With the construction of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada: Yukon Centre Observatory @ the Takhini Hot Springs underway, and the start of regular bi-monthly sessions in September, we felt it was important to highlight the next series of FREE open-to-the-public events:
- Perseid Meteor Shower Will Be Extra Awesome August 11 (after midnight until August 13 in the morning)
- Eyes on Juno August 27 @ 4:30 - 6:30 AM @ the Yukon College room A2402
- OSIRIS-REx: THE MISSION September 5 @ 7:00 - 9:00 PM @ the Yukon College room A2402. Dr. Christa Van Laerhoven, PhD: Planetary Scientist and Orbital Dynamicist from the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics will cover the topic: “What does OSIRIS-REx hope to find on asteroid Bennu?”
- The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) is a planned NASA asteroid study and sample return mission. The launch is scheduled for September 8 2016. RASC: Yukon Centre will attempt to cover the launch, just as we did with JUNO via a link with NASA in real-time.
The Society, also known as the Yukon Astronomical Society, is looking at bringing to Whitehorse more Guest Speakers this 2016-2017 year such as:
- David H. Levy: one of the most successful comet discoverers in history. He has discovered 22 comets, nine of them using his own backyard telescopes. With Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker at the Palomar Observatory in California he discovered Shoemaker-Levy 9, the comet that collided with Jupiter in 1994. That episode produced the most spectacular explosions ever witnessed in the solar system. He is a Canadian astronomer.
- Col. Chris Hadfield: first Canadian Astronaut to walk in space, operate Canadarm, and command the International Space Station.
- Jack Newton: known for his world famous photographs. In 1991 Newton became the first amateur astrophotographer in the world to make full (RGB) color CCD images of celestial objects using a Santa Barbara Instruments Group ST-4 camera, making a full color CCD image of M57, the "Ring Nebula" and M27, the "Dumbbell Nebula". Newton received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977, the Ken Chilton Prize from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 1978, the Amateur Achievement Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in 1988, and the Chant Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 1989. He is a Canadian astronomer.
- Ten-year-old Kathryn Gray: After returning home to New Brunswick, she discovered a supernova about 240 million light years away. Kathryn is the youngest person ever to have discovered a stellar explosion.