International Astronomy Day is coming to Victoria on April 27 and to celebrate the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) has organized day and night time activities to showcase our skies.
Starting out the day at the Royal B.C. Museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., attendees will be able to use solar telescopes to view the sun safely. There will also be a telescope-making workshop and an astrophotography display showing you how to take photos of the night sky with personal cameras. Other activities throughout the day include Ask an Astronomer, astro-crafts and light-based science lessons.
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There will be three free lectures on astronomy in the Newcombe Conference Hall by Dr. JJ Kavelaars, who discovered the sixth dwarf planet in the solar system in 2016, Ruobing Dong of UVic and Elizabeth Tasker of the Japanese Space Agency and local author Ria Voros.
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Evening activities will be hosted on Observatory Hill from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. including The Centre of the Universe exhibit and access to the Observatory. Attendees will also be able to tour the historic Plaskett Telescope and RASC members will have their personal telescopes set up for public viewing if weather permits.
While all of the astronomy presentations, displays and workshops are free, regular admission charges will apply to the permanent galleries of the museum and the IMAX theatre. Entry to the observatory grounds is by ticket only but the tickets are free.
For more information visit victoria.rasc.ca.