Welcome!

An interesting discussion ensued at a recent meeting about the latest natural disaster in the United States that resulted from Hurricane Katrina. That discussion was about whether or not the people were actually seeing the night skies for the first time? Actually the same could be asked any time that technology is disrupted enough to overcome the modern obsession of lighting up the night. The northeastern US and eastern Canada were plunged into darkness in 2001 and for a few days New Yorkers were treated to something that many had not ever seen, the Milky Way.

In the Okanagan, we are fortunate to have fairly dark skies. A few kilometers from anywhere in Penticton will give you excellent seeing conditions that enable you to view some of the most spectacular objects.

Astronomy is about looking up. It's about seeing the skies as more than just a place with interesting things. Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences, because ordinary people observed the skies and wondered what was there then used those observations. Agriculture flourished because farmers tracked the movement of the sun and moon to determine the best times to plant and harvest. Fisherman understood the relationship of the moon and the tides, while sailors learned to navigate from the position of certain stars making trade between cultures possible.

Ordinary people are always discovering new things about the skies, just ask David Levy who lent his name to a comet he co-discovered. Even the professionals recognize the acheivements of amateurs. The minor planet centre at MIT has hundreds of asteroids mapped by ordinary people. The Okanagan Astronomical Society is dedicated to helping ordinary people to find their love of this wonderful science.

Clear Skies!