Join us this April 13^th 2018 at 7:30pm – Admission is free and everyone is welcome!

For millennia, people (including our First Nations) have used the sky as a clock, calendar, and compass. Astronomy thus became deeply rooted in their spirituality, mythology, and culture. This profusely-illustrated, non-technical presentation will describe the astronomy of civilizations ranging from the Polynesians who navigated the vast Pacific Ocean, the builders of Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Egypt, and the Chinese, Indian, and Islamic astronomers who preserved and developed astronomy through Europe’s “Dark Ages”, leading to the Copernican Revolution and our present conception of the universe.

Continue Reading

The latest issue of the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers Event Horizon newsletter is now available for download!

In this issue you’ll find…

• The Sky This Month
• Astrophysics Group Report
• Upcoming Events
• Cartoon Corner
• Eye Candy

Download the latest issue or visit the newsletters section for past issues.

Photo credit: Waxing Gibbous Moon by Matthew Mannering

Join us this March 9^th 2018 at 7:30pm – Admission is free and everyone is welcome!

Following up Jim Wamsley’s introduction to telescopes in Part 1, John Gauvreau now guides you through what a beginner can expect from their very first views through that scope. From planets to galaxies, small scopes and large, find out what you can really see out under the night sky and how best to see it. Bernie Venasse will then speak about note-taking: why should I bother? and what do I record?

Continue Reading

The latest issue of the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers Event Horizon newsletter is now available for download!

In this issue you’ll find…

• The Sky This Month
• The December 2017 General Meeting
• The January 2018 General Meeting
• Cartoon Corner
• Eye Candy
• Upcoming Events

Download the latest issue or visit the newsletters section for past issues.

Photo credit: Crescent Nebula by Peter Wolsley

Due to a snowfall weather alert for the GTA, tonights event has been cancelled. 

February 9^th 2018, Hamilton Amateur Astronomers General Meeting

As light pollution impacts the abilities of amateur astronomers to view with their telescopes anything faint in cities or the suburbs, they are forced to drive greater distances to reach dark sites. But what if it was possible to observe faint deep sky objects from the heart of the city or suburb light domes. This presentation will show how astro-video technologies can take you beyond the ordinary eyepiece views in light-polluted skies.

Continue Reading

The latest issue of the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers Event Horizon newsletter is now available for download!

In this issue you’ll find…

• The Sky This Month
• Leslie Webb’s Reducer/Flattener
• Cartoon Corner
• Upcoming McCallion Planetarium Shows
• Upcoming Events

Download the latest issue or visit the newsletters section for past issues.

Photo credit: Scutum Star Cloud M11 by Bob Christmas

January 12^th 2018 General Meeting

Welcome to the world of amateur astronomy! Join members of the HAA as they guide you through the first steps of this fascinating hobby, with a simple introduction to the types of telescopes to choose from, the parts and pieces, and how to use them. Then imagine stepping outside to look up at the night sky, and enjoy the second half of the talk with a guide to the types of celestial objects within your reach and how to get the most out of a new scope with realistic expectations of actually seeing the stars, planets and more. Those who are interested can go further by joining the HAA Beginners Group and enjoy more seminars, all as a necessary precursor to borrowing one of the club’s loaner scopes.

Continue Reading

The latest issue of the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers Event Horizon newsletter is now available for download!

In this issue you’ll find…

• The Sky This Month
• Treasurer’s Report
• Cartoon Corner
• Upcoming McCallion Planetarium Shows
• Upcoming Events

Download the latest issue or visit the newsletters section for past issues.

Photo credit: Eagle Nebula by Peter Wolsley

Friday December 8^th General Meeting

Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn will be discussing how to prepare and plan for a night of imaging with special consideration to location, time, weather and sky quality considerations. She will also be discussing how to interpret weather forecasts and use various websites, apps and desktop software in order to optimize your night out under the stars. Her talk will also be applicable to those who aren’t interesting in photography.

Continue Reading

Thinking about purchasing a telescope for Christmas? Not sure what to get or not sure how to use the scope that you have? Grab it and come to the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers Scope Clinic and Open House on Friday, November 17, 2017. Held in the auditorium of the Hamilton Spectator Building, 44 Frid St Hamilton, the doors are open to the public from 5:00 till 10:00PM.

Admission is free so bring your family and friends!

The HAA 2018 Celestial Events Calendar will be available at this event.

Continue Reading