The public night held at Bay Front Park on Saturday night turned out to be a successful event. Even though the weather conditions looked threatening right up to the 7:30 start time of the club’s public night, we lucked out in the end. Just moments before 7:30 the skies cleared and stayed clear for the most part. I counted 8 scopes setup, both members and one scope brought by a couple with a scope they had just purchased, and needed help to setup and use. Of course they got the help from several club members. We didn’t get the crowds we  get at some public events, due to the cold temp’s and the cloud cover before we started, but I think we still had 35 to 40 people come out to see us, as well as many members that came out without a scope. Several members gathered at a local Tim’s for coffee later of course, and discussed the fun time we all had.

Using the same set-up that I used for the moon photo below, along with a Baader white light solar filter, I got this picture of the sun. I actually tried the day before, but had no success. Perseverance paid off though, and I am pleased with this result.  Again, this is a 90mm refractor with a barlow.

Having my scope set up on my front lawn doesn’t usually attract much attention (by back yard has too many trees to see much of the sky) but setting up in the middle of the afternoon meant that lots of people stopped by to see what I was doing.  So along with a couple of nice pictures, I did a bit of ‘sidewalk astronomy’ as well, and that’s always a good thing.
Remember, never look at the sun without proper solar filters and the knowledge to use them correctly.

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This month’s full moon is tonight and I am hoping to get out and see its rising. In preparation (and because I just couldn’t wait until tonight!), I went out last night to view and photograph the nearly full moon.

This image was taken with my 90mm refractor and a barlow to increase the image scale. I then converted the image to black and white and increased the contrast a bit. I hope to get an image of the full moon rising tonight.

The moon rises around 7:20 tonight, just barely south of due east, and I heartily encourage you to get out and see the moon and enjoy one of the loveliest naked eye sights in the sky.

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The Hamilton Amateur Astronomer’s 2015 Celestial Events Calendar is in the works right now, and this year it will have a better look, more astronomical information and all the other usual things that you are used to in our wonderful calendar. It needs just one thing to make it truly great; you!

The time has come to submit images for the calendar. The HAA calendar showcases photos, illustrations and other visuals exclusively from you, the members. In the past we have had images from very experienced astrophotographers and absolute beginners. Everyone is encouraged to participate; all images are welcome.

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Clear skies, fresh air and a close conjunction between the Moon and Mars ensured that lots of members and public came out to McQueston Park in Hamilton for a night of observing.

Over 20 HAA members brought scopes of various sized, from 50mm to 12 inches, and entertained over 100 members of the public with wonderful views and lots of info. Two of the club’s loaner scopes were there and the club’s Malincam and television were also in use for the public to enjoy. There were also meteorites for the public to see and touch, and lots of planispheres, brochures and magazines were handed out free of charge.

At times there were large crowds around some scopes, and many people oohed and aahed at their first look at the craters of the moon or Saturn’s rings. The HAA’s next public event will be for the Perseid Meteor Shower at the Binbrook Conservation Area in August. This is traditionally our largest event and not to be missed. Be sure to come out for another great night.

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I was fortunate enough to spend the past week in a cabin on an island in the St. Mary’s River, between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. There were two clear nights out of the six I spent there, and they were spectacularly clear and dark. I had my Unihedron Sky Quality Meter with me, and it registered 21.57, even with the Milky Way high in the sky, and I could see magnitude 6.1 at the zenith. That is a very dark sky!

I took one of the club’s 8 inch dobsonian loaner scopes with me along with my own 90mm refractor, and both provided spectacular views. Of course I enjoyed spectacular views of some old favourites, like the Lagoon (M8) and Trifid Nebula (M20), the Swan (M17) and the Eagle (M16), the North America Nebula (NGC7000), the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) and many more. The 8″ dob and the dark skies gave much nicer views than I’m used to here in Hamilton with my scope.

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I received this photo from Janina Plach and asked her if I could share it with you. Great photo Janina! Deserts are stunning landscapes by day and equally magical by night. Recently, I had the opportunity to explore Sedona Arizona and try my luck at astrophotography. This red rock formation is named “Courthouse Butte” and was illuminated by moonlight.

Many club members showed up at the Grimsby/ Niagara  Tourist Information Center last night, for another successful public observing night. We had about 8 scopes set up  for the people passing by to get views of the Moon, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn. Members spoke to many people, explaining about the club, the night sky, and why we love this hobby so much. Most of the people left with a club brochure,  a planesphere and a big smile. As well as talking to the public, club members had a good time chatting to one another, sharing experiences, ideas, and I know some equipment was loaned between friends. The next public night will be held at McQuesten Park in July. Watch your e-mail for the details.  I hope you can come out and enjoy the night  with us.

Even though the conditions last night were not exactly as expected at the start of the evening, as the night wore on, it got better, and lot of work got done. Of the 10 members that came out last night, most had projects to get their equipment sorted out. I had to work out the setup of a new autogider scope and standalone guider, to work together, before I head down to Cherry Springs. Vince Chaisson was working out how his new Celestron C GEM mount works. Leslie Webb was tuning up an older Polaris mount that he hadn’t used for a wile. Matthew Mannering was getting the kinks out of his  Sky Stopper wedge. Most of the group was ready to call it a night by 1:00 am.or so. I think we all where successful with our night’s work, as everyone seemed to be happy.

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Lovely image of the Sun taken by Bill using a 60mm double stacked Lunt solar scope and Point Grey Grasshopper video camera. This image was taken on May 6.