Happy September RASC members, and welcome back from what I hope was a wonderful summer of clear skies and observing! While our individual pursuits may be important, many of the most important annual milestones for our society have taken place
The history of astronomy in Canada and Victoria in particular is the subject of a documentary series that will appear on CHEK television on June 13 and 20, 2025.
The two-part documentary, Northern Star, tells the story of John S. Plaskett, the Ontario farm boy who grew up to become the founding father of astrophysics in Canada. Plaskett spearheaded the construction of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (DAO) just north of Victoria that is equipped with a giant telescope that was for a few months in 1918 the largest operating telescope on Earth.
I mentioned outreach would be the focus of a future message. At its heart, outreach is core to the modern service mission of the RASC and has defined my time with the organization. It’s no surprise I’m going to focus
One of the beauties of the RASC is that there are so many different pathways we can take as members. Individual pursuits like observing and astrophotography, group observing, public outreach. Each of these can be its own journey, with galaxies having always had a special place in my heart.
Observing reports and photos of this Total Lunar Eclipse by our members from locations on Vancouver Island and Nova Scotia. Everyone in North and South America were able to see this apparition.
Being asked to step into the role of President for the RASC has put me into a reflective mood. Future versions of this column will likely feature ruminences on what the RASC means to new members, the incredible contributions the society has made to the community over the last 111 years, and the wonderful friendships we all benefit from being in a group of like-minded individuals. Today, I’m going to focus on something unique to RASC Victoria, which is the opportunity to request a handful of nights on the 1.8 meter Plaskett telescope each year. – Dan Posey
This month a new Council will take over the affairs of the Victoria Centre and move us into the second quarter of this century. Many of the people in the new Council will be the same as in recent years,
Between my two spells as President of the Victoria Centre, I spent more than 15 years occupied in the affairs of the RASC at the national level, including five years as our centre’s national rep, 10 years on the national
Something we take for granted as members of the RASC Victoria Centre is the online infrastructure of the society and our centre. Our Victoria Centre website victoria.rasc.ca serves us well thanks to the work of dedicated volunteers. The father of
One of the greatest benefits of membership in the Victoria Centre is that we get to meet and know some of the giants of Canadian astronomy. This centrewas founded under the tutelage of the father of Canadian astrophysics, John S.