Canadian astronaut Dr. Robert Thirsk, who is presently aboard the International Space Station, has recorded a “get involved in IYA2009″ message which can be viewed in French or English from the CSA web site

http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/images/recherche/photo.aspx?id=1700&format=&search=&l=eng
or on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiJfyevRjj8).

While his broadcast is directed primarily to encourage involvement by Canadians, its message is universal.

Robert Thirsk has brought both an English and a French copy of Mary Lou’s New Telescope and Le nouveau téléscope à Chloé on board the Station with him. The copies will be returned to Earth in late November when Bob completes his historic mission.

As we approach the last week of August, over 640,000 Galileo Moments have been recorded across Canada. The Montreal RASC Center is proud to have produced over 2400 of these Wow Moments and we are confidant that Canada will soon surpass their goal of one million Galileo Moments.

Rain or shine, the RASC Montreal Centre meets once a week during the summer months at the Morgan Arboretum in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. We present a free public lecture (even if the skies are cloudy), followed by some stargazing (weather permitting). This month, RASC Montreal Centre member and VP Bettina Forget will lead a presentation and workshop to get you started in astronomical drawing.

Abstract:
Everyone I know is a much better artists than they think they are. There is something uniquely absorbing about sketching an astronomical object. You become much more familiar with every nook and cranny of a lunar crater, and the exact positions of every star in an open cluster will be etched into your brain forever once you put pencil to paper. Sure, it takes a bit of practice, but not as much artistic talent as you think it does. Everyone - everyone! - can learn how to produce a decent sketch.

Bettina will show you some drawings rendered by well-known astronomers (Galileo Galilei among them!), and then give you a set of useful drawing tips. Following the presentation you will be given drawing supplies and put theory into practice. If you’re inspired you can even take your sketching paper outside and try your skills right at the eyepiece during our stargazing session (here’s hoping for clear skies!).

About the Speaker:
Bettina Forget is a full-time visual artist living in Montreal. Her work focuses on astronomical subjects, and her work has been exhibited internationally in group and solo shows. Bettina is the Director of Exhibitions of the International Association of Astronomical Artists, the Vice President of the RASC Montreal Centre, and the organizer of Yuri’s Night Montreal. She also owns and runs the Visual Voice Art Gallery in Montreal’s Belgo building.

Saturday, July 18. 2009
Draw Like Galileo - Astronomical Drawing Workshop
presented by Bettina Forget
Morgan Arboretum
Visitor’s Centre
Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue
starting at 8:00 p.m.

Note: drawing materials will be provided. This is a free event.

During the academic year (fall, winter, and spring) the RASC Montreal Centre offers a free public lecture every first Thursday of the month. This month, instead of a lecture, we’re treating you to a special presentation of a feature-length 3D movie titled Journeys to Mars 3D, produced by RASC Montreal Centre members David Shuman and Paul Simard.

About the Movie:
SimShu Productions, in association with the RASC Montreal Centre, presents “Journeys to Mars 3D”.
Remember seeing the flat pictures of Mars from the rovers? Exciting, wasn’t it? Now, see Mars as it was meant to be seen : in 3D!
Ride along with Spirit and Opportunity for the thrill of a lifetime. Come expreience Mars in full motion, high definition, 3D. It’s as close as most of us will ever get.
This narrated journey across Mars was compiled from all of the images taken by the rovers while they traveled on Mars. Don’t miss the chance to see another planet for yourself.

Bio:
SimShu Productions is the cooperative effort of Paul Simard and David Shuman - both are experienced amateur astronomers and RASC Montreal Centre members.
When it comes to film history and technical knowledge, nobody can compare to David Shuman. Combining his passion of film and astronomy, he wants to reveal the unbiverse and all its wonders to the public. Paul Simard has been interested in astronomy and animation for as long as he can remember and is now pursuing them by combining his two passions in showing the wonders of the universe and science through animation.

This is a free public event

Thursday, May 7, 2009
8:00 p.m.
John Abbott College
Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue
Penfield Building, room P-204

Montrealers joined the RASC Montreal Centre and the Montreal Planetarium for a Star Party at the Morgan Arboretum

While Friday evening’s viewing was non-existant due to cloud and occasional light showers, many people still were present to talk to the RASC and Planetarium members. Saturday night’s IYA Star Party at the Morgan Arboretum was a huge success. Saturday night offered both clear skies and large numbers of young and old new stargazers. The RASC Montreal Centre in collaboration with the Montreal Planetarium was able to host this two day event which drew over 200 people.

The final installation of The Painted Universe

Besides the star party at the Arboretum, there was also a chance to get creative at the Visual Voice Art Gallery in downtown Montreal, where RASC V.P. and artist Bettina Forget invited Montrealers to participate in the creation of an astronomically themed collaborative artwork titled The Painted Universe. She brought art supplies to the Arboretum on Saturday night, where some stargazers tried their hand at drawing night sky objects, which were then added to the final installation. For more info about the Painted Universe, visit the Visual Voice webpage here.

Thank you for everyone who came out and participated in our events. See you again next year!

There’s lots of family fun to be had this weekend, in celebration of International Astronomy Day:

Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2, 2009 - 8:00 p.m. - midnight
The RASC Montreal Centre and the Montreal Planetarium team up for a Star Party this Friday and Saturday at the Morgan Arboretum - see details in our previous post.
Should the skies be overcast, there will be astronomy presentations in the Arboretum’s Visitor’s Centre.
Location: Morgan Arboretum, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue

Saturday, May 1, 2009 - 12 noon - 6:00 p.m.
For and afternoon of creative fun, bring the family to the Visual Voice Art Gallery and participate in the Painted Universe. Art materials are provided for you to create a small piece of astronomically themed art, which will be added to an art installation. For details, please visit www.visualvoice gallery.com
Location: Visual Voice Art Gallery, 372 Ste-Catherine Street West, space 421, Montreal

Both events are free.

Mark your calendars for Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2, 2009! To celebrate the International Astronomy Day on May 2nd, the Montreal Planetarium is teaming up with the RASC Montreal Centre to host a star party at the Morgan Arboretum at Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. Weather permitting, you’ll be treated to views of Venus and Saturn as you get a chance to peek through the telescopes brought to the event by members of the RASC.

Planetarium & RASC Montreal Centre Star Party
May 1 & May 2, 2009 - 8:00 p.m. until midnight
Morgan Arboretum Visitor’s Centre
Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue

This remarkable image is spreading like wildfire through the internet - as e-mail attachments, news articles, even on Facebook. Nicknamed “The Cosmic Hand” it is actually a young and powerful pulsar, known as PSR B1509-58, and was captured by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. This false-colour image interprets various wavelengths of x-rays: the lowest energy X-rays that Chandra detects are red, the medium range is green, and the most energetic ones are colored blue.

For more information about this stunning object, check out this webpage: www.astronomy.com

During the academic year (fall, winter, and spring) the RASC Montreal Centre offers a free public lecture every first Thursday of the month. This month’s lecture titled Galileo: He Looked and Changed the World is presented by Bruno Paul Stenson.

Lecture Abstract:
In 1609, one man using a simple wooden tube and glass lenses proved the universe to be a place very different from what most people were prepared to believe. In an entertaining, illustrated lecture, historian Bruno Paul Stenson presents the evolution of our view of the universe, the revelations brought to Galileo Galilei through the ten-new telescope, and a look at Galileo himself as he struggled through social, religious and familial circumstances to bring a new reality to the world.

Bruno Paul Stenson graduated from Concordia and McGill universities with degrees in psychology, education, public relations management, and history. Professionally, Bruno is a historian specializing in the social histories of New France, Victorian Montreal, and Expo 67.

Galileo: He Looked and Changed the World
Bruno Paul Stenson
Vanier College, room B-223
821 Ste-Croix Ave, Ville St-Laurent
Thursday, March 5, 2009
8:00 p.m.

This Saturday, March 28, 2009 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. is Earth Hour! Organized by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), this initiative is a symbolic event to highlight Climate Change. All over the world lights will be switched off to conserve energy and let the stars shine. Which dove-tails nicely with astronomer’s efforts to reduce light pollution, so the RASC Montreal Centre will join the Westmount community for some stargazing on Westmount’s Summit Circle Lookout. Hopefully we’ll have clear skies, so please bring your telescopes if you’re planning to attend. But even if the heavens are overcast, Montreal’s skyline is always a pleasure to behold - though hopefully the skyscrapers and local homes will turn off their lights for Earth Hour.

For more information, check out the following websites:
www.wwf.ca/earthhour
www.earthhourcanada.org 

Map to the Summit Circle Lookout:

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