The Board of Directors of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) are pleased to announce that the RASC has purchased SkyNews Incorporated.
SkyNews Inc. has published SkyNews magazine since 1999. SkyNews Inc. also owns skynews.ca and publishes a monthly e-newsletter. SkyNews is the Canadian magazine for amateur astronomers and is the only popular, English-language science magazine for adults published in Canada.
The RASC and SkyNews Inc. have had a long relationship. RASC members have received issues of SkyNews magazine as a benefit of membership since 1997. Many members of the RASC contribute articles and photographs which are published in the magazine.
The editor of SkyNews Magazine, Terence Dickinson has been writing popular books about backyard astronomy for over forty years. Although he will step down as Editor in the next year, he has agreed to remain as Editor Emeritus and will continue to contribute in his own column.
“This is a monumental event, one that bodes well for our Society and for SkyNews,” said James Edgar, the Society’s National President. “The acquisition of the magazine ensures that our long-standing relationship will continue far into the future, a relationship that we have seen increase in several dimensions over the past few years. This can only mean an improvement to member benefits, plus it provides a new way for us to grow our public outreach. We are most pleased that Terry Dickinson has agreed to remain with SkyNews as Editor Emeritus. His presence ensures that the flavour and thrust of SkyNews remains as a quality Canadian astronomy publication.”
Greg Keilty, Publisher of SkyNews magazine and former co-owner of SkyNews Inc. said, “Launching a new magazine and finding the readers to support it is a gamble. It was a bold and admirable decision for the National Museum of Science &Technology to launch SkyNews in 1995. I was delighted when they sold it to Terence, Colleen and I in 1999. We were able to tend it and grow it and now it's 20 years old, already quite a long life for a magazine, and is now the only popular-level adult science magazine published in English Canada. Passing this treasure on to the RASC pretty well guarantees that SkyNews will celebrate a 40th anniversary as well.”
Terry Dickinson, the Editor of SkyNews said, “One of my distinct pleasures in the past two decades has been gathering an all-Canadian team of astronomy writers, photographers, illustrators, designers and editorial experts to steer a steady course for SkyNews. Our readers have supported us as the magazine has doubled in size since its founding. I am absolutely delighted that The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will be moving into the driver's seat as we head into the next two decades.”
Randy Attwood
Executive Director
Royal Astronomical Society of Canada