Medicine Hat Astronomy Club

Tonight saw a conjunction of the Moon and Venus. These pictures were taken from the observatory grounds around 10:30pm.

Thanks to all those that came to the open house on Saturday. The sky was clear and the weather remained very comfortable all evening. We saw Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. Those that stayed later also saw some of the summer's best deep sky objects including the Hercules Cluster and the Ring Nebula. The next open house is scheduled for 11th August. Keep following this page!

Thanks to all the visitors that came to May's open house, and to all the volunteers that helped make it a success. The sky stayed clear and although it didn't get really dark until around 11pm, Venus and Jupiter were visible all evening. Thanks to Larry for this photo of a member and a visitor looking at Venus shortly after sunset.

It's time for another open house! This Saturday, 12th May, from 7:30pm until at least 10pm. The Clear Sky Chart forecast is good with clear skies expected all evening. It can still get cold so please dress warmly (shorts are not recommended!). Again, we will have indoor astronomy crafts for younger children. Admission is free but donations are always appreciated. Summer memberships are still available at $25 for a single or $30 for a family.

We had a really great open house last night. Our first target was Venus, but unfortunately the atmospheric turbulence meant we didn't get the best views. After dark, the wind dropped completely and the sky remained clear all evening. There were about 20 visitors, including two separate parties from Lethbridge. It was a little cold but the furnace and the coffee pot were on in the meeting room so the occasional warm-up break was all it took to get people through. We looked at ...many spectacular objects; The Orion Nebulae (M42 & M43), The Crab Nebula (M1), The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) and other galaxies M65, M66, M81 and M82, open star clusters M35, M36 and M37, and the globular Hercules Cluster (M13). Several people even stayed late enough to see Jupiter and three of its moons. We finally closed the gates at 12:15am. Thanks to all who came and thanks for the generous donations! The next open house is scheduled for 12th May. We can't wait! See more