Saturday, October 19, 7 p.m.
Speaker: Paul Gray
Topic: Dark Nebulae: Observing and Imaging
For over 12 years Paul Gray has observed and recently began imaging
countless dark nebulae. Looking for dark nebulae is about as
disconcerting as fumbling for the light switch in a dark guest room!
Paul will share his knowledge on how to observe and image these dark
silhouettes in the night sky.
Paul has been a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
for 26 years, having joined as a youth. In that time he has been a
member of the Halifax and New Brunswick Centres. He has served as a
member of council in both centres in a number of roles, including
President of the New Brunswick Centre. Now he serves as a member of
the Board of Directors of the national RASC.
For several years in Halifax he was a volunteer speaker at the
Halifax Planetarium. Within the RASC he has been a strong supporter
of public outreach and education. While a member of the New Brunswick
Centre he was a driving force behind the creation of the Mt. Carleton
and Kouchibouguac Dark Sky Preserves, the first in the Atlantic
provinces.
He enjoys spending time under the night sky with his telescopes, both
visually looking for faint fuzzies as well as dark nebulae, and
imaging the sky. His other passion has been hunting for supernovae,
distant, massive stars exploding at the end of their lives. This last
venture has rubbed off on his children, with Nathan and Kathryn both
now searching, Kathryn having found her first in late 2010.
Meeting Place: Avonport, 475 Bluff Road
When you arrive for the MAG meeting:
Use the parking lot at #475, and if that is full, park at my home
next door (#465), not along the Bluff Road. If you do park next door,
there is a new, shorter route from your car to the meeting: a gravel
path that begins beside my garage. After dark, the path has lights
along it. No need to walk on the Bluff Road!