| NOTES
back to top
- General Meetings at the TELUS World of Science Calgary starting at 1930 hrs.
Usually the third Thursday of the month (but not July or August; sometimes in December) Our RASC-members June meeting is combined with a BBQ and is on a Saturday, check "June" as that month approaches for updates. Also, all readers please note that on rare occassions a general meeting may have a special date, so watch for updates. If you want you can call and leave a message inquiring about a special event at (403) 237-STAR. Public welcome!
Public welcome! Come out to the TELUS World of Science and find out more about the activities and great people in the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada! Meetings through most of the year include diverse interesting presentations by professional astronomers / amateurs, as well as various society items. For those who like, there is also a post-meeting meeting!
Small parking fee at the facilities, but General Meeting itself is free to members and the public. P.S. If you put $3 in the parking token dispenser for the evening you get maximum time, to 5am! But our meetings don't last quite that late:-)
Nov 17 General Meeting, Public Welcome ("Members' Night"with diverse presentations) and annual Elections
Dec 2005 updated again (URL to 2005 info) Although there is no December General Meeting this year, plans are under way for themembers' second Annual Turkey Feast, an informal get-together of good food, good company. As with last year, it is planned for the 2nd Thursday evening of December, starting right after our Council's meeting (so council members can attend). More details, plus a "yes, I am interested" sign-up sheet will still be available at November's general meeting. Members and your guests, see you there December 8!
January 19, 2006 General Meeting, Public Welcome!
Articles for Starseeker - submit at or before general meetings to get into next issue. (Please also let calendarmaster Brian know of any new or revised events)
By the way, the TELUS World of Science (formerly Calgary Science Centre) where we meet (and volunteer-run telescopes for the public on many clear Friday nights) was originally the Calgary Centennial Planetarium. Read how Calgary RASC members were instrumental in this city having such a special facility * for young and old to enjoy and benefit from. (*The article's final page 77 is not directly linked there - to access it go here.) Also a briefer mention is in paragraph three here.
back to top
- Council Meetings at the TELUS World of Science starting at 1930 hrs.
Usually the second Thursday of the month (but not July or August) Members welcome as guests.
back to top
- Friday Nights Public Observing at the TELUS World of Science facilities
Free* public observing Friday evenings at the facilites.We look forward to seeing you. Telescopes manned by volunteers from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Weather permitting of course.
*observing is free; the parking lot has a small evening fee.
 Viewing Times for Autumn 2005 thru Spring 2006 updated
all times weather permitting (clear skies and temperatures above -20 deg. C.) Dress warm as the telescopes are outside. ...
Viewing resumes Sept 9th. weather permitting, 9:30-10:30pm Fridays until Daylight Saving TIme ends, then earlier 7:30-8:30pm (since the sun sets earlier, also time shifts to Mountain Standard.)
Closed during Mid Winter Holidays. The deck has been open various other holidays. Please check back and confirm here or with the TELUS World of Science. The deck may also be open other nights of the week for special events or school breaks, such as Mars Nights *. Usually the deck is closed during May thru August due to dusk extending late into the midnight hours.
-- *Sometimes the TELUS World of Science also puts on extra public viewing evenings, often in conjunction with special presentations in the Dome with the facility's astronomer Alan Dyer. For example, Mars Nights at the end of October, Start of November 2005 with nightly lectures, followed by viewing (weather permitting) SEE October. Watch our Calendar for other updates!
-- BTW, very interesting news from Don Hladiuk's monthly Sky Highlights for October 2004
Congratulations Alan, well deserved!
-- For further inquiries about Friday Night Viewing, please phone the TELUS World of Science Calgary at 268-8300
-- Observing sessions are run with the much-appreciated assistance of Robyn Foret, Mark Bronson and other RASC volunteers.
P.S. Some Friday nights, the deck viewing is supplemented by very informal mini-presentations aimed at young and old alike on miscel. short topics (presented by yours truly :-o) Best to look thru the telescopes first to ensure any clouds don't role in before you can look. Then if you have a few minutes after, you're invited to stay and take in an informal presentation if it is on, in the room just inside from the deck!
TELUS World of Science location TELUS World of Science Web site
The facility's list of monthly viewing highlights
Don Hladiuk's Sky Highlights to note also
back to top
- Observers Group (OG) Meetings
At the Wilson Coulee Observatory (WCO) - Meeting itself starts at 2000 hrs* (so be sure to come out even if the sky is cloudy), but observing may start earlier depending on when twilight occurs. Dates vary from month to month depending usually on moon phase or other major society events. Often, OG's have been held the first Saturday on or after the New Moon, but that is not always so - please check the latest postings. Plus, each June, the OG is often combined with a Saturday General Meeting and BarBQ at the WCO. Sketch of our WCOfacilities in new window
Autumn 2005 - Tom (OG Chairperson) Cameron indicates that the upcoming 2005 OGs are Sept 10th (not the previous week, due to ASP etc) Oct 1st, Oct 29th, Nov 26th, and Dec 17th ("two days past full but its xmas and we will return in late January"). For new members, reminder that there are OG meetings - slides, talks, etc - even if the sky may have clouds, so see you there.
* Note: the start time for the annual special "New Members Night " meeting at the WCO in November (Saturday Nov 12th in 2005) is an exception. It starts earlier, at 5pm, not at 8pm.
Messier Marathon - occurs late winter/early spring (never quite sure of the seasons in Calgary!) - more details as we get close.
Some observing ideas from University of Sheffield, Undergraduate Astronomy
For detailed directions to this observing site please check Starseeker member newsletter or phone and leave a message on the answering machine at 237-STAR. If your don't know the gate code for off hours please ask a council member at a general meeting at the Science Centre.
New to the site?...remember, during dusk or dark, any headlights and running-lights OFF to save astrophotographers and others considerable viewing problems, thanks. (If your headlights can't go off, please park at the spare lot and walk in, or you might contact Brian or ask him at a meeting about a way to sew together some quick magnetic cloth covers for your lights. Featuring red night vision colour cloth, too!) Also, dress warmly even when daytime temperatures seem mild; standing at telescopes can get chilly - try layering of clothes, a warm hat and warm footwear. Happily, the Sid Lee building (open on OG nights, etc) is heated!
During any dry spells when the ground is bare and grass fire risk is high, please NO SMOKING outdoors, around the WCO or adjacent school grounds.
Clear Sky Clocks within 100Km of Calgary Includes WCO, RAO, others (if the linked server is down, try again a bit later)
 ...but remember, meeting is on even if sky is cloudy - and also the sky sometimes clears before the clear sky clock shows it
RASC Calgary page of some weather links
Another maybe useful URL - GOES North America clouds and terrain view. On this web page the faint "clouds" are in fact overcast or mostly cloudy even if the terrain shows through in this generated image, while the thicker "clouds" are stormy areas.
back to top
- Various holidays (some) are listed in the calendar for planning reference. SEE more in the Observer's Handbook (page 304 in 2005 OH)
back to top
- Geoff Gaherty originally posted, on Sept 6, 2004, the following quick and simple explanation, as to why autumn moon rise times seem similar, on the national RASClist. Thanks Geoff for letting us reuse it here for any new observers curious about the timing.
"At this time of year the ecliptic is almost parallel to the horizon so that even though the Moon is moving along the ecliptic each night, it isn't rising much later. This is exactly what causes the Harvest Moon [...] and the Hunter's Moon (the month after). Farmers and hunters have long appreciated the extra light they get after twilight at this time of year.
"In the spring there is the opposite effect, where the Moon rises quite a bit later each night.
Geoff Gaherty Toronto Centre RASC http://www.gaherty.ca
Interested in more about Harvest Moons (on Earth - and on Mars!)? See this Science at NASA page
back to top
Member-volunteers info for various October 2004 events...
back to top
- Cross Conservation Area/Rothney info
"Starlight, Starbright" Cross Conservation Area Course for Families (fees apply)
Tues., Oct 19, 6:30 - 8:30 pm Cross Conservation Area (part 1)
Thurs., Oct 21 6:30 - 8:30 pm Rothney Astrophysical Observatory (part 2).
Member volunteers - We'll need 2-4 volunteers with telescopes for the Thursday night (note time conflict with General meeting). Get a sneak peak at the Baker Nunn 20" camera in action and see the new interpretive centre building. If the weather prospects are poor for Thursday, then we'll need volunteers with telescopes Tuesday at the Cross.
CCA location Map RAO new home page or jump direct to RAO map - Star Gazing for Cubs and Scouts at Camp Gardner
Sat. Oct. 16, 8-10 pm (note time conflict with O.G.) We need 4-5 Member volunteers.
Doughnuts supplied by the Camp!
Camp Gardner Nature Centre info map - Fall Star Night at Fish Creek Provincial Park
Saturday Oct. 23 open to Public 7:30pm - 10:00pm at the Environmental Learning Centre, west end of Fish Creek Provincial Park See full public-event details and map here Member volunteers - We need lots as always. Members please show up early to set up, 6:30 pm, before we block off the direct access to the Learning Centre. Dress warmly! - Total Lunar Eclipse Viewing at Nose Hill Park
Public Event - General Map and Link to Larry's details/times and closer map
Member volunteers - We're going to be at the 64th Avenue access to Nose Hill Park, just off 14th Street NW from about 7pm - 10 pm, Wednesday October 27. Dress warmly and bring a telescope or tripod-mounted binoculars. Don't forget your camera, too!
End of October-volunteer footnotes for this update back to top
- Later Events
(These have been converted to calendar format)
back to top
- The calendar pages are created on a Mac using Freeway Pro 3.5. If you are unfamiliar with Freeway Pro, it is an excellent mid-level webpage design program that focuses on quick and easy design rather than HTML-etc coding, akin to Quark or Pagemaker procedures. If you like finetuning code then maybe Dreamweaver or such is for you, or you may even be happy using just a text-editor or some word-processor or browser with html creation capabilities; but I find Freeway does everything required very quickly. I have hand coded for several years and yet find I have no concerns with this program. Some comments you may find online suggest Freeway is limiting (saying for e.g. that it presets page width and that is un-weblike) but in fact the program can use either very specific formats if you want or be very customizable. (As for web-widths, the program allows for automatic width growth, custom adjustment, etc.) As for a Mac, and ease of design - what more need be said:-)
You might want to check what reviewers have said about Freeway - here's one on an earlier version but is still helpful overall, and here's a more recent one and another
back to top
MtgSp
Mtg1a.jpg
Mtg1g.jpg
Mtg2a.jpg
Mtg2g.jpg
MtgRAO.jpg
MtgBnqt.jpg
- More info courtesy Nature Centre at Camp Gardner
The Douglas A. Kelly Nature Center is a year round facility where groups can participate in inter-active, self-guided, nature programs and activities. There is a lot to do, touch and see in the DK Nature Center. Camp Gardner DK Nature Programs are designed to assist leaders in providing a fun, complete, and safe nature experience for their members. Plan your program with the Nature Host to suit your needs.
By Pre booking a Nature Program you will have exclusive use of the center and trails for a designated time. A program host will help you organize your group into program pods. Day use groups are welcome.
Dates will be posted on the Chinook Web Site www.chinook.scouts.ca
Watch for special events and presentations throughout the year at Camp Gardner DK Nature Centre. Pre-registration by email is required for all programs.
For more information or to register, contact Jayne at 403-275-9359 or Email chinooknature@scouts.ca
back to top
- Meteor showers
Only some are shown on calendar as reminders. And note that the peaks of a few showers may be hard to predict and may vary from what appears on calendar.
For much more info, the annual RASC's Observer's Handbook (pages 218 thru 220 in the 2004 edition, p216 ff in 2005) has a detailed discussion and a table of meteor showers. Sometimes extra links adjoin meteor shower names in Calendar, giving you other webistes' info besides this footnote (check for any such links as we get closer to specific date). Further on-line resources may be found by Googling "meteor shows" or the names of specific showers. Verify that you are looking at times and dates, etc for the current year, as some web pages may have older info actually showing. Also check several different sites, not just one, as different sites may cite different predictions or resources - this way you can get a more accurate range of possible observing times and expectations.
Calgary members can also obtain recent information on upcoming meteor showers through the Observing Group meetings. And if you are a member of the public, be sure to visit us at one of our general meetings and ask about meteor shower details and recommendations.
See also paragraph below if you have a Palm, else back to top
If you have a Palm and observe meteors much, be sure to check the long-standing excellent application Planetarium. I use it a lot in the field, at meetings, etc. and I recommend the program not only for its zoomable, filterable sky maps, finding abilities (both Alt-Az and RA-Dec), in depth details for all objects, twilight times, moon phases, rise-transit-set times for any object, customizable observing dates and locations, capability of driving some telescopes, and even adding your own observing notes and skymap-go-to objects, but you can also display selectable meteor shower radiants, for major showers and overlapping minor showers, etc etc! When you see a sporadic during a major shower, chances are this app can help you quickly identify it. (Plus if you have TealPaint you might also take screen-grabs in Planetarium and edit your own detailed charts of meteor or other observations or upcoming plans to export.)
back to top
- NB re "CSC" or "Calgary Science Centre" events/references that have been listed in this web site
note: Spring 2005- 0512b
 ©
The Calgary Science Centre is being renamed the "TELUS World of Science Calgary" along with this new logo, and these changes will be reflected in coming updates to this calendar website.
TELUS World of Science Calgary references on this R.A.S.C.-related site: The prime focus of this calendar website is on the Calgary R.A.S.C. activities of course, but the R.A.S.C. and the planetarium/science facilites in Calgary have had a long productive relationship (see below), and personally as calendarmaster I very much like promoting astronomy and similar activities, courses, etc that the centre puts on. So I will continue to fit in such references whenever / wherever possible on these pages to assist members (and all site visitors) to plan such goodies into their upcoming schedules. Even so, please check with TELUS World of Science Calgary for all official details as they can have information / updates /etc which I have not yet included or not had space or time to include.
Some practical considerations: >> My updating-time - all volunteer in spare time - for this site is often limited, so thanks for your patience as the changes are made bit by bit. Some changes and revisions make take several weeks, but hopefully most will be done soon. >> Where yet-to-be-changed text or graphics or maps still mention "Science Centre" or "CSC" please read as "TELUS World of Science Calgary". >> Space or other production constraints re this calendar site may result in the full name at times being abbreviated to TELUS World of Science, but this should be always understood as "TELUS World of Science Calgary". >> In cases due to how my program handles calendar graphics (not the usual expandable way) you sometimes will just see the  portion of the full logo - but better that, to help readily promote the facilities/events, than some uncertain generic graphic marker or no mention at all, of course. Similar program and time constraints may sometimes result in the full logo appearing in quite small dimensions, e.g.
(C) Notice: The TELUS World of Science Calgary logo is used in this site by kind permission of TELUS World of Science Calgary, and full copyrights and/or trademarks belong to said entity.
R.A.S.C. Calgary Centre longtime close ties with these facilites: the R.A.S.C. was originally key in helping Calgary have a Planetarium facilty way back when Calgary was looking for some project to help celebrate Canada's Centennial, hence the first name for the facility, the Calgary Centennial Planetarium. The word planetarium actually referred to a specialized star projector that was used inside the facility's dome to display the night sky in marvellous detail, but many citizens came to call the whole facility the "Planetarium". As the facility expanded it became the "Calgary Science Centre"and now as the facility continues to develope and lead the way, reflecting the generous input of TELUS (who by the way is also the ISP for this very calendar website) the facility continues forward under the banner TELUS World of Science Calgary. As in the past, R.A.S.C. members look forward to inviting the public to our General Meetings and the facility's Friday Night viewing sessions where our volunteers have run the telescopes and special events at these fine facilites. If you haven't recently been in, do visit the TELUS World of Science Calgary and the R.A.S.C. and bring the kids, it's a wonderful experience for them.
Also see the CSC's / TELUS World of Science Calgary's web page about their name change
back to top or use "back" browser function to return to other sections
- Youth Group Classes
1st and 3rd Saturday of each month until April, and also the first Saturday of May.
First Level: 10:00AM
Third Level: 12:00PM
Second Level: 2:00PM
In the Science Centre Classroom
Updated It is not too late to sign up for the First Level class UNTIL THE END OF NOVEMBER .
Entry into the second and third level classes require completion of the previous level class except with special permission.
Info obtained Sept 2005 courtesy Grant Gussie (level 3 instructor) Thanks, Grant
Back to November/December Back to Highlights
| |