Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Galilean Nights, Citizen Science and the Arts Roundup

Galilean Nights is coming! From October 22 to 24, you can experience the same wonder and excitement that Galileo surely felt 400 years ago. GN, naturally enough, is focused on the objects that Galileo observed all those centuries ago (Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, the Sun, the Moon, the Pleiades, the Orion Nebula and the Beehive Cluster), and the main goal is to get as many people as possible looking at the night sky. At the GN website, you can register your events and find out about events that are happening near you. As of October 21, over 800 events have been registered worldwide (22 in Canada!). The website also offers lots of great resources, including information to help you organize and publicize your events, observing resources (sky maps, observing guides), presentations (on Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon and the Sun), educational resources, videos and contact information. I’d like to draw your attention in particular to: (1) the GN Remote Observing program, where you can control telescopes over the Internet or request that images be taken for you; and (2) the GN Astrophotography Competitio, where you can submit your pictures of Galilean objects for a chance to win a prize, but hurry, the deadline is October 27!

I’m sure many of you have had the experience of working hard to plan an astronomical event, then something happens to foil you—usually, it’s the weather. But every now and then, you get lucky, and it all goes perfectly. Such was the case for the Kingston IYA group on September 19. That evening, astronomers from the Kingston Centre/RASC, Queen’s University and the Royal Military College organized a special “open house” at Lake Ontario Park. We started with a wonderful talk on “The Mystery of the Missing Sunspots” by Dr. Gregg Wade from RMC. That was followed by a lovely observing session by the lake. We had seven telescopes set up, including a monster 24-inch, and we were blessed with perfect weather. Over 150 very happy people attended the event, and it was truly a magical night. Many people helped to make this evening a success, but much of the credit must go to RASC member Susan Gagnon. The Kingston group’s next activity, on November 14, is the “History of Astronomy Jamboree Lectures,” a series of short astronomical/historical talks, followed by an open house at the Queen’s Observatory that evening (see our website for all the details).

Are you up for some Citizen Science? If so, then you won’t want to miss the Great World Wide Star Count, which is happening October 9-23. This international event encourages people to go outside, look skywards after dark, count the stars they see in certain constellations and report what they see online. This would be a great activity for teachers to do with their students.

I’ll end with the arts roundup. Victoria is the place to be for the next few weeks. From October 1 to 27, Victoria astronomers are hosting their final “From Earth to the Universe” exhibit at the Mayfair Shopping Centre. They will have Blu-ray videos running on seven high-definition screens, and volunteers will be present three afternoons/evenings per week. For more details, visit the Victoria Centre/RASC website. On November 1 and 2, at 8 p.m., “Planets and Pictures World Tour: Gustav Holst’s ‘The Planets’ and Astronomical Pictures at an Exhibition” will be performed by the Victoria Symphony at the Royal Theatre. “Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of Gustav Holst’s dramatic masterpiece, as visual artist Dr. José Francisco Salgado’s video suite is projected onto a giant screen while the orchestra performs.” I attended the performance in Kingston a few weeks ago, and it is spectacular—not to be missed. On October 12 and 19, at 9:05 p.m., there is a two-part CBC Ideas documentary called “Looking Up,” about Galileo and the revolution he started with the telescope. Finally, if you’d like to test your astronomical knowledge, try The Beautiful Universe Astronomy Quiz.

Please send us your IYA pictures and stories, and you could win a telescope! And be sure to take part in Galilean Nights.

Happy (Star) Trail

Terry

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