3 additional outrigger radio telescopes: 160 kms from Penticton, Green Bank, WV, and Hat Creek, CA
Good Q&A at the end of the lecture video
Skynews – Feb 2017 issue highlights the CHIME instruments
DRAO open to the public starting April 8th
Discussion of radio interference when using radio telescopes
Astronomy Day – Lauri Roche
FDAO Star Party – Observatory Hill – April 29th – evening hours
Need astronomers with telescopes to volunteer
Starlink speaker
UVic – April 30th 11AM-4PM
Lots of volunteers have signed up, but everyone welcome to help, especially someone to lead the event promotion and communications – contact Lauri by email
Open Council meetings. Now that we have a smaller Council, we should make more effort to advertise the meetings to the entire membership – and possibly lay the foundation for more recruitment to leadership.
Closer ties to UVic. I often hear that members want to get back to meeting at the University. I also think we should offer programs that encourage undergrad students to be active in the RASC-VC.
Closer ties with the FDAO. We have overlapping mandates and volunteer bases. Closer coordination will benefit both organizations.
More in-person events, especially under the night sky.
More scheduled and ad hoc evenings at the VCO
More diversity in membership and leadership.
A budget!
Revised Statement of Goals of the Society.
Calendar on the website
Documented Council job descriptions
October 14 Solar Eclipse event
Display of Astrophotographs
Support Vic High club, Oak Bay, Mount Doug
Prizes or other activities with UVic students (Volunteerism, Outreach)
Using the telescope collection to support School Clubs.
Help with the telescope lending library
Recruitment and Retention of membership.
Sustainability of Volunteers and Council members
Organize the Google Drive. Make more complete.
Member survey
Diane Bell Award for Astrosketching
Car share to VCO
NOVA program!
Schools Program – with FDAO?
Liaisons with school groups
Mentors with school groups
Join in school-group observing nights
Prizes and goodies for school groups
Support for Science Fair – volunteers for judges, prizes, handing our RASC bookmark etc.
Over 40 members of RASC Victoria Centre enjoyed a social dinner and awards ceremony at the Moon Under Water Pub on March 27, 2023. Photo gallery
Newton Ball Award 2022 – Deborah Crawford
Randy Enkin awarding Deb Crawford
An active member of the Victoria Centre, Deborah Crawford served on Council as Secretary from December 2012 to November 2014, Second Vice President from December 2016 to November 2018 and then as Treasurer from December 2018 until the spring of 2023. She has a talent for turning events into joyous occasions. Deb organized several AGM banquets and two Star Party “StarBQ’s”. During the 2014 General Assembly Deb oversaw a large buffet at the Centre of the Universe complete with a cake replica of the DAO dome. It was the highlight of the GA.
Ernie Pfannenschmidt Award 2022 – Dave Payne
Randy Enkin awarding Dave Payne
For the invention of the Generalized Hyperbolic Stretch (GHS) an innovative software tool that allows the controlled transformation of pixel intensity. It has been embedded in key astrophotography software packages such as Pixinsight. Astrophotographers around the globe have adopted this powerful tool.
Astrophotography Award 2022 – Dave Payne
Foxmascone Nebulae (NGC 2264) in SHO – The Foxfur and Cone Nebulae and Christmas Tree Cluster in SHO with RGB Stars (Monoceros) – October, 2022 A total of 17.5 Hours in Narrow Band H,S,O filters and 3.75 Hours in R, G, B Filters using a Planewave CDK12.5 Telescope and an- AIS6200MM Camera
Randy Enkin awarding David Lee
Certificate of Appreciation in 2022 – David Lee
In addition to the leadership David displayed during International Astronomy Day, the Dark Sky Survey, and the formation of Special Interest Groups he amazed the Victoria Centre for the perseverance he demonstrated photographing a Lunar Eclipse while a snow storm kept more timid RASCals indoors.
Certificate Of Appreciation 2022 – Randy Enkin
In appreciation of his Organization, Leadership and Guidance so capably rendered as the Centre’s President for 2021 and 2022.
Kim Beil found the exact spot where Ansel Adams took his famous Moon and Half Dome photo, and determined four possible dates based on the star field and Moon
6:47AM on Aug 6, 1936 – date/time of famous photo
Meetings
Social Dinner – March 27th – contact Randy to attend at Moon Under Water Pub on Bay St.
No business meeting, just fun meeting and interacting with everyone – Bill Weir
Speakers list almost complete – Lauri Roche
$35 admission for members to participate for three days
Vic High Astronomy Deck – Clayton
Mitigate the light pollution at the site – discussion of strategy
New 12″ Skywatcher funded by a generous donation
City of Victoria will install shields on the streetlights
There will not be an Astro Café next week in order for the RASC Victoria Centre Social Dinner to take place. Please RSVP to Randy president@victoria.rasc.ca by March 19 if you would like to attend.
After nearly three decades, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada has announced that SkyNews will be shutting down at the end of February 2023. While it is sad to say goodbye, we are proud of the work that has been published and of the community that supported the magazine for so many years.
Update: The article I quoted above no longer appears on the national Skynews website. It appears the national RASC Board is still considering options about Skynews magazine.
As a life member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC), I’m sad to see Skynews end. That said, I can reassure my fellow RASC Victoria Centre members that our local Skynews newsletter will continue to be published. It is the RASC National Skynews magazine (using the same name) which will no longer be published due to what appears to be a continuing poor market for speciality glossy publications. RASC tried to keep Skynews afloat and relevant after it was purchased from the previous publisher Terry Dickinson, but in recent years the magazine proved to be too much of a drain on the finances at the national level. The RASC National Board consulted with RASC Centre executive over the last few weeks, but in the end, this difficult decision had to be made.
Skynews provided a good balance of interesting articles, observing hints and tips, some cosmology, astronomy and space news, and a forum for night sky photography and gear reviews. Skynews was a less-intimidating entry point to astronomical subjects for beginning enthusiasts, and being focused on Canadian astronomy, it highlighted how to pursue our hobby from northern latitudes.
Skynews also provided an opportunity for RASC to reach out to people interested in astronomy who were not members. RASC Victoria Centre used the magazine at public events such as Astronomy Day to promote interest in astronomy to the wider community.
I hope some of the contributors to Skynews will find opportunities to continue to write about Canadian amateur astronomy, observing the night sky, and issues that affect us as astronomers. It would be great to see the skynews.ca Domain name be retained by RASC for the promotion of amateur astronomy in Canada. Perhaps the website could be used to encourage up-and-coming Canadian journalists who have an interest in astronomy and space. The Skynews Youtube channel is also a valuable asset worth nurturing and keeping up-to-date, but some resources from RASC will obviously be needed.
March 2, 2023 – I received my last issue of SkyNews magazine today, a week after posting my thoughts (above) about the loss and the possibilities going forward. It’s sad to read about Carina’s new column planned for astrophotographers, Phil Groff’s wish to finally be free of the pandemic restrictions to fulfill his plan to visit RASC members across the country, Nathan’s 2023 Galactic Travel Guide, and other articles giving observing hints and targets for the coming months under Spring skies. So much optimism that now goes up in smoke since SkyNews will no longer be there to help those of us who are amateur astronomers in Canada to pursue our passion.
Thanks go to all the current and past contributors to SkyNews, who made this publication come alive, and also thanks to the advertisers who supported the magazine. Finally, thanks to RASC National for owning and operating the magazine over the last few years.
Henrietta Leavitt discovered the Type 1 Cepheid Variables, correlation between the brightness and variations in the luminosity
Leavitt’s discovery used by Edwin Hubble, who in 1923 settled the Shapely-Curtis debate. The Hubble Law related distance to velocity (red shift), the start of cosmology as we now know it.
Adopting amendments to the Centre’s Purposes (under our Constitution) and Bylaws for RASC Victoria Centre – requires a 2/3 vote by members
This meeting will be held at the start of Astro Cafe that evening
Quorum is 25 members
Proxies to exercise your vote can be given to another RASC Victoria member who will be attending
After the business meeting: Sara Ellison, Astronomy Professor at the University of Victoria, will present A brief history of galaxies: from the discovery of island universes to clash of the titans.
Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF – Dave Payne
Reviewed data acquisition and processing methodology
8 second and 2 minute exposures over two nights used
Preliminary results, including video showing the comet’s motion through the sky
Members’ comet observing stories
Angular Momentum – Marie Welchframe
APOD image from a couple of days ago used the term “angular momentum”, so Marjie looked it up
Video explaining angular momentum for kids – law of physics
Group discussion: what happens to angular momentum when….
FDAO Astro Jeopardy – Lauri Roche
James, Ben & Dan were the contestants last Saturday evening
One unanswered question: /Which planet has the most moons?/ Unanswered so far. Saturn (83) or Jupiter (80) according to NASA.
Astronomy in Victoria – John McDonald
A presentation to Berwick House residents
Reviewed Plaskett’s work, DAO imaging exoplanets, forming stars
RASC out reach and in reach
Silent Sky at Langham Court Theatre – Play at Langham Court about Henrietta Leavitt
Laurie and Calvin presented four times in the past at Berwick a few years ago
Discussion of Christian Marois’ discovery of the first imaged exoplanet
Virtual presentations from RASC National – Lauri Roche
