Sky News - CA (2020-03 & 2020-04)

RASC SPOTLIGHT

Dear SkyNews Readers

From the desk of Chris Gainor, President of

the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

We are living in an amazing era of astronomical discovery and space

exploration, involving telescopes on Earth and in space, and spacecraft that ly

around our solar system.

One of the most gratifying aspects of today’s advances in astronomy and space

exploration is that Canadians and Canadian expertise are often involved.

My home near Victoria, B.C. is only a short drive from the Dominion Astrophysical

Observatory, which employs many of the most capable astronomers on Earth, as

well as experts who have developed the optics for many of today’s most sophisticat-

ed astronomical instruments. Other astronomers from Canada, or those who have

trained in this country, work in all parts of the world.

Canadian instruments have operated on the surface of Mars and lown around

the solar system. Canadians have lived on the International Space Station, which

depends on our own robotic technology, and our astronauts will have a chance to

visit the Moon in the new decade.

Many of the Canadians who are exploring space today were introduced to the

wonders of the universe by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. hat not only

includes RASC members, but those who got their irst glimpse of distant objects

in space through a telescope owned by an RASC member at an RASC event. Some

Canadians even learned about space in a publication, such as this issue of SkyNews.

Amateur astronomers in the RASC have made discoveries of their own, including

comets and supernovae. Many of my friends in the RASC have taken amazing

astrophotos, including some that can be found right here in this magazine.

Enjoy the armchair space exploration contained in this

issue of SkyNews, and then join us as we take out our

eyes and our instruments and use them to venture

beyond the bounds of Earth from Canadian skies.

ERIC WICKHAM

SKYNEWS • MAR/APR 2020