January features a lot of close encounters between planets and the moon. On January 1 the star Aldebaran in Taurus will only be 3 degrees away from the Moon, which will be moving through the Hyades star group. In the late evening of the 5th the waning gibbous Moon and Jupiter will be only 5 ... Read More »
The Geminid meteor shower peaks December 14, 2014, with the peak at about 5 AM Pacific time. The Geminids are one of the finest meteor showers, rivalling the Perseid shower in August. The Geminids originate near the bright stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini (the Twins). Typically 50 to 100 meteors per hour ... Read More »
Important news! The October meeting of the Sunshine Coast Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society will be held in Gibsons instead of Sechelt. On October 10, UBC’s Dr. Ingrid Stairs presents “A Pulsar Accompanied by Two White Dwarfs” at the Gibsons Public Art Gallery on Marine Drive. at 7:30 pm. Dr. Stair’s will speak about ... Read More »
The Sunshine Coast Astronomy Club will hold its annual star party in Porpoise Bay Provincial Park, Saturday August 16 from 1pm until 11:30pm. Check out the sunspots and flares through our solar scopes or stay around to view planets and deep sky objects as darkness falls. There will be a kid’s activity table during the ... Read More »
August will be the second month in a row with a so-called “Super Moon”. This occurs on August 10. Full moons vary in size because the moon follows an elliptical path around Earth with one side (“perigee”) about 50,000 km closer than the other (“apogee”). Full Moons occurring on the perigee side of the Moon’s ... Read More »
Celebrate Canada Day with the Royal Astronomical Society – Sunshine Coast Centre at Hackett Park in Sechelt. We’ll be set up with information, star and moon finders and solar telescopes for safe viewing of the sun, clear skies permitting. Find out about your local club and see how we can help enhance your astronomy experience! ... Read More »
Last month we introduced you to the concept of astronomy without visual augmentation. Telescopes are terrific, but can be expensive and need to be properly aligned with due north. A good pair of astronomical binoculars will set you back a pretty penny, and not all binoculars are equal to the task of passing faint starlight ... Read More »
Dr. Jeremy Heyl discusses ‘The Multiwavelength Sky’ at the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre (Trail and Medusa, Sechelt) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 9. This presentation by the Sunshine Coast Chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will explain the most extreme objects in the universe since the Big Bang. Dr. Heyl is a ... Read More »
Not all astronomy requires a telescope or binoculars. Going outside on a clear night and looking up at the stars is the best way to become oriented to the night sky. How can we quickly tell which stars and constellations are above our horizon on any given hour and time of the year? With an ... Read More »
The red planet, Mars, will be at its brightest April 8 when it rises in the east after sunset. But on the night of April 14 and morning of April 15 we are in for a real treat! (Weather permitting). Mars, at its closest to Earth since 2007, appears near another ruddy world: an unusually ... Read More »
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