NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics (NRC-HIA)
Dominion Astrophysical Observatory

The Centre of the Universe is now into our Summer Season, which means evening openings!

Hours

Evening openings are finally here! Until the long weekend in May, we will be open every Saturday night. We are also very excited to announce we will be open every night of the week for public observation from the May long weekend through to the end of September! Join us weekly for special events and themes throughout the summer months! Also, in the evening, our programming will be expanded to include Science Shows in our gallery and Product Demonstrations. Please note we will be implementing a new night-time fee, listed below. Our annual passes are a great value - by purchasing one, you will have entrance to any or all of the evenings we are open.

April 1 - May 20: 10am - 6 pm (Sun - Fri), 10am - 11pm (Sat)

May 21- Sept 30: 1pm - 11pm, 7 days a week (closed in the mornings, except for private group tours)

Admission Rates
Daytime

Adults $9.00

Seniors/Students (13 to 18 or with card) $8.00
Youth (4 to 12) $5.00
Children under 4 with parent FREE
Families $23.00

Night-time (7 to 11pm)
Adults $12.00
Seniors/Students $10.00
Youth (4 -12) $7.00
Children under 4 with parent FREE
Families $31.00

Annual Passes
Adults $25.00
Seniors/Students $21.00
Youth (4 -12) $15.00
Children under 4 with parent FREE
Families $65.00

Astronomy Day

Astronomy day is fast approaching… On April 16th, join people around the world in celebrating International Astronomy Day. Here in Victoria, the RASC will again be hosting activities at the Royal BC museum. Come down between 10 am and 4 pm for talks, workshops and demonstrations sure to be fun for all ages. The Centre of the Universe will be bringing our portable StarLab planetarium for virtual star shows at the Museum. All daytime activities are free!

In the evening, come up to the Centre for telescope viewing and all our other Star Party activities. Regular evening admission rates apply.

For more information and a draft program of the day’s events, visit the RASC website at:

http://victoria.rasc.ca/events/AstroDay/Default.htm
 

Space Camps
If your kids are into space, why not sign them up for our Summer Space Camps? These four or five day long camps are geared for kids aged 6 -13, and will include fun hands-on astronomy activities and crafts, planetarium shows, and many other interactive presentations. We held our first Space Camp during Spring Break last month, and the kids had a blast!

The schedule of our Summer Space Camps is below. Camps run from 9 am to 3 pm each day. Camp fees are $150+GST per week, or $120+GST for each additional child from the same family. For the four-day French camp, fees are $120+GST, or $96+GST for additional siblings.

Camp Dates
Space Explorers (ages 6-10)
18-22 July
8-12 August

Junior Astronomers (ages 11-13)
25-29 July
15-19 August

French Camp (ages 6 - 13)
2-5 August

The Sky This Month
April 2005

April 2 Last Quarter Moon

Daylight Savings Time begins

April 3 Jupiter at Opposition

April 8 New Moon

April 16 First Quarter Moon

Saturn 5 degrees south of Moon

April 22 Lyrid Meteor Showers Peak

Jupiter less than 1 degree away from the Moon

April 24 Full Moon

All times and dates local to Victoria, BC.

Planets and spring constellations are still filling our skies! Our days are getting longer and longer with the onset of spring and daylight savings time For more information about daylight savings time, please visit the web site of our sister institute, the NRC Institute for National Measurement Standards:

http://inms-ienm.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/

Go outside around 9:30 p.m. once the Sun has completely set for stargazing. The two kings of our solar system are dominating the southern skies: Jupiter in the southeast and Saturn in the southwest. Both planets shine brightly and will not twinkle as much as the stars around them. In the west, constellations we have been enjoying all winter are just above the horizon. Look for the V-shaped head of Taurus the bull next to Orion, a large hourglass grouping of stars.

Look to the east to find Leo, the lion. A large backwards "question mark" is the head of the lion. Just to the left of Leo, you will find the Big Dipper standing on its handle high in the northeast. Use the curve of the handle to "arc to Arcturus" a beautiful orange star in the east. Arcturus sits in the constellation Boötes, the herdsman. From Arcturus, you can "spike down to Spica", a brilliant blue star in the constellation Virgo. Also, look for the "E" of Cassiopeia just off the horizon in the northwest.

Throughout the year we are treated to many meteor showers when the Earth passes through different trails of comet dust. Most people are familiar with the Perseid meteor showers in August and the Leonid meteor showers in November, but April has its own light show. Although not as prolific as some of the showers throughout the year, the Lyrids offer a nice show in which we may see 10 to 20 "shooting stars" per hour. To view the Lyrids, head outside late on the 21st (or early on the 22nd) to a dark, open site. Lie on the ground with your feet pointed towards the East. Most of the meteors will be radiating from Lyra, a constellation that contains the bright star Vega. For more information, please visit:

http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/meteors/article_558_1.asp
 

Eric Chisholm | Tel/Tél: (250) 363-6024 | Fax: (250) 363-0008
eric.chisholm@nrc.ca
Manager | Animatrice | Centre of the Universe | Centre de l’Universe
National Research Council Canada | 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria BC V9E 2E7 Conseil national de recherches Canada | 5071, chemin West Saanich, Victoria (C.-B.) V9E 2E7 Government of Canada | Gouvernement du Canada
 

Dominion Astrophysical Observatory
1.8-metre Plaskett Telescope

Planning for the construction of this telescope was initiated in 1910 by John Stanley Plaskett, who also performed most of the design work. Grinding and polishing of the optics in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by John Brashear started in 1914 and was completed in 1918. Work on the mechanical components of the telescope and dome in Cleveland, Ohio, began in 1915 and was completed in 1916. Upgrades to its instruments and detectors in recent years have increased its sensitivity by a factor of about 10,000 over its original capabilities.

The Plaskett telescope is 15 metres in length and the moving parts of the telescope weigh 42 tonnes. The telescope can perform optical and near infrared imaging as well as spectroscopy (study of the rainbows of the stars).

The telescope was originally built to study the motions of stars through the use of its spectrograph, for the purpose of studying the structure of the Milky Way and the masses of stars, but is now used for a wide variety of projects. Early studies of stellar motions led to the discovery of one of the most massive stars known, Plaskett’s Star, and showed the orbital motion of our solar system about the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy. Understanding of the orbital motion of the solar system, combined with studies using the telescope estimating the amount of interstellar material, led to size and mass estimates for the Milky Way.

Nowadays, the telescope is used to determine the orbits of comets and asteroids, study the nature of stars, learn more about distant objects like quasars and galaxies, and carry out many other research projects.

The NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics (NRC-HIA) is headquartered on the grounds of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory near Victoria, British Columbia. This site, on scenic Little Saanich Mountain, is also home to NRC-HIA’s interpretative centre, the Centre of the Universe.

The main buildings are located approximately 2 km uphill from Highway 17A (West Saanich Road), on the northern outskirts of Victoria.

From the VICTORIA International Airport

• Follow the signs from the Airport to HIGHWAY 17 (VICTORIA)

• Turn RIGHT onto HIGHWAY 17

• Continue on HIGHWAY 17 for 15 km and take the ROYAL OAK DR EXIT

• Turn RIGHT at the lights onto ROYAL OAK DR

• Continue on ROYAL OAK DR and turn RIGHT at the 2nd set of lights onto WEST SAANICH RD

• Continue on WEST SAANICH RD for 3 km

• Turn RIGHT onto OBSERVATORY RD (large NRC sign) and continue 2 km up the hill to the main office

From the BC Ferries Terminal

• Follow the signs from the Ferry Terminal to HIGHWAY 17 (VICTORIA)

• Continue on HIGHWAY 17 for 20 km and take the ROYAL OAK DR EXIT

• Turn RIGHT at the lights onto ROYAL OAK DR

• Continue on ROYAL OAK DR and turn RIGHT at the 2nd set of lights onto WEST SAANICH RD

• Continue on WEST SAANICH RD for 3 km

• Turn RIGHT onto OBSERVATORY RD (large NRC sign) and continue 2 km up the hill to the main office

From Downtown VICTORIA and U.S. Ferries from SEATTLE and PORT ANGELES, WA

• Follow BLANSHARD ST NORTH until it turns into HIGHWAY 17 (VICTORIA)

• Continue on HIGHWAY 17 for 10 km and take the ROYAL OAK DR EXIT

• Turn LEFT at the lights onto ROYAL OAK DR

• Continue on ROYAL OAK DR and turn RIGHT at the 2nd set of lights onto WEST SAANICH RD

• Continue on WEST SAANICH RD for 3 km

• Turn RIGHT onto OBSERVATORY RD (large NRC sign) and continue 2 km up the hill to the main office