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.

Solar Viewing at AVC Open House 2022 – CANCELLED

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UPDATE: This event has been cancelled due to the closure of the UPEI campus as a result of the storm Fiona.

The Department of Physics is going to participate in the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) Open House once again, but this time instead of setting up a table with physics activities indoors, we’re going to bring our solar telescopes.

Our solar telescopes: (left) a hydrogen-alpha telescope, that allows us to observe the sun’s chromosphere by looking at only the red light emitted by excited hydrogen; (right) a white-light “Sunspotter” that projects and image of the sun’s photosphere, allowing us to observe sunspots.

On Saturday, October 1, from 10:00am to 2:00pm, we’ll be set up outside the north end of the AVC building with our hydrogen-alpha and white-light solar telescopes so that you can observe different features of the sun, our nearest star. We’ll also have a few activities related to the sun and sunlight for you to try.

If it’s too cloudy, we won’t be able to view the sun, so we won’t set up anything. However, the rest of the AVC Open House will still be running with lots of fun, interesting activities for people of all ages.

Solar Viewings – August 2022

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UPDATE: August 25 viewing CANCELLED due to cloudy weather

UPDATE: August 18 viewing CANCELLED due to cloudy weather

UPDATE: August 11 viewing CANCELLED due to cloudy weather

We are back for public viewings! It was winter of 2020 that we last had an event at our observatory and August of 2019 when we last had a viewing with our solar telescope. We plan to return to events at the observatory in the fall, but during these long summer days we’ll make use of our solar telescope set up on the ground.

View of H-alpha solar telescope
Our H-alpha solar telescope

For these viewings, we’ll have our hydrogen-alpha solar telescope set up, which will let you view the atmosphere of the sun safely. We’ll also have our new “Sunspotter” telescope set up, which will let you see any sunspots on the sun’s surface via a projected image.

Our new “Sunspotter” telescope projects an image of the sun on to a white screen, showing any sunspots present on the sun’s surface.

We’re tentatively scheduling solar viewings for every Thursday in August, 12-1pm on the UPEI campus. These events are weather dependent, so this post will be updated if we have to cancel due to cloudy weather.

  • August 4 – Successful viewing with over 30 people attending.
  • August 11 – CANCELLED due to cloudy weather
  • August 18 – CANCELLED due to cloudy weather
  • August 25 – CANCELLED due to cloudy weather

The telescope will be set-up outside of the FSDE building. That’s building 30 on the campus map. The nearest parking lot is the MacLauchlan Arena parking lot.

View of the FSDE building.
The solar telescope will be set up outside the main entrance to the FSDE building (the doors opposite the entrance to MacLauchlan Arena).
The solar viewing event will be held outside the entrance of the FSDE building (indicated by orange star on the map). Parking is available in UPEI Lots D & E and the MacLauchlan Arena lot.

The Earl L. Wonnacott Observatory

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This plaque was installed in our observatory to recognize its dedication to the memory of Professor Wonnacott.

The Department of Physics is pleased to announce that our observatory will now be known as The Earl L. Wonnacott Observatory. The naming of the observatory in honour of Professor Wonnacott recognizes his role in establishing the facility and using it to further physics and astronomy education on PEI. Professor Wonnacott’s role in astronomy education at UPEI is described on the “Our History” page of this site.

The fall of 2020 marks 40 years since the first visits of students and members of the public to the observatory and also 1 year since the passing of Earl Wonnacott. The Department of Physics felt that those anniversaries made the fall of 2020 an appropriate time for the dedication. However, due to restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, our planned dedication ceremony has had to be postponed until a time when it can be held safely.

Professor Earl L. Wonnacott stands in front of the observatory structure before it is lifted to the roof of Memorial Hall by crane on January 8, 1980.

We are currently unable to host viewing events at our observatory because of public health measures to stop the spread of COVID-19. It’s not possible for people to keep two metres apart in a building that is only about 2.5 metres in diameter. When social distancing measures and other event restrictions ease and it safe to do so, we will once again welcome visitors to look through the telescope at The Earl L. Wonnacott Observatory.

Until that day arrives, please take a virtual visit to our observatory via a video compiled by CBC Prince Edward Island.