In 1935, the David Dunlap Observatory (DDO) was presented to the University of Toronto by Jessie Donalda Dunlap as a memorial to her husband. Its goals of astronomical research, training of students at the University, and the fostering of public interest in astronomy have been met effectively since its inception. In the fall of 2007 the University of Toronto decided to sell the property and it was sold in July 2008.

The December 2008 issue of the Journal has gone to the printers, and here is the link to the on-line version in the Members'-Only part of the Web site, http://www.rasc.ca/jrasc/backissues

Rob Cardinal, an astronomer at the University of Calgary's Rothney Astrophysical Observatory, is the second Canadian observer to discover a comet using a Canadian telescope this decade. The discovery was made on 1 October 2008 with the observatory's 0.5m f/1.0 Baker-Nunn telescope. Cardinal was using this wide-field instrument to search for asteroids at the time of the discovery. Observatory director Phil Langill credits the local community's light-pollution abatement efforts for keeping the skies dark just 35 km outside of Calgary.

Here's how it came to be, in the words of Regina Centre President, Alden Foraie:

When discussing how to kick off the fall observing season combined with a public-observing session, Regina Centre Secretary, Shane Ludtke, mentioned that the Regina Symphony Orchestra (RSO) was having its season-opening concert in a few weeks with a show entitled “Out Of This World” that would end with Holst’s symphony, The Planets.