Monthly Virtual Meeting

RASC Ottawa Centre

Upcoming Virtual Meeting on Friday, November 6th @ 7:30 PM EST!

We are looking for observation images.  Please send these images to (meetingchair@ottawa.rasc.ca) and Chris Teron (chris@teron.ca) before Monday, November 2nd for inclusion in the slides.

The agenda for this meeting is as follows:

1. Ottawa Skies - Dave Chisholm
2. Greetings from RASC National Office - Dr. Phil Groff (Executive Director, RASC)
3. Robotic Telescope - Jenna Hinds (Outreach Coordinator, RASC)
4. M&M Challenge (over the 5-minute break)
5. CHIME Radio Telescope - Dr. Patrick Boyle
6. Observations - Observing Challenges

If you are NOT presenting a talk or observation you will need to Register in Advance for this Zoom webinar HERE! After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

If you are presenting a talk or observation Chris Teron will send you your own private "Panelist" link.  You do not need to register.

Women of Aerospace

University of Toronto's Aerospace Team (UTAT)

Do you want to learn from Aerospace experts?

Attend the Women of Aerospace Speaker Series, hosted by the University of Toronto Aerospace Team, to hear the experiences and lessons of the women leading this fast-growing industry. Coming up on November 7th, 2020, at 6 pm EST, we are joined by guest speaker Sarah Oliveira of Collins Aerospace.

Join us via Zoom to hear her story! Sign up to receive zoom links and information regarding upcoming talks, including Oliveira’s, using this link:  https://forms.gle/sUb2Bjo9UULmQNrw5

DDO Astronomy Night: Unravelling the Mysterious Fast Radio Burst with CHIME (ONLINE)

Saturday, November 7, 2020 - 7:30pm to 8:30pm Eastern Time

https://rascto.ca/content/ddo-astronomy-night-unravelling-mysterious-fas...

Since the first report of an extragalactic Fast Radio Burst (FRB) detection in 2007, the origins of these bright, short duration bursts of radio waves has been a highly contentious topic. Dr. Cherry Ng will discuss how the recently-commissioned Canadian CHIME radio telescope is helping to solve the mystery of FRB. 

Dr. Cherry Ng is a post-doctoral researcher at the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics. During her PhD study, she discovered 60 rapidly-spinning neutron stars with the Parkes Radio Telescope in Australia. Her hunting effort continues, now with the Canadian CHIME telescope. She and her team are using CHIME to detect and study “Fast Radio Bursts,” a new astrophysical mystery that involves short bursts of radio waves that have come from far outside our Milky Way galaxy.

Who can attend: Everyone
Fee: Free
Registration: Not required

Organized by: RASC, Toronto Centre - David Dunlap Observatory Outreach Committee

Link: https://www.youtube.com/rasctoronto/live

La Lune, par Patrice Scattolin

Centre francophone de Montréal

Ou nous allons traverser l'histore de la découverte de la  lune à
partir du début de l'invention du télescope.

10 Novembre à 19h30 EST

Vous pouvez vous joindre a notre vidéo conférence via le lien ici!

An Alien Biosphere...on Venus??

IREx - Institut de recherche sur les exoplanetes 

Extraterrestrial life... on Venus?? Join us for the 2020 Grande conference de l'iREx to learn all about the recent tentative discovery of phosphine, a potential biosignature, in the atmosphere of Venus.

Our speaker will be Clara Sousa-Silva, 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University. She is an astrophysicist specializing in quantum astrochemistry and is a co-author of the scientific paper announcing the discovery of phosphine on Venus. After her 30-minute presentation, she will answer the public's questions about Venus, exoplanets and the search for extraterrestrial life!

The iREx's public talks are intended for anyone interested in astronomy and exoplanets and require no prior knowledge of science or astronomy. This talk is FREE and requires NO REGISTRATION. It will take place as a Facebook Live event on the iREx page and on this event page. The talk will be available to watch at a later time on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Submit a question for the talk HERE!

NOTE: The talk will be in English, but we will be accepting questions in both English and French

The event will take place on November 10th at 7:30pm (EST)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

De la vie extra-terrestre... sur Vénus?? Joignez-vous à nous pour notre Grande conférence de l'iREx 2020 pour tout apprendre sur la récente découverte tentative de phosphine, une biosignature potentielle, dans l'atmosphère de Vénus.

Notre conférencière sera Clara Sousa-Silva, chercheure postdoctorale 51 Pegasi b à l'Université Harvard. Elle est astrophysicienne se spécialisant en astrochimie quantique et est co-auteure de l'article scientifique annonçant la découverte de phosphine sur Vénus. Après sa présentation de 30 minutes, elle répondra aux questions du public sur Vénus, les exoplanètes et la recherche de la vie extra-terrestre!

Les conférences de l'iREx sont destinées à quiconque est intéressé à l'astronomie et aux exoplanètes, et ne requièrent aucune connaissance préalable en science ou en astronomie.

Cette conférence est GRATUITE et ne nécessite AUCUNE INSCRIPTION. Elle aura lieu en événement Facebook Live sur la page de l'iREx et dans cette page d'événement. La conférence sera disponible en différé sur notre page Facebook et notre chaîne YouTube.

Join us for our monthly recreational astronomy night meeting. This is where RASC Toronto Centre members get to show their latest projects or give tutorials and tips on just about everything to do with astronomy. Talks start at 7:30pm, socializing at 7:00pm.

UPDATED!

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE. Due to the world-wide YouTube issue with live-streams and new content on 11 Nov, we've rescheduled our RAN meeting to Thu 12 Nov!

https://rascto.ca/content/recreational-astronomy-night-80

• Denis Grey - The sky this month
• Wayne Parker - SkyShed and Beyond! 
• Frank Dempsey - Update on 12.5-inch telescope making project

Who can attend: Everyone
Fee: Free
Registration: Not required
Organized by: RASC, Toronto Centre

Location: https://www.youtube.com/rasctoronto/live

Two Eyed Seeing: D(L)akota Astronomy & NASA Moon 2 Mars

Register for this event here.

Join us for a 60 m live show featuring the Native Skywatchers - D(L)akota Team-members: Ramona Kitto Stately, Jim Knutson-Kolodzne, Annette S. Lee, and Dakh6ta lapi Okh6dakichiye. Weaving together Indigenous D(L)akota Astronomy & NASA science this event will offer insights from both world-views.

• Keya-Turtle, Ahdeska/Ag/eska-Salamander & Chekpa

• Moon, Drumbeat, and Heartbeat

• Fallen Star, To Win/Tun Win-Blue Spirit Woman

View the event flyer here.

Scroll down to the bottom of this page to view more upcoming projects with Native Skywatchers and NASA.

Next Generation Biosignatures for Exoplanets: A Network Approach

Sunshine Coast Centre of RASC

Astrobiologist Theresa Fisher from Arizona State University will present a talk whose topic is “Next Generation Biosignatures for Exoplanets: A Network Approach.” 

This talk will take place on November 13th on Zoom at 7:00 pm Pacific. 

Use this Zoom Link to join the meeting. 

Meeting ID: 841 9959 3022

Password: 081985

Insider's Guide to the Galaxy
All About Meteor Showers and Meteorites

Tuesday, November 17th, 3:30 - 5:00 pm EST

Guest host: Bryon Czarnik

Assessing the Asteroid Threat

Presented by Peter Jedicke

St. John's Centre

For the upcoming Monthly Meeting, Peter Jedicke will be presenting a talk titled "Assessing the Asteroid Threat"

Abstract:

The idea of an asteroid or a comet hitting the Earth has engaged enthusiasts in our generation. These are, of course, common objects in our solar system. Although comets are still part of the discussion, scientists realize that asteroids pose the main threat to our world. How have astronomers developed an awareness of the threat? We have discovered them in the sky, counted them, tracked them, and predicted the likelihood of colliding with them. Their nature is much better understood now than at the beginning of the Space Age. Economic calculations provide guidance for risk analysis. Strategies for an organized response have been developed. We can also view the situation as an opportunity for space resource development.

This event will take place on Wednesday, November 18th @ 7:30 pm NST/6:00 pm EST

Join the Zoom Webinar HERE!

Unravelling the Mysterious Fast Radio Burst with CHIME

Dr. Ng will discusses how the Canadian CHIME radio telescope is helping to solve the mystery of the contentious origin of bright, short-duration bursts of radio waves known as Fast Radio Bursts.

When: Nov 19, 2020 07:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Topic: Unravelling the Mysterious Fast Radio Burst with CHIME

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://calgarylibrary-ca.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zhhkAuYvStqxlIYYi1Z_7g

The Research Legacy of Lowell Observatory

Presented by Klaus Brasch

RASC History Committee

Abstract:

Percival Lowell founded his observatory in 1894 and commissioned the famed firm of Alvan Clark & Sons, to build a 24-in aperture refracting telescope among the largest in private hands at the time. Clark himself deemed it as one of his best. Both Lowell and his great refractor soon gained notoriety with reports of putative canals on Mars, allegedly the work of a dying civilization to channel water from the planet’s poles to its desert equatorial regions. Amid all the ensuing controversy, the Observatory’s many other scientific achievements are not as widely known as they should. This talk will review some of those and also current research and educational efforts at this historic institution.

Klaus Brasch Bio:

Klaus Brasch is a retired biomedical scientist and a volunteer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ. Born in Germany, his family emigrated to Canada in 1953, where Klaus got hooked on astronomy in his teens, joined the Montreal Centre of the RASC in 1958 and has been an avid amateur ever since. He earned his BSc at Concordia and Ph.D. at Carleton University, before joining the biology faculty at Queen’s University in Kingston. In 1990 he joined California State University, where he served as department chair, dean of science and director of campus research. Klaus has translated popular French astronomy books into English, lectured widely on topics ranging from life in the universe to astrophotography and published articles in Astronomy, Sky & Telescope, SkyNews, JRASC and elsewhere. Asteroid 25226 Brasch, was recently named for him by Lowell Observatory.

The Following Panelists will be joining Klaus Brasch:

Clark Muir, Randall Rosenfeld, and Chris Beckett

Register for this Zoom event HERE!

The event will take place Monday, November 23 @ 8:30 pm EST