Category Archives: Event
Northern Prairie Star Party 2018
September 4 – 9, 2018
Black Nugget Lake
The fifteenth annual Northern Prairie Star Party will be held at the Black Nugget Lake campground south east of Tofield from September 4 to 9, 2018. Most of our group activities will occur on Friday, September 7 and Saturday, September 8.
Details coming soon.
General Assembly in Calgary
June 28 – July 1, 2018
The RASC General Assembly in 2018 Welcome!
On behalf of the GA Organizing Committee, as well as the entire Calgary Centre, I would like to welcome you to the 2018 General Assembly in Calgary, Alberta. We are honoured to host this year’s General Assembly over the Canada Day long weekend. 2018 is a landmark year, as it marks not only the 150th Anniversary of the RASC, but also the 60th Anniversary of the Calgary Centre. The GA Organizing Committee has assembled an exciting program of events, including top-notch speakers, a look back on the history of our Society, as well as field trips to give you a taste of the Calgary area, as well as some of the magnificent sights of southern Alberta and the Rocky Mountains.
Steve Donaldson, President, Calgary Centre
Astro Café
May 16, 2018
AstroImaging Community
AstroImaging Community
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
7:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Windsor Park Community League Hall*
11840 87 Ave
Members Only event.
* Note: Outside shoes are not permitted inside the hall.
Do you enjoy taking and/or viewing pictures of the sky? Are you looking for some pointers to up your skill set or turn that “nice” shot into “calendar image!”? Maybe in the last couple of months you have 5 images, or made 4 time-lapses that are too much for the AstroImaging Corner at our Regular Meetings. Whether you take 4 minutes or want to share a 20 minute backstory for a specially composed a shot, or demo a technique others can benefit from, bring it to our community!
Keep reading to learn how to use SignUp to add your contribution to the self-guided potluck that is AstroImaging Community!
Continue Reading…
RASC Regular Meeting May 14, 2018 Members’ Night
RASC Regular Meeting
TELUS World of Science – IMAX Theatre
FREE and open to the public.
7:00 PM Pre-meeting mix and mingle.
7:30 PM Member Presentations – Email the President if you would like to make a presentation!
Warren Finlay – The Southern Sky Bimarathon
Mark Zalcik – Of Julian, Ian, and Franklin: Noctilucent Clouds in the 1950s and the People Who Saw Them (or Didn’t)
Warren Finlay participating in the Australian Messier/Running BiMarathon. Photo Credit: Warren Finlay
Astro Café
April 18, 2018
Astrophotography with WherezJeff
Astrophotography with WherezJeff
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
7:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Windsor Park Community League Hall*
11840 87 Ave
Members Only event.
* Note: Outside shoes are not permitted inside the hall.
Accomplished local photographer Jeff Wallace joins us this evening to talk about his exploits in astrophotography, including shooting nightscapes, deep sky images, auroras, NLC’s and nicely placed moonrises. Jeff will also share tips and tricks on shooting and assembling timelapses. Anyone interested in astrophotography will be sure to learn something from an experienced pro! Check out some of Jeff’s albums on Flickr:
RASC Regular Meeting April 9, 2018, Galaxy mergers in the nearby Universe
RASC Regular Meeting
TELUS World of Science – IMAX Theatre
FREE and open to the public.
7:00 PM Meet and Greet
7:30 PM Guest Speaker
Sara Ellison
Galaxy mergers in the nearby Universe
The Antennae Galaxies/NGC 4038-4039
NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration;
Acknowledgment: B. Whitmore (Space Telescope Science Institute)
Despite the emptiness of space, mergers between galaxies are surprisingly common. Around 1% of galaxies in the nearby Universe are currently experiencing an interaction of some kind. I will describe research that uses both observations and computer simulations to trace the dramatic effect of these interactions on a galaxy’s history: how the interaction can lead to massive bursts of star formation, alter the interstellar chemistry and even provide fuel for the central supermassive black hole.
Astro Café
Mar 21, 2018
Movie Night – The Universe: How Big, How Far, How Fast
The Universe
How Big, How Far, How Fast
- If the Earth were the size of a basketball and the moon the size of a tennis ball, how far would it be from the basketball?
- How fast is the Earth orbiting the Sun?
- How much more would you weigh on a neutron star than on Earth?
- How fast is the Sun going around the galaxy?
- If the Milky Way were in Los Angeles, one hundred miles across, where would the Andromeda Galaxy be?
If these questions intrigue you, then this Astro Café is for you. We’ll watch the program “The Universe: How Big, How Far, How Fast”, a 45 minute program from 2012, that gives viewers a tangible grasp of the enormity of the universe. Models and comparisons give a perspective on the relative sizes of the largest nearby stars, the scale of the solar system and just how fast the speed of light is.
Featuring: Alex Filippenko (UC Berkeley), Laura Danly (Griffith Observatory), Greg Laughlin (UC Santa Cruz) and Clifford Johnson (USC).
After the show, we will have a short quiz. The winner will get a special prize!
Wednesday, Mar 21, 2018
7:30 PM to 9:30 PM <– Please note the start time is later than usual.
Windsor Park Community League Hall*
11840 87 Ave
Members Only event.
All ages event – bring your budding astronomers wanting to know more!
* Note: Outside shoes are not permitted inside the hall.