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Northern Skies

The Sky This Month - July 2011
Written by Gary Boyle, Ottawa on Fri, 2011/07/01

Ophiuchus – The Mystery Constellation

The world of astrology and those who follow its daily predictions were delt a crushing blow in the second week of 2011. Over night, the dates of the signs were revamped and a mysterious thirteenth house was added. People woke up to find out they were no long who they thought they were. For instance, if someone went to bed a Capricorn, they woke up as a Sagittarius, etc. Personally, it was about time these dates changed because of the 26,000 year wobble called precession. The Sun now appears in the constellation to the left from where your sign used to be. As for this mysterious pattern thrown into the mix – there is no mystery.

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National Council

RASC Constitution Committee Recruiting for 2011/2012
Written by Glenn Hawley, Calgary on Thu, 2011/06/16

The national constitution committee is seeking dedicated, detail-oriented RASCals to help draft new Articles of Incorporation for the RASC, in time for the 2012 Edmonton GA and annual meeting. Join the Constitution Committee and shape RASC's Future! The new Canada Not for Profit Corporations Act (CNCA) will soon be declared law (expected in fall of 2011). This means we have no choice but to overhaul and restructure our governance documents.

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Announcements

RASC Constitution Committee Recruiting for 2011/2012
Written by National Office on Thu, 2011/06/16

The national constitution committee is seeking dedicated, detail-oriented RASCals to help draft new Articles of Incorporation for the RASC, in time for the 2012 Edmonton GA and annual meeting.

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Announcements

RASC Youth member, Kathryn Gray goes to Starmus!
Written by National Office on Tue, 2011/06/14
Kathyrn Aurora Gray's Supernova Discovery

Kathryn Aurora Gray has been invited to take part in the opening of Starmus (www.starmus.com) from June 20-25, 2011 in the Canary Islands. Kathryn, a member of the New Brunswick Centre, and her parents wish to thank the RASC for its support.

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Northern Skies

The Sky This Month - June 2011
Written by Gary Boyle, Ottawa on Wed, 2011/06/01

Puff The Draco Dragon

The beauty about circumpolar constellations is that they never set below the horizon. From forty-five degrees north latitude, we can enjoy such familiar patterns as Ursae Majoris (Big Dipper), Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Camelopardalis, Draco and of course Ursae Minoris (Little Dipper) which sports the North Star. For the rest of the constellations, that depends how high or low in declination they reside. This month, we will take a look at the Draco the Dragon.

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Across the RASC

75th Anniversary of the David Dunlap Observatory
Written by Eric Briggs, Toronto on Tue, 2011/05/31

This past weekend the Toronto Centre celebrated the 75th anniversary of the David Dunlap Observatory with a special birthday event at Canada's largest optical observatory. A special anniversary podcast was recorded and posted at  356daysofastronomy.org.

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Announcements

Helen Sawyer Hogg Public Lecture - 2011
Written by National Office on Fri, 2011/05/27

Canadian Astronomical Society

Helen Sawyer Hogg Public Lecture - 2011
The Search for a Sister Earth
Dimitar Sasselov, Harvard University

Tuesday, May 31 7:30 - 9 PM
Central Library, Wolf Performance Hall
251 Dundas Street, London ON

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Announcements

Discover the Universe - New Online Astronomy Training
Written by National Office on Thu, 2011/05/05
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Northern Skies

The Sky This Month - May 2011
Written by Gary Boyle, Ottawa on Wed, 2011/05/04

A Smorgasbord Of Galaxies

The sky above offers many types of objects to hunt and enjoy. We scan the night either visually, using star charts and then star hop with telescopes. Keen eyesight is a must for a successful hit. One can always click on a control pad of a computerized telescope what magically moves to the object’s programmed coordinates. No mater what mode you choose to seek out these sometimes hard to find objects, your labours will not be in vain. The celestial menu includes diffuse, emission or planetary nebulae, star clusters or even colourful double and multiple star systems. However these objects for the most part, belong to our Milky Way Galaxy and pretty well in the ‘stellar neighbourhood’.

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Announcements

IDA Award given to Jennifer West
Written by James Edgar, Regina on Fri, 2011/04/29

Today, the International Dark-Sky Association announced their 2011 award winners. The RASC is pleased to note that Jennifer West of Winnipeg Centre was one of the awardees in the category "Student Award" under the Dark-Sky Defender banner. More information is available on the IDA website at www.darksky.org.

 

 

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RASC eNews is maintained by the Membership & Promotion Committee. Contact the eNews team to submit a news item at news@rasc.ca