A nasty thunderstorm swept through the Starfest grounds during this year's gathering in Ontario, Canada. - by Glenn Muller for Astronomy.com

With several astronomy gatherings washed out so far this summer, the mostly-clear skies at Starfest 2003 in Canada had hundreds of participants sighing with relief. Now in its 22nd year, the popular event hosted by the North York Astronomical Association (NYAA) at River Place Campground in Mount Forest, Ontario, attracted North American amateur and professional astronomers with dark skies, modern facilities, and excellent presentations by such luminaries as David Levy and Terence Dickinson.
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(before the storm - picture by Margaret Walton)
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The storm rolled over the star party with a ferocity that caused the lightning death of a camper in a nearby county. As organizers anchored the presentation marquees against driving wind and rain, astronomers struggled to preserve shelters and equipment. Many were forced to abandon possessions on the high ground as lightning strobed across a lowering canopy of dark clouds.

Luckily, injuries at Starfest were slight and the total carnage was a few toppled scopes, a broken Meade LX mount, and several bent poles. White lights ruled as neighbors helped each other reassemble tents and dry belongings. Lesser winds brought sunshine back for Friday then died completely to make for a night of spectacular viewing.

Naturally, the theme of the event was Mars and sales of colored filters was brisk. While bino-viewers and laser pointers have increased in popularity, the gizmo to have this year appeared to be a webcam. Cheaper than most digital cameras, these little units send streams of pictures from eyepiece to computer to be manipulated into quality astrophotos.
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(Dr. Doug Welch - picture by Glenn Muller)

Glenn is currently in the market for a new tent.