Photo of the Week for March 10, 2017
An observatory lit with dark-adaption-friendly red light and the Milky Way arching overhead is the dream of many an astronomy enthusiast. And that dream might be closer to reality than you realize. Numerous Royal Astronomical Society of Canada centres and astronomy clubs have their own observatories that members can use, usually after a training session. Many other centres have loaner telescopes available to members. Check with your local RASC group to see what it offers—you might be pleasantly surprised.

Last August Randy Hoffmann captured this view of the Toronto Centre’s E.C. Carr Astronomical Observatory, located near the Blue Mountains in southwestern Ontario. Randy used a Canon EOS 6D camera and Rokinon 12mm f/2.8 lens for this 15-second exposure at ISO 1600.