.8 ISO 1600

30 second exposuref/4 ISO 1600 (for lens that doesn’t open to f/2.8)

30 second exposuref/2.8 ISO 3200 (for cameras that support higher ISO)

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT DARK SKY PHOTOGRAPHY? SIGN UP FOR A 2-DAY WORKSHOP | OCT 16—17 AND OCT 23—24 | $349 PER PERSON MORE INFO AT WWW.JASPERDARKSKY.TRAVEL/EVENTS-TICKETS

6 | Jasper Dark Sky

GEMINI

TAURUSAURIGA

PERSEUS

TRIANGULUM

ARIES

PISCESPEGASUS

DELPHINUS

CASSIOPEA

DRACO

URSA MINOR(Li�le Dipper)

URSA MAJOR

BIG DIPPERBOOTES

CORONABOREALIS

HERCULES

LYRA

CYGNUS(Northern Cross)

LEOVIRGOCANCER

HYADES

ORION

CEPHEUS

Polaris (North Star)

Sirius(Dog Star)

AndromedaGalaxy

Arcturus

Spica

Castor

Deneb

Betelgeuse

JASPER STAR CHARTYOU’VE NEVER SEEN THE SKY LIKE THIS BEFORE.

7 | Jasper Dark Sky

We’re here to help! We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions below and provided answers so you can enjoy the full Jasper Dark Sky Festival experience.

WHAT’S HAPPENING AND WHEN?Dark Sky events are happening throughout Jasper during the week of October 16 to 25. Some require tickets, but many are completely free! To find a complete listing of events, visit www.jasperdarksky.travel/events-tickets

WHERE CAN I STARGAZE?Anywhere in the park! But we suggest joining us for the free event on October 23rd at Lake Annette, with programming by TELUS World of Science Edmonton, Royal Astr onomical Society of Canada, Dark Sky Photographers, Parks Canada Interpreters and other special guests.

Check out the map on page 3 of this guide for more details.

WHAT IS THE STAR PACKAGE?Package Col. Chris Hadfield and the Mythbusters and save on both main events! The Star Package was created especially for you - it gives you access to both main events on Friday and Saturday for one low price!

WHAT TIME DO DOORS OPEN FOR COL. HADFIELD AND THE MYTHBUSTERS EVENTS?

Doors will open at 5:30PM and the main events will start promptly at 6:00PM. Both main events will run for approximately 90 minutes.

WHERE CAN WE EAT?Jasper has a variety of restaurant options, some of which are offering Dark Sky specials! Check out the tasty options at www.jasper.travel/what-to-eat

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF EVENTS AND DETAILS VISIT WWW.JASPERDARKSKY.TRAVEL

SHUTTLE INFORMATION

Shuttles to Lake Annette from 7:30 PM until 10:45 PM:

• From Jasper Activity Centre, beginning at 7:30 PM every 15 minutes

• From Chateau Jasper, beginning at 7:35 PM every 15 minutes

Return shuttles from Lake Annette from 8:00–11:30 PM every 15 minutes

FAQs

Beyond the Stars at Lake Annette