Between the weather and my lack of a western sky here at home, I’ve only had one night that afforded me a view of the conjunction between Venus and Jupiter. This image is from Monday, June 29, 2015, at 10:30pm. It’s always amazing how bright the sky is that late at night, only a week after the solstice.

I was travelling in the Killarney area and this image is taken looking across a small inlet on Baie Fine, a true fjord at the very northern tip of Georgian Bay. The image is from a tripod mounted camera, with a lens set to 24mm at f/4, and an exposure 0.8 seconds long.

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This photo of last night’s aurora was taken by John Crowdis from his home in Alberta. In spite of interference from clouds, moonlight & streetlights, the Northern Lights are prominent in this image. Keep watch again Wednesday night for a possible repeat performance.

There is a major solar storm happening now that could produce strong auroral displays. If skies clear, look up tonight or tomorrow night. For current info on aurorae (Northern Lights), check out this website.

This August 11th the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers aim to host another Perseids Meteor Shower Public Viewing Night. However, events like these require the support of club members and so we’re calling upon any and all club members who would like to help make this night a success. We’re looking for volunteers to fill basic roles such as…

• Meeting cars as they enter the park
• Direct traffic to parking spaces
• Generally help where needed

If you are interested in helping please send an email to Jim Wamsley, chair@amateurastronomy.org.

The June issue of the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers Event Horizon newsletter is now available.

In this issue you’ll find…

• The Sky This Month
• Astronomy Phone Apps
• Scenes From McQuesten Park Public Night
• Upcoming Events
• Plus Much More!

Download your copy from the newsletters section.

Photo credit: Bob Christmas, Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) and NGC 188

We had another successful public stargazing night, this time at T.B. McQuesten Park on the Hamilton mountain Sat 23 May 2015. We had some thin cirrus clouds to start the night off, but they didn’t impair viewing of the Moon, Venus and Jupiter – all well positioned in the western sky after sunset. Eventually they dissipated and we had pretty good seeing.

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Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) and open star cluster NGC 188 in Cepheus, near the north celestial pole.  Taken near Barry’s Bay, Ontario on May 13, 2015 between 10:24 pm & 11:29 pm EDT.  Stack of 30 exposures of 1 minute each; 30 minutes total.  Canon 40D through Tamron 300mm lens at f/2.8, on SP mount.  ISO 1600.

The May issue of the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers Event Horizon newsletter is now available.

In this issue you’ll find…

• Letters from B.A.S.E.F. Winners
• The Sky This Month
• A Trip Down Memory Lane
• Scenes From The Spring Scope Clinic
• Scenes From Astronomy Day
• Plus Much More!

Download your copy from the newsletters section.

Photo credit: Don Pullen, Astronomy Day 2015

The HAA celebrated Astronomy Day this year at Bayfront Park in Hamilton. We had excellent weather with crystal clear seeing during the day and minimal light clouds during the evening.

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Capturing the Stars

Kerry-Ann will be talking about her journey in the intense hobby of astrophotography from 2007 up to 2015 and sharing some of the stories behind the many objects that were captured along with her more recent projects and goals.

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