The Total Lunar Eclipse

The year 2018 ended with two great celestial events. We had the Geminid meteor shower that peaked on the night of December 13/14 as well as the great appearance of Comet 46/P Wirtanen. The comet was closest to the earth on December 16 and was near the Pleiades star cluster. Wirtanen is now moving towards Ursa Major and fading rapidly.

Two Grand Events

Governor General Julie Payette Becomes Patron of RASC

The Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, has agreed to become Viceregal Patron of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Viceregal patronage is granted for the length of a Governor General’s time in office. The first Governor General to be Viceregal Patron of the RASC was Ms. Payette’s predecessor, David Johnston.

The RASC was granted its “royal” designation in 1903 by His Majesty King Edward VII.

I am pleased to announce that we have hired a new staff member at the RASC Society office: Jenna Hinds has been appointed Youth Outreach Coordinator.

Jenna has a BSc from Mount Allison in Marine Biology and a Masters of Science in Science Communication and Public Engagement from the University of Edinburgh.

She has worked at the Ontario Science Centre for the past 2.5 years as a planetarium host, giving live shows on various aspects of astronomy.