Author: Patrick

Hi Everyone! First of all, a brand new newsletter for you all, completely redesigned from the ground up. Will be tweaking it over the next several months.  We have some great talks for you for this month. Trevor Chandler of KW RASC will be our main speaker, talking to us about the environments near Perseverance’s landing site. And in the Second half of the meeting, Alan Ward will be talking about the best possible optical design for both planetary and star images, that is both practical and economical. As usual, everyone is welcome.

1. President’s Address/Welcome – Alan Ward

2. Sudbury RASC Newsletter Rejuvenated – Patrick Dodson

3. Featured Presentation: Trevor Chandler (KW RASC) – The physiographic and paleo fluvial and lacustrine environments near the Perseverance Landing Site

4. Break (10min)

5. Alan Ward: What is the best telescope optical design which provides the sharpest star and planetary images possible that is both practical and economical to build?

6. What’s Up Doc?

7. New Product Reviews

8. Closing Comments/Open Discussion

Note: You must be on the mailing list to receive the Zoom meeting invitation. The meeting links will not be posted in the newsletter, or the website. This is for security purposes. To request being on the mailing list, please contact us using the contact form via our website, or contact Patrick on Facebook.

Newsletter May 2021

 

Heads up, there WILL be a Zoom meeting this Friday, at 7pm.

Recognizing that it is Good Friday, it will be a relatively short meeting, with updates, current news, etc.

Agenda:

Note: To anyone who isn’t already subscribed to our newsletter and would like to receive it, please use our contact form on our website (www.sudburyastronomyclub.com) with the subject ‘Newsletter Subscription’ and we will add you to the list. You will receive your invitation to the meeting separately via email. Or alternatively, PM Patrick on Facebook for a link. Remember, even if we are in isolation does not mean we still can’t share the wonders of the universe together.

FYI, there is no meeting this week due to unforeseen circumstances. We hope to see you all next week.

Thank you for your patience.

The Meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Sudbury Centre to be held via Zoom on Friday 5 at 7:00 PM is the Annual General Meeting.

The AGM is for members only, and the future direction of the Centre, as well as new project ideas will be discussed.

The Newsletter of the Centre will contain important details about the meeting and how to attend.  If you are a member, and have not been receiving the Newsletter, or if you have questions about membership in RASC, please communicate with the executive by contacting us here.

Important note: There will be voting for key positions, so we ask all available members to please attend.

Positions up for voting:
Vice-President
Treasurer

Join us this Friday for our Meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) Sudbury Centre at 7:00PM Friday January 15, online via Zoom. This meeting will feature Clark Muir of KW RASC, talking about Sudbury’s Vatican mirror.

1. Welcome: Sudbury RASC President – Alan Ward
2. Sudbury’s Historical Vatican Mirror – Clark Muir: As urban legends go, Sudbury’s ‘Vatican Mirror’ delivered a most curious twist. This 20″ telescopic mirror laid idle for decades and has a checkered past that goes back 120 years. Its origins were only discovered by remarkable coincidences and a passion for exploring  Canada’s astronomy history. We’ll introduce it to those not familiar with the story and discuss its future.
3. Show & Tell – Stargazer Steve
4. Break  (10min)
5. Silvering: An Old Idea New Again – Peter Pekurar: Mirror Coatings – ATMs have developed a breakthrough in refining a chemical process that can easily be performed at home using very obtainable economical materials.
6. What’s Up, Doc? – Astronomical Events to plan for.
7. Closing Comments/News Etc – An Open Forum for what you’d like to discuss.

Special Note: If any of our members would like to order a 2021 calendar, please go to www.RASC.ca and place an order in the e-Store. The 2021 Calendar is priced at $17.95 Cdn. With taxes and shipping, the price will be $28.48

A big THANK YOU to all of the members who have renewed their membership and a reminder to those who have not yet done so. We really appreciate your support.
To all NEW MEMBERS, welcome to our club. We hope that you enjoy your participation with us.

About the Guest Speaker:

Clark Muir currently lives in Kitchener, Ontario and has had a lifelong interest in astronomy.  In earlier years,  this was in particular with visual observing. Later on, he developed an interest in researching the history of astronomy with a focus on Canada. He is currently the Chair of the RASC History Committee.

Note: To anyone who isn’t already subscribed to our newsletter and would like to receive it, please use our contact form on our website (www.sudburyastronomyclub.com) with the subject ‘Newsletter Subscription’ and we will add you to the list. You will receive your invitation to the meeting separately via email. Or alternatively, PM Patrick on Facebook for a link. Remember, even if we are in isolation does not mean we still can’t share the wonders of the universe together.

 

 

Join us for the  December Meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) Sudbury Centre at 7:00PM Friday December 4th, online via Zoom. This special meeting will feature guest-speaker Dr Raymond Francis of NASA’s JPL. Notes about the speaker below.

1. Welcome: Sudbury RASC President – Alan Ward
2. Preparing the Mars 2020 Rover Mission – Dr Raymond Francis: The Perseverance Mars Rover is en-route to Mars with landing scheduled for February 18 2021. This presentation will describe the Rover, its science instruments, and the principal goals of the mission, as well as the development process that led to its launch earlier this year.
3. Break  (10min) – Live Demo from Peter Pekurar
4. Mars Rovers Planetary Drives – Peter Pekurar: A Made in Canada Story
5. Show & Tell: Members show off their great images of Mars.
6. What’s Up, Doc? – Once in a lifetime events will be emphasized
7. Closing Comments/News Etc – An Open Forum for what you’d like to discuss.

Special Note: If any of our members would like to order a 2021 calendar, please go to www.RASC.ca and place an order in the e-Store. The 2021 Calendar is priced at $17.95 Cdn. With taxes and shipping, the price will be $28.48

A big THANK YOU to all of the members who have renewed their membership and a reminder to those who have not yet done so. We really appreciate your support.
To all NEW MEMBERS, welcome to our club. We hope that you enjoy your participa-tion with us.

About the Guest Speaker:

Dr Raymond Francis is an engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. He has worked in Mars rover operations since the Curiosity rover landing in 2012, and is part of the mission science and operation teams for both the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. He is also the lead system engineer for the AEGIS autonomous instrument targeting software used on the rovers, and has previous experience in ISS payload development, stratospheric balloon experiments, and air-borne science operations. Originally from Sudbury, Ontario, he holds a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Western Ontario, an MSc in Physics from the Royal Military College of Canada, and a BASc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Ottawa. He is also a licenced pilot and gliding instructor.

 

Note: To anyone who isn’t already subscribed to our newsletter and would like to receive it, please use our contact form on our website (www.sudburyastronomyclub.com) with the subject ‘Newsletter Subscription’ and we will add you to the list. You will receive your invitation to the meeting separately via email. Or alternatively, PM Patrick on Facebook for a link. Remember, even if we are in isolation does not mean we still can’t share the wonders of the universe together.

 

 

The September Meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) Sudbury Centre will be held at 7:00PM Friday November 6, online via Zoom. This meeting features Steve Holmes of KW-RASC and our very own Dr. Norm Hey

Agenda:

1. Welcome: Sudbury RASC President – Alan Ward
2.  The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Civilizations –  Steve Holmes, KW-RASC:  The search for extra-terrestrial civilizations around other stars that are a staple of science-fiction, and detecting definitive signs of another civilization that would rank among the greatest discoveries in history. Are Extra-Terrestrial Civilizations rare, or plentiful? How can we estimate the probabilities? This presentation will present astronomical information that will help us to determine their numbers.
3. Break  (10min)
4. PixInsight is EZ! – Dr Norm Hey: How some great folks have made the world’s  widely used dedicated astro-imaging processing program now as easy as pushing 4 buttons!
5. What’s Up, Doc? – Once in a lifetime events will be emphasized

Special Note: If any of our members would like to order a 2021 calendar, please go to www.RASC.ca and place an order in the e-Store. The 2021 Calendar is priced at $17.95 Cdn. With taxes and shipping, the price will be $28.48

A big THANK YOU to all of the members who have renewed their membership and a reminder to those who have not yet done so. We really appreciate your support.
To all NEW MEMBERS, welcome to our club. We hope that you enjoy your participa-tion with us.

Note: To anyone who isn’t already subscribed to our newsletter and would like to receive it, please use our contact form on our website (www.sudburyastronomyclub.com) with the subject ‘Newsletter Subscription’ and we will add you to the list. You will receive your invitation to the meeting separately via email. Or alternatively, PM Patrick on Facebook for a link. Remember, even if we are in isolation does not mean we still can’t share the wonders of the universe together.

 

The September Meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) Sudbury Centre will be held at 7:00PM Friday October 2nd, online via Zoom. This meeting features an important guest from the RASC Head Office,  Executive Director, Phil Groff, Ph.D.

Agenda:

1. Welcome: Sudbury RASC President – Alan Ward
2.  Why Sudbury is a great place for astronomy – Stargazer Steve and Alan Ward will feature major events and projects by our club and its members over the years.
3. Break  (10min)
4. A Welcome from the RASC National Office – “Everything you wanted to know about RASC but were afraid to ask.” Phil Groff would like to use this opportunity to get to know us all and give us some updates from the National Office and answer any questions we may have about RASC.
5. What’s Up, Doc? – Once in a lifetime events will be empasized
6. Closing Comments/News etc. – An open forum for what you would like to share.

Note: To anyone who isn’t already subscribed to our newsletter and would like to receive it, please use our contact form on our website (www.sudburyastronomyclub.com) with the subject ‘Newsletter Subscription’ and we will add you to the list. You will receive your invitation to the meeting separately via email. Or alternatively, PM Patrick on Facebook for a link. Remember, even if we are in isolation does not mean we still can’t share the wonders of the universe together.

RASC -Sudbury Centre Newsletter October 2020

This past Friday, Sept 4th, we had our monthly meeting via Zoom, with guest speaker Dr Thomas Spirock of the Springfield Telescope Makers of Vermont, speaking about planetary imaging using the Lucky Imaging Technique, with results from both the 13″  F/10 Schuppmann at Stellafane, and the 9″ Warney & Swasey Refractor at Mt. Wilson. This is the edit featuring only the Guest Speaker.  Full version of the meeting will be available later.

 

You may have realized by now, that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Laurentian University students are not currently in their classrooms. At this time, Sudbury RASC members will not be in the Doran Planetarium either. Centre President Alan Ward has put together an interesting meeting agenda for all would-be attendees to experience on that date!

The September Meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) Sudbury Centre will be held at 7:00PM Friday September 4th, online via Zoom.

The details of this safe, virus free, meeting experience, including feature speakers will be revealed in the Sudbury RASC Centre Newsletter set to appear on during the first week of September.

Note: To anyone who isn’t already subscribed to our newsletter and would like to receive it, please use our contact form on our website (www.sudburyastronomyclub.com) with the subject ‘Newsletter Subscription’ and we will add you to the list. You will receive your invitation to the meeting via email. Or alternatively, PM Patrick on Facebook for a link. Remember, even if we are in isolation does not mean we still can’t share the wonders of the universe together.