Friday’s field trip was frigid… but fantastic! We met at York Redoubt Historic Site, which worked well. The large, open area allowed us a 360 degree view of the sky, so that we could even see objects low on the horizon. The site was also far enough away from downtown that the light pollution was lessened. Paul Heath, of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (Halifax Chapter) met us there, with his HUGE telescope. He oriented us to some of the major stars and consellations, including the Big Dipper, Casseopia, and Orion. Unfortunately, we could not see the recently spotted Super Nova, but the photo that accompanies this field trip report is a picture of it, taken by a RASC member. We DID see Jupiter through the scope – amazing! Paul also set up the scope to show us the nebula in Orion’s sword – beautiful! Paul was a wealth of information about everything, and we really appreciated his dedication and enthusiasm on such a cold evening too. A big thank you as well to the brave, tough familes (and one dog!) that joined us!

Here are some really need astronomy-related links that Paul passed along:

http://www.astronomynovascotia.ca/  – Find out about upcoming astronomy-related events (on Earth and in the sky) for Nova Scotia.

http://www.rasc.ca/ – Lots of resources for beginners and keeners alike!

http://heavens-above.com/ – A site to help you find out where the International Space Station is, and when you can see it in the sky.

http://spaceweather.com/ – TONS of info about goings-on in space.

Happy gazing!