Sky Wise

See Saturn on Saturday

Saturday April 21st is International Astronomy Day.  The Durham Region Astronomical Association has a wonderful display all afternoon and evening at the Parkwood Estate in Oshawa.  Visitors can check out the telescopes, see the displays and experience views they've never seen before!  During the day you can see specially fitered views of the sun and solar flares with our special telescopic equipment.  In the evening it's Saturn and its rings along with other celestial delights.  Indoor displays offer insight into the wonders of the heavens too.  It's worth checking out!  I hope to see you there!

Moon Meet Venus, Venus Meet Moon

April 19th, the crescent Moon looks lovely in our sky as it approaches the planet Venus.  Over the course of the evening, you'll see it move past Venus.  The moon makes a complete circuit of the sky as goes through its phases.  Enjoy the view!

Saturday April 21st marks International Astronomy Day and there are plenty of public displays of telescopes and all things astronomy for you to explore.

In Oshawa, check out the displays, look through the telescopes and talk with the astronomers of the Durham Region Astronomical Association, on hand at the Parkwood Estate.

Clear Skies.

Video Created in Starry Night Pro Software

Video hosted by AstroShorts.com

A New Resource for Astronomers

One of the hardest things for astronomers to do is share their knowledge and experience with other like-minded people.  We're all so scattered over the continent.  The advent of the Internet and blogs such as this have gone a long way towards connecting people with an interest in space and astronomy.  Still, you have to look all around the Internet for the information you want. 

I've done something about it.

AstroShorts is my contribution to the community of space and astronomy enthusiasts.  Think "YouTube" for astronomers and you'll be pretty close to the concept envisioned for AstroShorts.  It's free for people to view, share and upload astronomy and space related video.  Unlike other web-based video sites, this one is devoted to just space and astronomy. Now, people will have just one place they can go to find out what's happening in the night sky, what to look for in a telescope, tips on astrophotograpy and so on. If you are an astronomer, consider doing a video and upload it to share with others.

Clear Skies!

First Flight in Space Celebrated Today

April 12th, 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space.   The Soviet Union, for a time led the world in the race to space and Yuri's flight marked a pivotal moment in the history of mankind.  The Russian space program chalked up a number of successes -as well as a number of failures.  What is notable is the common sense approach to spaceflight that grew out of the lessons learned in the Soviet space flights.  To this day, the Russian spacecraft have soldiered on.  They are not pretty.  Think of space-going pickup trucks and you've got the right idea.  Solid, dependable and relatively safe as spacecraft go.

It wasn't always so.  Yuri Gagarin's flight was a huge risk and on the edge of available technology in 1961.  He took the risk and came back a hero.

Want to attend a party in Yuri's honor?  Visit the Yuri's Night 2007 site.