Royal Astronomical Society of Canada - Thunder Bay Centre

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PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

Welcome to the website of the Thunder Bay Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Our astronomy club is in its 23rd year and is one of 29 Centres located across Canada from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Victoria, British Columbia. Currently we have over 50 members of various ages with a wide range of interests and expertise.

Our purpose is to promote the advancement of astronomy and allied sciences through public awareness and education. We are open to anyone who has an interest in astronomy. We wish to introduce people to this worthwhile and fulfilling hobby as well as its opportunities for scientific pursuits.

We hold monthly meetings at Confederation College on the second Tuesday of each month excluding July and August, at 7:00 PM. The general meetings include topics such as what to see in the night skies this month, operation and using binoculars and telescopes, latest news in astronomy, and many other presentations. General meetings are open to the public. You are welcome to attend and see what we are all about. Usually the meeting is in room C240, but check the TV screens at the entrances to be sure.

In addition, we conduct many events such as public and member observing sessions, group presentations and displays for a wide variety of organizations. During the summer, star parties are held at several provincial parks. At certain times the club is involved with special projects such as telescope making and workshops.

Membership is open to all novice and experienced sky gazers. You do not need to own a telescope or binoculars. Thunder Bay Centre members have access to and borrowing privileges from a library of astronomy books, magazines and other materials including telescopes. Membership benefits also include our monthly newsletter “The Northern Sky”, the Canadian astronomy magazine “SkyNews”, the Astronomical Society’s “Journal”, and the indispensable “Observer’s Handbook”.

Some future plans include the design, building and operation of a club observatory to be used by the Centre members to complete the various Observing Certificates offered by the Thunder Bay Centre and the National Office. It may also be used for public observations on special nights.

If you have any questions about our Society please contact us by leaving a message under “Contact” on the left side of the page. You may also try our National site @ www.rasc.ca .

Bruce Miron, President

Upcoming Events

Calendar by Kieran O'Shea

NASA Image of the Day
Cloud streets off of the Aleutian Islands

Strong winds polished the snow of southwestern Alaska and stretched marine stratocumulus clouds into long, parallel streets in early January, 2012. After crossing Bristol Bay, the winds scraped the clouds across the tall volcanic peaks of the Aleutian Islands. As the wind impacted the immobile mountains, the airflow became turbulent, swirling in symmetric eddies and carving intricate patterns into the clouds on the leeward side of the islands. At the top of this image, the bright white color indicates a thick layer of snow overlying the land of southwestern Alaska. The pristine white is broken by the rugged Ahklun Mountain Range in the east, which is partially covered by a bank of clouds. Off the coast of Alaska, sea ice floats in Bristol Bay, cracked and chipped by the flow of the waters which lie underneath. A few cloud streets – parallel lines of clouds – can be seen in the far northwest over land. The clouds increase over the sea ice and become thick over open water, where row upon row of clouds lie close in perfectly parallel formation. The Aleutian Islands stretch from northeast to southwest across the image. Sea ice, which is bright white here, lies on the windward side of the islands. A few of the tallest volcanic peaks can be seen rising from the icy islands. The character of the cloud streets change as they impact the Aleutians, especially near the center of the image, where two rows of beautifully symmetric swirls of eddies in the clouds stretch across the sky. These swirling formations are known as von Karman vortex streets. This true-color image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite on January 11, 2012. Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team
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NASA Image of the Day