New Members orientation program – First Light - Spring 2016

Astronomer Christa Van Laerhoven, will discuss planets that orbit stars other than our sun. Some of these planetary systems look very different from our own!

Hover above the moon like an astronaut and get eye-to-eye with the planets. Find colourful stars, star clusters, bright nebulae and even another galaxy. Our monthly City Star Party is the place to catch universe from within the city limits at Bayview Village Park. If you don't have a telescope then you will find many astronomers who would love to share a view. If you are thinking of buying a telescope, viewing with other people's equipment is the best way to make a good choice. If you have a telescope or binoculars, please bring it!

Cloudy or clear, join us for programs including presentations in our Skylab and space-themed arts & crafts (Space Crafts!) and tours of the big telescope.

Celebrate International Astronomy Day with telescope observing, activities, crafts, and ‘Science Slam’ presentations by astronomers about strange, unbelievable, and mind-blowing discoveries in space.

Everyone is invited to join us and Durham Skies this May 14 for stargazing at the edge of Lake Ontario. Take a free look through different kinds of telescopes to get close-up looks at craters on the Moon, brilliant Mars, magnificent Jupiter with its moons, and the spectacular rings of Saturn. Learn the names of springtime stars and the constellation patterns they form. Peer deep into space and try your hand at spotting spot faint star clusters and nebulae.

To celebrate Astronomy Day this year, join the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers at Bayfront park for an afternoon of solar observing and evening of stargazing.

It's AstroNuts' annual kids' space club fundraiser!

http://www.rasc.ca/astronomy-day

Astronomers have long known about Mercury and Venus transits of the Sun. However, this technique, now commonly referred to as the Transit Technique, has been amazingly successful in detecting exoplanets, planets around other stars. To date, nearly 6,000 exoplanets or planetary candidates have been detected, the majority of them using the Transit Technique. This talk will deal with some of the historical observations of Mercury and Venus transits and then summarize the state of current exoplanetary observations.

Westfield Heritage Village hosts its annual Star Party on Friday, May 13th from 7 to 10pm and invites you to experience the wonders of the night sky through the eyes of trained astronomers. Presented in partnership with the Royal Astronomical Society and McMaster University, this dazzling event will provide an opportunity to learn about the night sky through a fun and interactive evening of exploration and discovery.

School's out for Summer! NNTO is thrilled to cap the season with guest speakers from the Royal Ontario Museum! Trivia is based on the ROM's collections and we have some delightfully nerdy things for the raffle. You might also get some goodies on the way in. Presentation 1 – “Asteroids: Friend or Foe?” by Dr. Kim Tait