January Q&A

Last night was the annual banquet for the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada - Calgary Centre.  It was a remarkable evening and a lot of great entries in the astroimaging contest.  The winner was a beautiful panoramic shot of the Milky Way from the Southern Hemisphere; I had not seen anything quite like it before.  If you would like more information about joining the society please go to the following link:

https://www.rasc.ca/

Something we would like to do on the page is a Q&A.  If you have any questions about the sky or astronomy please send a message to the facebook page or send an email to simonjastronomy@gmail.com.  When the questions come in I will personally answer them by video and post them on the page.  We may even have guest experts contribute so you can have the best answer possible!  The author of the question will remain anonymous so don't be embarrassed if there is something on your mind.

There will be an open house at the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory(RAO) out in Priddis on January 28, 2017.  This is a great event for the public.  I've heard there will be no less than 14 telescopes set up for public viewing.  Please come and make an evening of it.  The cost is $20 per vehicle so load up the vans!  The event starts at 8pm, please see the map below and follow signs for directions.

Map to RAO (200, 198070 Hwy 22)

The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada - Calgary Centre offers a free class to new observers at the Wilson Coulee Observatory(WCO).  This month's class will be held on January 27, 2017 at 7:30pm.  The main topic of discussion this month will be eyepieces and their various designs.  A presentation will also be given on deep-sky objects that you will be able to see in Winter.  After the meeting there will be time to observe the sky from the dark sight and check off items on the Winter observing list.  If you are ever interested in attending these monthly classes please let me know.

The weather has been quite depressing today with snow falling on and off throughout the afternoon.  The skies are overcast and there will likely be no opportunity for observing.  However, if you are looking up during the week in the mid-evening, Gemini will be visible.  The constellation map is provided below.  Look for the twins Castor and Pollux north of the famous shape of Orion.

Gemini Constellation Map