Messier Marathon and Galaxy Season

Let Galaxy Season begin! Around this time of year, we get to see an unbelievable number of galaxies and deep sky objects. So we'll share some viewing tips and suggest the easiest ones to look at. If you time it right, you can see every single Messier object in a single night! We’ll show you how to achieve this item on many amateur astronomers' bucket-lists.

Register here, or watch live on our YouTube channel!

Murder at the Observatory: a Forgotten Chapter in the Legacy of Alvan Clark & Sons

Presented by the RASC History Committee
Speaker: Clark Muir

During the celebrated history of Alvan Clark & Sons, founded by the legendary lens- and telescope-making family, there was a stunning chain of events that had a profound impact on the business and its future prosperity. Although many of the details were of a highly personal nature, they were not ignored by the media. Among the episodes was an apparent kidnapping within the family, followed shortly thereafter by a death at the Clark’s observatory that led to a sensational murder trial. A series of other litigious matters continued to trouble the family and keep them in the public consciousness for more than a decade. Here, we will review some of the triumphs of the family business and examine the lasting impact these scandals had on its legacy.

Register here or join live on YouTube!

Recreational Astronomy Night (ONLINE)

Wednesday, March 3, 2021 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm

Join us for our monthly recreational astronomy night meeting. This is where our members get to show their latest projects or give tutorials and tips on just about everything to do with astronomy.

• Denis Grey - The Sky This Month
• Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn - Adventures in lightscaping under the night sky
• Jerry Vila - Tyco Brahe

https://rascto.ca/content/recreational-astronomy-night-online-1

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

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

March 2021 Member's Meeting 

Halifax Centre

Halifax Centre's monthly meeting is Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 1 PM Atlantic (12 PM Eastern). Our agenda includes Paul Gray’s monthly photo montage, Paul Heath's latest poem in Food for the Soul, Dave Chapman's What’s Up in the March Skies? and Judy Black’s News from the Board. plus two special guests.

Dr. Luigi Gallo will present Black Holes: The Loud, the Quiet and the Silent. He provides an overview of research conducted in the past few years related to black holes such as active galaxies, black hole imaging, the Milky Way galactic centre, and gravitational waves as well as some of the research he is conducting at Saint Mary’s University (SMU) that was recently highlighted by the European Space Agency. Dr. Gallo is a professor in the Department of Astronomy & Physics at SMU and is the Canadian lead on the JAXA/NASA led XRISM X-ray mission that will launch in 2022.  Most of the research that he carries out with his students at SMU and international collaborators focusses on the high-energy emission coming from black holes.

Michael Gatto, in his presentation Sketching & Digitizing Mars Images, will explain his series of Mars sketches and and he then digitized those images. Michael’s pencil sketches of Mars on the back cover of the JRASC (February 2021).

Go to our Activities page for the link to register for our meeting.

DDO Astronomy Night: The Life Cycle of Massive Stars with Adaeze Ibik (ONLINE)

The Life Cycle of Massive Stars

Saturday, March 6, 2021 - 7:00pm to 9:00pm

This talk will explore the evolution of massive stars, starting from their birth to how they end their life in the form of a supernova.

Adaeze Ibik is a PhD student in the David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto. She is from the eastern part of Nigeria in Africa where she earned her Bachelors and Masters in Physics, both from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. One of the reasons for her research is to understand the universe and create awareness of our origin as humans through science communication.

https://rascto.ca/content/ddo-astronomy-night-life-cycle-massive-stars-a...

Registration is per family. Deadline to register for this program is Friday, March 5, 2021 at 3:00pm. Prior to the start of the program you will be emailed information on the virtual program links and any specific information relating to your program.

Who can attend: Ages 10 and up
Fee: $12.50
Registration: ActiveRH
Organized by: RASC, Toronto Centre

Two Eyed Seeing: Hawai'ian Indigenous Astronomy & NASA Moon to Mars

Native Skywatchers

Friday, March 12, 2021 @ 9 am HST, 11 am pst, 12 noon MST, 1 pm CST, 2 pm EST

Join us for an exciting live show on Hawai'ian Indigenous Astronomy including the revitalization of Wayfinding and traditional Hawai'ian methods of navigation. Students from the Volcano School of Arts and Sciences will present their research which will include a place-based activity, “Make Your Own Hawai'ian Star Compasses” and essential understanding of the Hawai'ian Star Families. Also an important discussion on the parallels between the Indigenous Hawaiian process of choosing a crew and the NASA process used for the Artemis Moon mission (2024) and later the Mars mission (2030’s), both grounded in similar missions of exploration but employing different technologies.

Presented by: Kālepa Baybayan, Lisa Barnard, Barbara Sarbin, Jacqueline Ramirez, and Annette S. Lee. Our lead school is the Volcano School of Arts & Sciences in Volcano, Hawai'i. Supporting organizations are Native Skywatchers, 'Imiloa Astronomy Center, and NASA. Funded by NASA – Next Gen STEM.

Weaving together Indigenous Hawai'ian Astronomy & NASA science this work offers insights from both world-views. “Etuaptumumk” as described by Mi’kmaw elders:

"Two-Eyed Seeing is learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the strengths of Western knowledges and ways of knowing, and to use both these eyes for the benefit of all." (Bartlett, Marshall and Marshall 2012, 336)

Register for the event HERE!

Monthly Virtual Meeting 

RASC Winnipeg

RASC Winnipeg's Council is pleased to present their next virtual monthly meeting this Friday, March 12, at 7:00 p.m MST (8:00 pm EST). New for 2021 each meeting will start with a session for beginners in astronomy. In this month’s meeting, learn hints and tricks for using planetarium software, and then how the stars, planets, and other objects move in the sky. Next, they will follow with the regular sessions: What’s Up in
the night sky and What’s New in astronomy. Finally, learn from Dr. Jayanne English, a professional astronomer at the U of M, about some of her ground-breaking research.

Agenda
7:00 – Beginners’ Session – Gord Tulloch: Mystery of the night sky - the motion of the moon, planets, and stars
7:30 - Introduction/Announcements - Dennis Lyons
7:40 - What's Up - Jay Anderson
8:00 - What's New - Dr. Michelle Boyce
8:30 - Main Presentation - Dr. Jayanne English: “Cosmos and Cartography: Mapping the Magnetic Fields in Galaxies”

Join the Zoom Webinar HERE!

Passcode: 079704

Astronomy and Religions Around the World

As we approach spring equinox, an important day in many calendars, we will be discussing how astronomy influences religious observances around the world. You’ll be surprised by some of the astronomical histories behind religious traditions!

Register here! Videos will also be livestreamed to The RASC YouTube Channel.

Speaker's Night: Planets under construction; how to study a million year process (ONLINE)

Wednesday, March 17, 2021 - 7:30pm to 9:00pm

Speaker: Dr. Nienke van der Marel, Banting Fellow, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria

Planets around other stars, also called exoplanets, are seen everywhere! In the last 25 years, thousands of exoplanets have been found throughout the Milky Way. How do we find these planets? What are the chances of discovering life there? And if they are so common, why is it that we still don't know how they are formed? With the ALMA telescope we can now finally zoom into the birth cradles of planets: dusty disks around young stars. The spectacular images have given us new insights, but also raised many more questions on the process of planet formation.

https://rascto.ca/content/speakers-night-online-1

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

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

Uncovering the origin of highest-energy cosmic rays with the VERITAS gamma-ray observatory

Presented by Dr. David Kieda, University of Utah

RASC Calgary 

After more than 100 years since the first discovery of cosmic rays, their astrophysical origin is beginning to be understood. This lecture will describe recent advances in our understanding using multi-messenger observations of neutron stars, supermassive black holes, and supernova remnants combined with VERITAS high-energy gamma-ray observations.

This event will take place Thursday, March 18, 2021, at 7:20 PM MDT (9:30 PM EDT)

Join the Zoom Webinar HERE!

Passcode: 295522

Monthly Meeting

RASC London

This week on Friday 2021-03-19, the RASC London Centre will hold its regular monthly meeting. All are welcome. The main presentation will be on the topic "The 2020 Long-Range Plan for Canadian Astronomy" by Dr. Pauline Barmby from Western University.

Please click the link HERE to join the webinar at 19:30 EDT

Astrophotography: From Simple to Advanced

RASC Montreal Centre

The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) Montreal Centre hosts published astrophotographer and member of the RASC Okanagan Centre Debra Ceravolo as she shares her journey, combining a lifetime interest in astronomy and photography. Join us on Saturday, March 27th at 7pm EDT for a presentation followed by a Q&A and open discussion clubhouse-style. After the event, celebrate Earth Hour at 8:30pm to see some of the night sky wonders (weather & pandemic measures permitting).

Learn what it takes to capture the beauty of the heavens, from the challenges setting up a camera on a tripod to orchestrating equipment in a permanent observatory.

From wide field nightscapes to high resolution photos of nebulae or far off galaxies, every image is an adventure with a story to be told.

When: Saturday, March 27th 19:00 - 20:30 ( 7 pm - 8:30 pm EDT)

Register HERE to attend this Zoom Event

DDO: Up in the Sky (ONLINE)

Saturday, March 27, 2021 - 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Join us, from the comfort of your home! This program provides an illustrated one-hour presentation and discussion about what exciting celestial events to look for each season. The events and phenomena will be explained using simple language, with recommendations about how best to observe and photograph them. All participating family members must be registered. Deadline to register for this program is Friday March 26, 2021 at 3:00pm. Prior to the start of the program you will be emailed information on the virtual program links and any specific information relating to your program.

https://rascto.ca/content/ddo-sky-online-1

Who can attend: Ages 6 and up
Fee for 6 up to 14 years old: $11.33
Fee for 15 or more years old: $12.80
Tickets: ActiveRH
Organized by: RASC, Toronto Centre

Insider's Guide to the Galaxy: Observing the Aurora Borealis

Spring and fall, when the Earth's magnetic defenses are weaker, are the best times in the year to see the Northern Lights. We'll review the physics of the aurorae, including a Canadian connection, and show you how to be alerted when aurora are predicted.Those beautiful glowing curtains in the sky can be quite tricky to capture. We’ll talk about tips, tricks and tools you can use to help you observe and photograph this fleeting phenomenon. 

Register here! Videos will also be livestreamed to The RASC YouTube Channel.

What's up over Edmonton? - April 2021 Edition

RASC Edmonton 

A look at what one can see in the night sky of Edmonton during the month of April, with some space history thrown in.

Wednesday March 31 @ 7:30 PM MDT (8:30 PM EDT)

Join the Zoom Meeting HERE!