Solar Viewings – Summer 2023

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We will be once again holding viewings of the sun with our solar telescopes this summer. We will hold events on the following dates (every second Tuesday) from 12:00-1:30pm.

  • July 11 CANCELLED DUE TO CLOUDY WEATHER
  • July 25 – attended by over 40 people!
  • August 8 CANCELLED DUE TO CLOUDY WEATHER
  • August 22 – attended by over 30 people, and the clouds mostly held off until the end of the event.

If it’s too cloudy to see the sun, then we will have to cancel the event. This post will be updated in the event of any cancellations.

We’re going to try something new this year. In addition to using our ground-based hydrogen-alpha telescope to view the sun’s atmosphere, we’re also going to make use of our new(ish) white-light solar filter for our observatory telescope. This means that visitors to our event will get to view the sun in two different ways and also get to go inside the rooftop Earl L. Wonnacott Observatory.

The meeting location for this event will be the grassy area between Memorial Hall and Robertson Library (see campus map below). There you’ll find one telescope set up and we’ll direct you on how to find your way to the observatory when space is available. (Due to the observatory’s small size, we have to control how many people can go into it at once.)

The event will be held between Memorial Hall (building 9) and Robertson Library (building 15) and is marked with a yellow star on the campus map above. Parking is available in campus lots A, (ungated) B, D, and the MacLauchlan Arena lot.

Accessibility: To reach our observatory, you must be able to climb stairs, because the building’s elevator can’t take people beyond the fourth floor, and the observatory is a storey above that. However, our ground-based telescope is accessible for people with limited mobility.

December 21, 2022 Public Viewing – CANCELLED

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UPDATE (10:45AM, Dec 21): The forecast this evening looks like it will be more cloudy than not, so we are cancelling this viewing. We will try again in 2023 at a date to be determined.

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We will mark the winter solstice and the longest night by having a viewing at our observatory on Wednesday, December 21 from 7:00-9:00pm (weather permitting). Everyone is welcome to drop by to have a look through our telescope in the Earl L. Wonnacott Observatory.

The meeting spot for this event is room 417 of Memorial Hall (get directions and parking information). Depending on how many people are attending, you may have to wait a bit for your turn to go up to the telescope. We’ll have some activities and information available to entertain you while you wait.

Please note that masks will be required for this event. UPEI currently requires masks to be worn in instructional spaces unless physical distancing of at least 2 metres can be maintained. Because the observatory is only about 2 metres in diameter, masks must be worn inside it. Masks must also be worn in Memorial Hall room 417 unless you are physically-distanced from other attendees.

To access the observatory, it is necessary to be able to climb a set of stairs over one storey in height.

The observatory is unheated, so bring clothing that is warm enough to permit you to stand in outdoor temperatures for at least 20 minutes. (The waiting room is indoors and heated.)

If the sky is cloudy on the night of the event, the viewing may have to be cancelled. This post will be updated if there are any changes to the event status.

November 24, 2022 Public Viewing

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UPDATE (12pm Nov 24): The sky will be clear tonight so this viewing is going ahead! We’ll be short a helper this evening, so when you arrive in our waiting room, there may not be a member of the Physics Department there to greet you because they’ll be up in the observatory. But you can take a seat and someone will be down to guide you up to the observatory when they’re ready for the next group.

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We are going to try our luck with the weather for the second time this month and see if we can manage to have a viewing. We will hold a public viewing from 7:00-9:00pm on Thursday, November 24 (weather permitting). Everyone is welcome to drop by to have a look through our telescope in the Earl L. Wonnacott Observatory. The Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will be in the sky that night, so those are likely some of the objects that we will look at.

The meeting spot for this event is room 417 of Memorial Hall (get directions and parking information). Depending on how many people are attending, you may have to wait a bit for your turn to go up to the telescope. We’ll have some activities and information available to entertain you while you wait.

Please note that masks will be required for this event. UPEI currently requires masks to be worn in instructional spaces unless physical distancing of at least 2 metres can be maintained. Because the observatory is only about 2 metres in diameter, masks must be worn inside it. Masks must also be worn in Memorial Hall room 417 unless you are physically-distanced from other attendees.

To access the observatory, it is necessary to be able to climb a set of stairs over one storey in height.

The observatory is unheated, so bring clothing that is warm enough to permit you to stand in outdoor temperatures for at least 20 minutes. (The waiting room is indoors and heated.)

If the sky is cloudy on the night of the event, the viewing may have to be cancelled. This post will be updated if there are any changes to the event status.

Total Lunar Eclipse – November 8, 2022

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There will be a total lunar eclipse early tomorrow morning. The forecasts for that time are currently mixed, so we may just have to wait until tomorrow morning to see how cloudy it will be.

Check out this link to watch a simulation of what the eclipse will look like from PEI: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/canada/charlottetown

Screenshot of TimeAndDate.com showing the simulation view of the total lunar eclipse.

You’ll start to see the Earth’s shadow move across the Moon at 5:10am. By 6:16am, the Moon will be completely in the shadow and appear dark with a tint of red. The Moon ill still look that way when it moves below our horizon at just after 7am.

The Moon will be low in the western sky early tomorrow morning, so if you want to view the eclipse you’ll need an unobstructed view to the west.

November 10, 2022 Public Viewing – CANCELLED

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UPDATE (6:45am Nov 10): The forecast for tonight is cloudy, so this viewing will have to be cancelled.

We are pleased to announce our first public event in our observatory since the pandemic began! We will hold a public viewing from 7:00-9:00pm on Thursday, November 10 (weather permitting). Everyone is welcome to drop by to have a look through our telescope in the Earl L. Wonnacott Observatory. The Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn will be in the sky that night, so those are likely the objects that we will look at.

The meeting spot for this event is room 417 of Memorial Hall (get directions and parking information). Depending on how many people are attending, you may have to wait a bit for your turn to go up to the telescope.

Please note that masks will be required for this event. UPEI currently requires masks to be worn in instructional spaces unless physical distancing of at least 2 metres can be maintained. Because the observatory is only about 2 metres in diameter, masks must be worn inside it. Masks must also be worn in Memorial Hall room 417 unless you are physically-distanced from other attendees.

To access the observatory, it is necessary to be able to climb a set of stairs over one storey in height.

The observatory is unheated, so bring clothing that is warm enough to permit you to stand in outdoor temperatures for at least 20 minutes. (The waiting room is indoors and heated.)

If the sky is cloudy on the night of the event, the viewing may have to be cancelled. This post will be updated if there are any changes to the event status.