Are you interested in learning about astronomy and getting involved in your community at the same time? Or do you have astronomy knowledge or skills that you can share with our Island communities? If so, please join our network our new Community Astronomy Network (by filling out this form).

If you can volunteer a bit of your time, it will help support astronomy activities on PEI, including:

• the Library Telescope Program,
• the Scopes for Schools Program,
• UPEI’s public telescope viewings and astronomy outreach.

Some of these programs are spreading out across the Island which is wonderful, but it does make it more challenging for Physics Department staff to provide regular support.

By joining the network, you will be contacted about volunteer opportunities that match your interests and location. You will be under no obligation to accept volunteer roles that are offered to you. If you need to gain knowledge or skills in order to fulfill volunteer roles, we will try to match you up with others who can help you learn.

(Note: individual institutions like schools may require additional screening for volunteers before they can participate in activities; that will have to be worked out between the institution and the volunteer as needed.)

Community Astronomy Network sign-up form

UPDATE 3 (Wed. Nov. 2, 4:30PM): Oh my! Still cloudy today, so we have to cancel this viewing, although it wasn’t for the lack of trying!

Information on our next regular viewing (Nov. 19) will be posted later this week; we hope for better weather then!

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UPDATE 2 (Wed. Oct. 26, 3:50PM): It’s once again cloudy with a chance of showers tonight, we will postpone again until Wednesday, Nov. 2 from 7:00-9:00PM.

Our “waiting room” (Memorial Hall 417) is in use by a class until 8:00PM Wednesday, so if you come to the viewing before 8PM, please come up to the top of the stairs beyond the 4th floor (there will be someone around to direct you just in case).

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UPDATE 1 (Mon. Oct. 24, 5PM): It’s cloudy with a chance of showers tonight, so we have to postpone our viewing until Wednesday, Oct. 26 from 7:00-9:00PM.

Our “waiting room” (Memorial Hall 417) is in use by a class until 8:00PM Wednesday, so if you come to the viewing before 8PM, please come up to the top of the stairs beyond the 4th floor (there will be someone around to direct you just in case).

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We’re holding a telescope viewing for students in the astronomy course at the Seniors College of PEI and we thought we’d open up the viewing to members of the public who would also like to attend.

The viewing will be from 7:00-9:00PM on Monday, October 24. We anticipate that the wait to go up to the telescope will be longer in the earlier part of the session as there will 15 to 20 astronomy students attending.

Our observatory is on the rooftop of UPEI’s Memorial Hall, but we ask that you come first to room 417 to wait for your turn to go up to the telescope. It is necessary to climb a flight of stairs to reach the telescope, but the elevator can be taken up to the waiting room.

In the evening hours, campus parking lots are free, with parking lots B and C being the nearest lots to Memorial Hall.

If the weather is cloudy, the event will have to be cancelled. Our back-up date is Wednesday, October 26, from 7:00PM to 9:00PM.

In support of providing telescopes to local public libraries, the Sidewalk Astronomers of Charlottetown are organizing a telescope sale and raffle. If you’re interested in getting a telescope of your own, you can buy a 8″ Dobsonian telescope (pictured above) for a special price of $425 (HST and shipping included). Or you can buy a raffle ticket for a chance to win a telescope. These telescopes are a larger version of the easy-to-use 6″ telescopes that are available to borrow from the Charlottetown public library.

If you have questions or are interested in purchasing a telescope or raffle ticket, contact Keith as soon as possible.

UPDATE (4:10PM Oct. 12): With the forecast calling for the clouds to stay until late tonight, the observation conditions don’t look good so the viewing is cancelled.

We’re going to look into possibly booking another viewing in the next few weeks; so please check this site for a post on that later this week.

UPDATE (5:30PM Oct. 8): The sky has clouded over and it’s supposed to get cloudier, so we have to cancel the viewing. We will try again at our back-up date of Wednesday, October 12 from 8:00-9:30PM.

2016 International Observe the Moon Night (IOMN) is Saturday, October 8 so we will hold a public viewing at our observatory from 8:00PM to 9:30PM.

Our observatory is on the rooftop of UPEI’s Memorial Hall, but we ask that you come first to room 417 to wait for your turn to go up to the telescope. Volunteers from local astronomy groups and UPEI Physics will have information about the Moon and answer any questions for you while you wait.

It is necessary to climb a flight of stairs to reach the telescope, but the elevator can be taken up to the waiting room.

In the evening hours, campus parking lots are free, with parking lots B and C being the nearest lots to Memorial Hall.

If the weather is cloudy and we cannot view the Moon, the event will have to be cancelled. Our back-up date is Wednesday, October 12, from 8:00PM to 9:30PM.

On Saturday, September 17 from 12:00-2:00PM, we’ll be viewing the surface features of the Sun through an H-alpha filter using our solar telescope. You’ll find the telescope set up in UPEI Parking Lot A across from the Farmers’ Market (see campus map here).

If the Sun’s behind clouds, we won’t be able to view it, so check this post or the Twitter feed nearer to the viewing date for the event status.