Annual General Meeting – Feb 22, 2021

Posted by as Meetings

Video transcript of AGM

RASC Victoria Center AGM at 7:30PM Monday Feb 22nd

One Sky Many Astronomies: Talk at 3PM, Tuesday March 2nd

Indigenous star lore expert Wilfred Buck will give a public (virtual) talk sponsored by the UVic Astronomy Research Centre. This is a free public talk intended for an audience at all levels. Date: Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021 Time: 3:00 pm PST Registration: Free, but please register in advance:

https://uvic.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pYskIDWHTrazq-4c09vDbQ

“Every culture in the Northern Hemisphere saw the same sky at night, and they all have their own constellations, mythologies, and teachings,” says Wilfred Buck. Furthermore, “star stories are part of our belief system. Knowledge of the stars is found in many aspects of our culture including storytelling, symbolism, and religious traditions”.

We are fortunate to have Wilfred Buck joining us to discuss astronomy and the deep knowledge that First Nations people have about the sky. In First Nations communities, each star is part of a story, sometimes many stories, which convey cultural traditions and knowledge. In this seminar, Wilfred will discuss his research into the astronomical knowledge of the Ininewuk, Lakota, and Anishinaabe Peoples.

About the Speaker: Wilfred Buck is a former science facilitator at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre and an Indigenous star lore expert, known as “the star guy”. Wilfred was co-curator of an exhibit featuring constellations of Canada’s indigenous cultures at Ottawa’s Canada Science and Technology Museum (2018), and he served as a storyteller and content expert in the 22-minute film “Legends of the Northern Sky,” shown at Telus World of Science in Edmonton (2019). He is author of Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories and I Have Lived Four Lives, and can be contacted at https://acakwuskwun.com/

Astro Cafe – Monday February 8th 2021

Posted by as Astro Cafe, Meetings

Video transcript of meeting

Vera Rubin Observatory Zoom Presentation Wed February 10th at 7:30PM

The UVic Observatory Open House invites you to a Zoom Presentation by Dr. Zeljko Ivezic entitled “The Greatest Movie of All Time“. As Project Scientist and Deputy Director of Construction of the Rubin Observatory and he will provide detailed insight into the design and construction of this absolutely fascinating telescope.

To Join the Zoom Meeting click the following link:
https://uvic.zoom.us/j/93596786035?pwd=SytMSzRlZERrdjFTM0V4bytNTWtoZz09

Meeting ID: 935 9678 6035
Password: 566494

How to Photograph ISS: A tutorial by Abdur Anwar

Edmonton RASCal Abdur Anwar continues to capture amazing images of the International Space Station by manually tracking his Celestron 8 Inch Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope. He has developed a very interesting and useful You Tube tutorial on not only how to locate and photograph the ISS but also how to process the image using 3 powerful programs call PPIP, AutoStakkert3 and Registax. Abdur suggests that a Dobsonian telescope may also be well suited for this task. Check out Abdur’s tutorial here: https://youtu.be/GSXRoo2c0s8

ISS captured by Abdur Anwar using a C8 SCT with 2x barlow, Fuji XT2, and a manual mount

Ice Sculpture Poses with Aurora at Minus 39

Edmonton RASCal Warren Findlay braved frigid temperatures to capture a beautiful image of the aurora and ice sculpture at the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/87433604@N05/50919180086/in/dateposted-public/

Fascinating JPL Documentary Series

Chris Gainor recommended a very interesting series of documentaries on the role of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory during the Space Age. If you are a fan of the history rocket and spacecraft technology then beware before clicking the following link. It is binge worthy.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/who-we-are/documentary-series-jpl-and-the-space-age

Astronomy today, Framing the Future: Thurs, Feb 11th at 4PM PDT

Dark matter. Humans on the Moon. Black holes and exoplanets. They’re hot topics in the news, and it just so happens women are discussing them. Join us for a panel discussion that passes the Bechdel Test, bringing four great Canadian minds together to talk about observational astronomy, cosmology, astroparticle theory, planetary geology and the future of science that is out of this world.
The panel is presented by The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and SkyNews. Hosted and moderated by SkyNews editor-in-chief Allendria Brunjes and RASC outreach co-ordinator Jenna Hinds, RASC Next Gen committee chair Emilie Laflèche and RASC Diversity and Inclusivity committee chair Roland Dechesne will be moderating audience discussion.
Register here to attend on Zoom, or watch live on our YouTube channel.

Astronomy Cafe – Monday February 1st 2021

Posted by as Astro Cafe, Meetings

Transcript video of the meeting.

Family Portrait of the Neighbourhood

The Solar Orbiter Probe captures remarkable image of Earth together with it’s neighbours Venus and Mars. Check out the following link: https://www.sciencealert.com/photo-snapped-by-solar-orbiter-shows-venus-earth-and-mars-gleaming-like-stars

Cool Edmonton Morning and Other Images from Prairie RASCals

Alister Ling Captures Moonset on a Frosty Friday Morning (January 29th)

Abdur Anwar Captures Remarkable Closeup of ISS
Abdur writes: After several years and many attempts, I finally managed to get a shot of the ISS where it wasn’t a blurry mess. I can actually identify individual modules on the space station. Now that I have worked out the settings after a lot of trial and error, I can focus on actually imaging the station. Looking forward to the next attempt with a barlow. Hand tracked with my trusty C8 on a manual alt-az mount. I used my Fuji XT2 camera in video mode to capture frames.
Roman Unyk Hard At Work Building Edmonton 32 Inch Reflector
Drive Wheel Drive wheel and sector with rims tack welded on before final welding and heat treatment
Drive wheel, post heat treatment, showing the amount of deformation caused by rim material shrinkage.

New 130 mm Refractor Placed On VCO Mount

Dan Posey and Matt Watson attached the Takahashi TOA 130 S refractor to the tube of the OGS 12.5 Inch RC reflector. They are now balanced on the Paramount ME Mount at the VCO. Funding has been approved to purchase components to attach existing Feather Touch focuser to the refractor as well as a focal reducer that will allow it to function in both f/7.7 and f/5.4 modes.