The Dufferin Astronomy Association
Serving: Shelburne, Orangeville, Grand Valley, Dundalk and surounding areas.
Latest News
Comet NEOWISE
This summer stargazers are receiving an unexpected treat. After two comets earlier this year failed to live up to expectations, comet C/2020 F3 Neowise is now visible to the unaided eye and climbing in the evening sky.
Jupiter and Saturn Reach Opposition in July
The solar system's two largest planets are visible this summer. Both planets are close to each other in the night sky and reach opposition in mid July.
Mars is Coming
2020 is an opposition year for the red planet. The planet will reach opposition in October but the planet's disk will be large enough by July for surface details to be visible in backyard telescopes.
Did You Know
That on the evening of August 13, 1904 a massive meteor streaked across the skies of Southern Ontario and crashed 5kms north of Shelburne. Several fragmets were recovered. The Shelburne Meteorite remains one of the most famous in Canadian history.
Deep Sky Videos
These guys have done an excellent series of astronomy videos and posted them to utube. In particular they have a series on the Messier Catalogue and done tours of the largest telescopes on the Planet. Just a wealth of information here.
Free Sky Maps
Want to know what is observable tonight, or are you planning your monthly observing schedule? If so, this resource may be of benefit to you.
Girl Guides of Canada
The Dufferin Astronomy Association was pleased to attend at Camp Ma-Kee-Waa just outside of Orangeville for an Astronomy themed evening. The weather wasn't great but some open clusters were observable through some gaps in the clouds.
Town of Mono "Winterfest"
The Dufferin Astronomy Association was happy to participate again in the Town of Mono's annual Winterfest program. This event highlights services and community organizations along with a day program of activities for children.
Dufferin Country Museum and Archives
The Dufferin Astronomy Association extends its thanks to the Dufferin Museum and Archives for having the DAA host a night of stargazing at the museum. Saturn, Mars and a waxing moon were all on prime display for attendees who took in views through member's telescopes.
Fiddlehead Care Farm
The Dufferin Astronomy Association was very happy to participate in Fiddlehead Care Farm's Fiddlehead Fest. This was an opportunity for children and their parents to learn about objects visible this time of year in a backyard telescope. They also learned about meteorites and got to take some meteorite samples home with them. Club members brought their telescopes and the gasps and "wows" we heard at the eyepiece as participants had an opportunity to view objects including the moon and Jupiter made it a rewarding experience for everyone.
Upper Credit Field Naturalists
Thank you to the Upper Credit Field Naturalists for inviting the Dufferin Astronomy Association to its April meeting to discuss the club and upcoming astronomical events. At the end of the meeting people had an opportunity to observe Jupiter in the parking lot.
York University Tour
The club would like to extend its thanks to the astronomy students at York University who gave club members an excellent tour of the York University Observatory. It was enjoyed by all who attended.
Brownies
Special thanks to the young ladies of 9th Orangeville Brownie Unit who invited us to speak at their March 10th meeting. It was really a lot of fun and the level of knowledge already in place was impressive. These young people already knew the names of all of the planets and most of the constellations.