Welcome to the Ontario Parks “Eyes on the Skies” series. This space (<– see what we did there?) will cover a wide range of astronomy topics with a focus on what can be seen from the pristine skies found in our provincial parks. July has finally arrived. Summer is the perfect time to escape the … Continue reading Eyes on the skies — July
Today’s post is a polite rant from Quetico Provincial Park’s Librarian Jill Sorensen. We seem to constantly hear about expedition-style trips. Grunt narratives where people have broken speed records, paddled the longest distances, or have been “the first” to complete a route. The blisters. The sleep deprivation. The endurance. And that is fine. I have … Continue reading The measure of a canoe trip
On a clear dark summer or winter night, you can see a cloudy band of light traversing the sky. This light is known as the Milky Way. The Milky Way actually has nothing to do with dairy. Instead, it’s the term for the light of hundreds of millions of stars that are so far away … Continue reading The Milky Way Galaxy
Stars as seen in midnight’s gaze Stars shining upon shoreline’s haze Guiding us, teaching us with stories manifold About ourselves, stars speak, from birth till old. Their permanence ties us to days gone by But to hide their secrets, they still do try To gaze upon them brings dreams of futures bright But to see … Continue reading Do the skies need our protection?
Welcome to the Ontario Parks “Eyes on the Skies” series. This space (see what we did there?) will cover a wide range of astronomy topics with a focus on what can be seen from the pristine skies found in our provincial parks. March is one of the most glorious months to be camping, or even … Continue reading Eyes on the skies – March
For thousands of years, humans have looked up at the stars. The stars helped them try to understand their purpose, and the role they play in our lives. To help memorize the different stars, patterns of connect-the-dot figures were created by many different cultures. Today, we recognize 88 official patterns or “constellations” of stars. In … Continue reading Featured constellation: Leo the Lion
For thousands of years, humans have looked up at the stars. The stars helped them try to understand their purpose, and the role they play in our lives. To help memorize the different stars, patterns of connect-the-dot figures were created by many different cultures. Today, we recognize 88 official patterns or “constellations” of stars. Today … Continue reading Featured constellation: Orion
In the first three posts in this series (Part 1 – Origins, Part 2 – The Formation of Stars, and Part 3 – Planets and the Conditions Necessary for Life), we discussed our origins from the Big Bang to the formation of our solar system and the basic ingredients that allowed life to develop and flourish on our planet. … Continue reading From the Big Bang to beyond: the astronomical origins of the universe – part 4
Welcome to the Ontario Parks “Eyes on the Skies” series. This will cover a wide range of astronomy topics with a focus on what can be seen from the pristine skies found in our provincial parks. December brings some of the darkest skies of the year. Take advantage of this great opportunity to go out … Continue reading Eyes on the skies — December
Boo! The scariest night of the year is almost upon us. As we celebrate Halloween with costumes, trick-or-treating, and plenty of scares, let’s take a look at the history behind this spooky day.
