President’s Message – October 2025

David Dunlap Observatory telescope

s fall settles over Victoria and we are faced with what may be the last stretches of clear evening skies (for a time at least), I hope everyone has a chance to wind up any lingering observing projects.

Looking back at the summer there was so much activity from our society that I failed to share a summer highlight of my own: a visit to the David Dunlap Observatory in July.

For those who haven’t had a chance to work with one of these large telescopes up close, I’m pleased to announce our next Plaskett Night, scheduled for October 25. As always, it’s a special opportunity to use the 1.8m telescope and chase down some faint targets.

Presentation: How Friction Creates a Galaxy’s Spirals – David Payne

CEERS Crop (NIRCam Image) - Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, Steve Finkelstein (UT Austin)

Date/Time: Wednesday September 10, 2025 starting at 7:30PM Location: University of Victoria, Bob Wright Centre, Lecture Theatre A104. The recent discoveries by JWST et al regarding the early, quick formation of galaxies are leading scientists to question the status quo mechanisms of galaxy creation. In this talk, a scientist-from-another-mother brings a multidisciplinary approach to this question that incorporates dissipative (friction) forces, thermodynamics. free body mechanics, and even chemistry to the non-linear dynamics involved.