Our speaker this month is the HAA’s very own Les Webb.

Les has been an amateur astronomer for 60 years, having first come to the hobby after finding a fascination with solar prominences as a teenager, making drawings of them daily, before diving headlong into the hobby for the rest of his life. He has been a member of the HAA since its founding over 30 years ago, has served on club Council many times over the years, and has been an active member of astronomy clubs far and wide, always enjoying his trips down to Cherry Springs.

Les will be speaking to us about his years of solar observing, specifically his go-to solar scope, the Lunt LS80, how he uses it, what he observes and tips and tricks on its operation.

Following Les’ presentation, we will have a short intermission, followed by door prizes, and then our monthly Sky This Month presentation.

At the start of the meeting and on intermission, we will also be running a club “Garage Sale”. Over the years the HAA has acquired many pieces of equipment, and though we put to use what we can in the Loaner Scope Program and donate when the opportunity arises, the club has accumulated quite a few odds and ends – small accessories, cables, caps, old eyepieces, you name it. Sue MacLachlan will be set up at the back of the auditorium with all items for sale at low prices (most pieces less than $10), so bring cash in hand, you might see something you need!

The address for our meeting is the parish hall at St. Matthews-on-the-Plains Anglican Church, 126 Plains Road East, Burlington, ON L7T 2C3. Doors will open at 7:00PM, with the meeting beginning promptly at 7:30. Zoom broadcast details are below.

Hamilton Amateur Astronomers is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Join Zoom Meeting
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Join and take notes
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Meeting ID: 873 2698 5699
Passcode: 450773

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We hope to see you there!

Our speaker this month is Bray Falls of Starfront Observatories.

Bray is an astrophotographer and co-founder of Starfront Observatories. He specializes in surveying for new nebulae and making dark skies more accessible to amateur astronomers.

Presentation:

Dark Skies on Demand:

A practical look at how remote observing is changing amateur astrophotography. Bray will cover what becomes possible when a personal telescope has reliable access to dark skies, the tradeoffs compared with backyard imaging, and what is needed to have a successful remote imaging setup.

Following Bray’s presentation, we will have a short intermission, followed by door prizes, and then our monthly Sky This Month presentation.

The address for our meeting is the parish hall at St. Matthews-on-the-Plains Anglican Church, 126 Plains Road East, Burlington, ON L7T 2C3. Doors will open at 7:00PM, with the meeting beginning promptly at 7:30. Zoom broadcast details are below.

Hamilton Amateur Astronomers is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Hamilton Amateur Astronomers’ Zoom Meeting
Time: Sep 18, 2026 07:15 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 850 7031 6258
Passcode: 061033

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We hope to see you there!

The Hamilton Amateur Astronomers invites you to join us for our annual Perseid Meteor Shower Night on Saturday, August 8th at Binbrook Conservation Area!

The Perseids are an annual meteor shower, peaking every year in mid August. On a clear, moonless night, stargazers can see upwards of 100 meteors per hour. This year, the peak falls very close to New Moon, meaning we will have dark skies to see the shower!

Every year the HAA, through a long standing agreement with Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, opens up Binbrook after hours for members of the public to come out meteor watching. 

We will be opening the park to the public at 8:00PM, with the event running until 11:00PM. Bring a blanket or lawn chair, relax and lay back to see the shooting stars flying overhead. 

HAA members will also be offering views through their telescopes, as well as offering children’s educational activities, so bring the whole family!

The conservation area closes at 8:00PM, so members of the public arriving later should look for an HAA volunteer at the main gate off of Harrison Road, who will let you into the park and direct you to parking and the viewing area.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Binbrook+Conservation+Area+Main+Entrance/@43.0966707,-79.8287623,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x882cbd8a624a88ff:0x26f1ac26335f3c07!8m2!3d43.0966707!4d-79.8287623!16s%2Fg%2F1wf397jd!18m1!1e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDcxNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

All members of the public are expected to adhere to NPCA guidelines while inside the park. For more information, see the following:

https://npca.ca/parks-recreation/conservation-areas/binbrook

HAA members will be at the park unless there is inclement weather. Please keep an eye out on website and Facebook page for updates. Should the weather be wholly uncooperative, a cancellation will be sent out by 12:00PM on August 8th. 

We hope to see you there!

Our speaker this month is Dr. Phil McCausland, Director of the Paleomagnetic & Petrophysical Laboratory at Western University’s Department of Earth Sciences, who will be giving us a fascinating presentation on fireball meteors in Canada.

Historic Fireballs and Meteorite Falls in Canada:

Meteorites are messengers from the solar system, delivered by nature to the Earth, often arriving through the atmosphere as brilliant meteors called fireballs. Canada has a prominent role in the science of understanding meteorite fall events, and establishing how meteorites are delivered to the Earth. In this presentation I will show examples of some prominent Canadian meteorite-dropping fireball events and what was done (and is being done!) to learn more about where these meteorites come from.

Dr. Phil McCausland is the Director of the Western Paleomagnetic & Petrophysical Laboratory at Western University, where he earned his PhD in 2002. His areas of research include paleomagnetism and planetary mineralogy. 

https://www.uwo.ca/earth/people/faculty/mccausland.html

Dr. McCausland will be bringing a sample of meteorites for attendees to look at and hold after the meeting, and the HAA will so be displaying it’s collection of meteorites alongside Dr. McCausland’s!

June is our Annual General Meeting (AGM), where HAA members will vote on any resolutions, new business, and elect Council members for the upcoming year. The entire meeting is open to the public, however only HAA members in good standing are eligible to vote at the AGM. 

The AGM portion of the meeting will begin at 7:30PM. Following the AGM, Sue MacLachlan will give an update on our upcoming Dark Sky Star Party, and then we will have a brief intermission. Dr. McCausland will present after the intermission, around 8:15PM. 

Keep this in mind, as it is different than our usual schedule. 

Following Dr. McCausland’s presentation, we will have door prizes, and then a very brief monthly Sky This Month presentation. 

The address for our meeting is the parish hall at St. Matthews-on-the-Plains Anglican Church, 126 Plains Road East, Burlington, ON L7T 2C3. Doors will open at 7:00PM, with the meeting beginning promptly at 7:30. Zoom broadcast details are below.

________________________________

Hamilton Amateur Astronomers is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Join Zoom Meeting

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Due to the weather Today our Event at bay front park is cancelled

Have you ever wondered what the Moon and planets look like up close and personal in a telescope, but never had to opportunity to see them? Perhaps you have an interest in stargazing and astronomy, but don’t know where to begin and what equipment you need. If so, this is the event for you!

The Hamilton Amateur Astronomers will be hosting a public sidewalk astronomy night from 8:30-10:30PM at Bayfront Park. All are invited out to come take a look at the Moon, Jupiter and Venus through our telescopes – HAA club members will be set up in the parking lot and offering views of the night sky, and will be happy to answer any and all questions you might have about telescopes, stargazing, and astronomy in general. 

This event is free of charge, and we welcome all interested to bring family and friends. 

The event is weather permitting of course, and should the skies be too cloudy or rainy to see anything, a cancellation notice will be posted to this event and the HAA website at 4:00PM on Saturday. 

We hope to see you there!

Our speaker this month is HAA member Jeff Parsons. 

Jeff Parsons is the HAA’s Loaner Scope Program Director. Having become interested in amateur astronomy less than 5 years ago during COVID, Jeff joined the HAA, and after borrowing one of the club’s loaner dobsonians, was instantly hooked. He purchased his first telescope soon after, and has been an avid and determined stargazer ever since. 

Join Jeff as he recounts his journey to the Atacama Desert last year – the Mecca of Astronomy. With his brother Dave, Jeff toured both the ALMA Array and Very Large Telescope, and will be sharing his stories from his trip to the world’s most renowned and remote dark skies.

Following Jeff’s presentation, we will have a short intermission, followed by door prizes, and then our monthly Sky This Month presentation. 

The address for our meeting is the parish hall at St. Matthews-on-the-Plains Anglican Church, 126 Plains Road East, Burlington, ON L7T 2C3. Doors will open at 7:00PM, with the meeting beginning promptly at 7:30. Zoom broadcast details are below.

_______________________

Hamilton Amateur Astronomers is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Hamilton Amateur Astronomers’ Zoom Meeting

Time: May 8, 2026 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 824 1048 2348

Passcode: 397415

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Unfortunately tonight’s event will be cancelled due to Sky conditions.
as such the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers Will not be setting up Equipment at Bayfront Park tonight
Please keep an eye out here and on Facebook for future events

Have you ever wondered what the Moon and planets look like up close and personal in a telescope, but never had to opportunity to see them? Perhaps you have an interest in stargazing and astronomy, but don’t know where to begin and what equipment you need. If so, this is the event for you!

In recognition of International Astronomy Day, the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers will be hosting a public sidewalk astronomy night from 8:30-10:30PM at Bayfront Park. All are invited out to come take a look at the Moon, Jupiter and Venus through our telescopes – HAA club members will be set up in the parking lot and offering views of the night sky, and will be happy to answer any and all questions you might have about telescopes, stargazing, and astronomy in general.

The location for Bayfront Park parking lot is below:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/BKtEt1Wg7w1hipzYA?g_st=ac

This event is free of charge, and we welcome all interested to bring family and friends.

The event is weather permitting of course, and should the skies be too cloudy or rainy to see anything, a cancellation notice will be posted to the HAA website as well as our Facebook event at 6:00PM on Saturday.

We hope to see you there!

Our speaker this month will be Ryan Zhu, North American Sales Manager for Svbony, Retevis, and Retekess Canada. 

Ryan will be speaking to us about affordable astrophotography options available to amateur astronomers of all backgrounds and levels of experience, and how capturing stunning, high quality images of the night sky doesn’t have to break the bank. Focusing on new products and technologies available through Svbony, Ryan will demonstrate how budget-friendly and beginner level astrophotography setups can deliver great, professional results, without emptying your wallet. 

This month is also our Member’s Silent Auction. Reminder that this month the church hall opens earlier than our usual 7:00 – viewing for auction lots will begin at 6:45PM sharp, with bidding to begin at 7:05PM. So remember to show up early for a chance to acquire some of the awesome gear the club is offering. This auction is for members of the HAA only, and payment from auction winners for all lots must be given prior to the end of our meeting and can be done through cash, cheque, or e-transfer. 

As usual, our meeting will begin at 7:30PM, at which time bidding will be put on hold. After Ryan’s presentation, we will have our intermission wherein bidding will resume. Following this, there will be door prizes, as well as our Sky This Month presentation.