About
2013:
In October 2013, AstroPontiac hosted its first outreach event, Aylmer AstroNight. Over 200 people came out to glimpse through telescopes, speak with exhibitors and hear from our special guest speaker Marc Garneau.
2014:
In June 2014, with generous support from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s Ottawa Centre, we hosted a solar observing session that drew more than 500 visitors. In August and September we also hosted a series of public viewings in Luskville, Quebec right beside the Ottawa River. It was a treat to have a range of visitors, from seasoned astronomers to people looking through a telescope for the first time.
2015:
The National Capital Commission provided us with a wonderful new home at the Luskville Falls entrance of Gatineau Park. With some amazing help from the Regroupement des Astronomes Amateurs de l’Outaouais Québécois, we were able to host a series of evening viewings and a solar viewing that drew over 200 people.
2016:
We hosted another series of evening viewings at Luskville in the late summer and fall. Thanks to some help from our amazing volunteers and Gatineau Park, we had the best attendance rate at our site to date, averaging over thirty visitors per evening.
2017:
| Primary Date | Go / No Go | Back-up Date | Go / No Go |
| Friday, September 15 | Go! | ||
| Friday, September 22 | Go! | ||
| Saturday, October 21 | Go! |
From 8:00 pm to 12:00 midnight, guests are welcome to join us at the Luskville Falls entrance to Gatineau Park to take in the night sky through our volunteers’ telescopes.
2018:
| Date | Event | Go / No Go |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, August 4 | Mars and Co. – Chance to see the planets Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. |
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| Sunday, August 12 | Perseids and planets – Take in the meteors and catch some of the planets visible this summer. |
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| Saturday, September 8 | Deep space – Explore double stars, globular clusters and other phenomena |
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| Friday, September 14 | The crescent moon – Hunt for Earthshine and striking craters. |
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| Saturday, September 15 | The crescent moon – Hunt for Earthshine and striking craters. |
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| Saturday, October 13 | Star Party! -Join us for a gathering of volunteer amateur astronomers offering views through their telescopes. |
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2019:
| Exploring Cassiopeia and its neighbourhoodDate | Event | Go / No Go |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, May 31 / Saturday, June 1 | Cancelled | May 31 — NO GO |
| June 1 — NO GO | ||
| Friday, June 28 / Saturday, June 29 | Come see Jupiter and explore the Great Bear | June 28 — NO GO |
| June 29 — NO GO | ||
| Friday, July 5 / Saturday, July 6 | Learn about the life of a star | July 5 — NO GO |
| July 6 — GO | ||
| Friday, July 26 / Saturday, July 27 | Join us to check out Saturn and the Summer Triangle | July 26 — GO |
| July 27 — NO GO | ||
| Friday, August 2 / Saturday, August 3 | Exploring Cassiopeia and its neighbourhood | August 2 — GO |
| August 3 — NO GO | ||
| Friday, August 23 / Saturday, August 24 | Is there a teapot at the centre of our galaxy? | August 23 — GO |
| August 24 — GO | ||
| Friday, August 30 / Saturday, August 31 | Double stars and star clusters | August 30 — CANCELLED |
| August 31 — GO | ||
| Saturday, September 21 | Stories in the sky | September 21 — GO |
| Friday, September 27 / Saturday, September 28 | Asterisms — Easy to find signposts in the sky | September 27 — NO GO |
| September 28 — NO GO |