Meetings of Halifax Centre are from 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM on the FIRST SATURDAY of the month (except July and August). There may be exceptions if the date falls on a holiday weekend.

In lieu of face-to-face meetings, we now host Members' Meetings using Zoom. All meetings and special sessions are recorded and are accessible on the RASC Halifax Centre YouTube channel.

December 5, 2020 - RASC December AGM & Members' Meeting

To allow for online voting, only Members and invited special guests will be sent an invitation to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) via our Centre's Announce List. A link to the Zoom meeting will not be provided to the public or RASC members from other Centres.  The agenda for both the AGM and Members' meetings will be circulated prior to the meeting.

When: December 5, 2020
Time: 1:00 PM Atlantic 
Topic: Halifax Centre - AGM & Members Meeting 

Annual General Meeting

  • Board Executive Reports & Auditor
  • Appointed Position & Committee Reports
  • Call for Nominations & Election of the Board of Directors. The slate of nominations to the Board will be provided 10 days before the AGM; additional nominations can be made at the AGM.
Members' Meeting:
  • Members' Photo Montage
  • Special Presentation: Paul Gray 
  • Paul Heath - Food for the Soul 
  • Judy Black - News from the Board
  • Dave Chapman will present the What's up in December?
  • Astro-Chat. Following the Members' Meeting, there will be 60 minutes in which members can stay online for social time. An opportunity to catch up with each other, ask questions, etc. This is informal and this portion of the meeting will not be recorded.

 

 

Members may be found observing at the St. Croix Observatory on almost every clear, dark night. Once a month, we encourage members and their guests to congregate at SCO, at which time new members are particularly welcome. 

Members are advised to sign up to the email discussion list to keep up to date on gatherings of fellow observers.

The viewing field at Nova East

For over 30 years, the RASC Halifax Centre and other local groups have hosted the Nova East Star Party. It was originally established as the camping and observing weekend for the Halifax Centre and has grown to include participants from other astronomy clubs in the Atlantic region, and a number of attendees from the northeastern United States.

All participants come to enjoy dark skies on a weekend near the new Moon phase towards the end of summer. Nova East is held at Smiley's Provincial Park, near Windsor, Nova Scotia. A limiting magnitude of +6 is the norm. 

Nova East registrants have access to all events, including all talks, workshops and presentations, three nights of observing (weather permitting!), the potluck BBQ, the astronomers' breakfasts and the door prizes draw. Nova East Registrants have onsite parking (if camping) or adjacent site parking (if not camping).

In 2019, the RASC Halifax Centre revised the structure and criteria of the astrophotography contest that had traditionally been part of Nova East. There are now 3 categories to enter favourite photos - Deep-Sky, Wide-Field and Solar System. The 2019 winners can be seen here.

 

One of Halifax Centre’s objectives is to stimulate interest and to promote and increase knowledge in astronomy and related sciences. Consequently, members of Halifax Centre are active in promoting astronomy education in Nova Scotia and are proud of the outreach events they hold every year.

The Centre participates in numerous activities throughout the year. For example, if there is an astronomical event, such as an eclipse, the Centre attempts to organize special public sessions for all to enjoy. Every year, our Centre provides Galileo moments (instances of personal astronomical experience or discovery) to more than 4,000 Nova Scotians. It’s wonderful to hear “oh, wow” when someone looks up to see something in our Universe for the first time.

Upcoming Outreach Events:

Future events will be posted when dates are known.

Outreach events, when organized, will be done according to the Nova scotia COVID-19 Guidelines.

If there any questions about outreach, please contact our Outreach Chair.