International Astronomy Day is upon us again, and with COVID-19 gathering restrictions still in place in most places, astronomers across Canada are keeping their events online. If you’re looking for something to do, here’s a brief list of events occurring across the country.
Are you holding an online event? Send an email to editor@skynews.ca and we’ll add it to the post.
Montreal, Québec
On Saturday, May 15, 2021, beginning at 7:00 p.m. EDT (23:00 UTC) the RASC Montreal Centre will be co-hosting the 45th Global Star Party by the Explore Alliance. These Global Star Parties have been reaching audiences in the thousands, sharing our wonder of the Night Sky with enthusiasts of all ages. Over a dozen Montreal Centre members will share their experiences with the world during this year’s International Astronomy Day event! The night’s program will be divided into three parts: with Observing Stories leading off the event, followed by Outreach Stories and Imaging Stories with a short break between each part. The night will end with an after-party, where the audience can also join in to share their astronomy stories.
The event will be simulcast on all the Explore Alliance Platforms and on the RASC Montreal Centre YouTube Channel.
Ottawa, Ontario
Virtual International Astronomy Day (vIAD) is a free all-day event hosted by amateur astronomers in the Ottawa area using the Zoom webinar platform on Saturday, May 15, 2021.
Throughout the day, RASC’s Ottawa Centre and the Ottawa Astronomy & Observer’s Group will be providing a variety of live streams from different amateur astronomers in the Ottawa area. You will have an opportunity to see live video streams from different types of telescopes, showing views of the Sun, Moon, and deep-sky objects such as galaxies and globular clusters. In addition to the live scope views, other local astronomers will be giving short astronomy related presentations on various topics. This event is rain or shine, and is meant for people of all ages.
To attend the event you are required to pre-register here. Pre-registration is free and only takes a few minutes to complete. After completion you will be provided a link to attend the event.
For more information on the event, please visit astrodayottawa.weebly.com, or send the team an email at astrodayottawa@gmail.com.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
To celebrate International Astronomy Day, the Manitoba Museum will be hosting virtual telescope views of the Moon and planets Saturday, May 15, 2021, beginning at 7 p.m. CDT. The program will be hosted by planetarium astronomer Scott Young and will include commentary and discussion with other astronomers and guests around the world.
If the sky is cloudy, a live feed from another telescope in Canada will be shown with local commentary.
The program will be offered via Zoom webinar (registration required) and will be livestreamed to the Manitoba Museum’s Facebook and YouTube pages. Register for the Zoom webinar here, or join the museum live at 7 or 9 p.m. CDT via Facebook or YouTube.
Vancouver, British Columbia
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Vancouver and SFU Faculty of Science celebrate International Astronomy Day with livestreams on Saturday, May 8, 2021.
From 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. PDT, The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada: Vancouver Centre and Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Science are celebrating International Astronomy Day and want YOU to be a part through its virtual all-ages events! Zoom invites will be sent to all those who register.
RASC Vancouver will be hosting four astronomy-themed presentations and SFU’s Faculty of Science will be hosting a variety of science presentations as well as an afternoon forum of professors on astronomy-themed topics.
Highlights include:
- NASA’s Voyager Missions: Matthew R. Borghese, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Solar System Ambassador
- Solar Observing (weather permitting): Gordon Farrell, President of RASC Vancouver Centre
- The Moon 101: Ted Stroman, Member of RASC Vancouver Centre
- The Jim Bernath Meteorite Collection: Suzanna Nagy, Secretary of RASC Vancouver Centre
For more information, click here. Registration in advance is required at Eventbrite here to receive the Zoom links. Registration is free, and the Zoom links will be emailed out to registrants a week prior.
Victoria, British Columbia
The RASC Victoria Centre (RASC) and the Friends of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (FDAO) in Victoria are joining forces to host a celebration of International Astronomy Day on Saturday, May 15, 2021, from 7-11 p.m. PDT.
Their guest speaker, Dr. Kim Venn, professor of astronomy and Director of the Astronomy Research Centre at the University of Victoria, will be giving a presentation on “Fossils in our Galaxy.” The fossils aren’t the usual dinosaur bones, but very old stars that give us clues to the formation of the galaxy billions of years ago.
They have the best of all worlds: solar telescope streaming early in the evening, night sky EAA (Electronically Assisted Astronomy) as the sky gets darker and live views of the deep sky from the historic Plaskett Telescope at the DAO.
There will be virtual tours of the DAO and Centre of the Universe and a livestreamed tour of the telescope facilities at the University of Victoria. They also have special presentations of “Ask an Astronomer (or two)” and an Astrophotography Gallery with images taken by local RASC members with accompanying music from our famous a capella choir, Vox Humana. Add in a planetarium show and it will be a complete evening filled with lots of entertainment and astronomical discoveries.
Please join us by registering for the Zoom event. The event will also be streamed on YouTube. Look for schedules and updated information on our two websites, victoria.rasc.ca and centreoftheuniverse.org. For more details or if you have questions, please contact Lauri Roche.
Cross-Canada “Creation Station”
Are you curious about the universe? Do you spend your nights watching the moon and the stars, dream about being an astronaut or finding alien life? We want you to let your imagination run wild!
To celebrate International Astronomy Day, the RASC (Royal Astronomical Society of Canada) invites kids ages 5-12 to share your short stories, drawings, poems and comics about astronomy and space. These wonderful creations will be shared on our website for all to enjoy.
From May 15 to June 13, 2021, submit your creation with your parents’ help and become the first contributors to Creation Station. Every child who participates will receive a certificate of participation, and a few chosen entries will be invited to share their creation at the RASC National General Assembly. Some entries will also be included in the September/October edition of SkyNews magazine to celebrate Science Literacy Week, and some kids may be invited to share their creation at their closest RASC Centre. Visit rasc.ca/creationstation or email outreach+cs@rasc.ca for additional details.
Start writing/drawing/imagining … and we can’t wait to see what you dream up!
Station de Création
Êtes-vous curieux à propos de l’univers? Passez-vous vos nuits à regarder la lune et les étoiles, rêvez-vous d’être astronaute ou de trouver des extraterrestres? Nous voulons que vous laissiez libre cours à votre imagination!
Pour célébrer la Journée Internationale de l’Astronomie, la SRAC (Société royale d’astronomie du Canada) invite les enfants de 5 à 12 ans à partager vos nouvelles, dessins, poèmes et bandes dessinées sur l’astronomie et l’espace. Ces merveilleuses créations seront partagées sur notre site Web pour le plaisir de tous.
Entre le 15 mai et le 13 juin, soumettez votre création avec l’aide de vos parents et devenez les premiers contributeurs à Station de Création. Chaque enfant qui participera recevra un certificat de participation, et quelques entrées choisies seront invitées à partagez leur création à l’Assemblée générale nationale du SRAC. Plusieurs entrées seront également incluses dans l’édition de septembre / octobre du magazine SkyNews pour célébrer la Semaine de la littératie scientifique, et certains enfants peuvent être invités à partagez leur création dans leur centre SRAC le plus proche. Visite rasc.ca/creationstation ou email outreach+cs@rasc.ca pour plus de détails.
Commencez à écrire / dessiner / imaginer … nous avons hâte de voir de quoi vous rêvez!
