RASC Mississauga Centre

explore the night sky, a four night astronomy course, on a background of the orion nebula and flame and horsehead nebulas

Learn to observe the night sky! (This fills up fast so register ASAP if interested!) theriverwoodconservancy.org/astronomy/

Four sessions, Tuesdays from 7-9pm: March 24, 31, April 7, 14.

$100 for the public, $85 for RASC members. Members, check your email or DM w/ your details for discount code.

explore the night sky, a four night astronomy course, on a background of the orion nebula and flame and horsehead nebulas

Learn to observe the night sky! (This fills up fast so register ASAP if interested!) theriverwoodconservancy.org/astronomy/

Four sessions, Tuesdays from 7-9pm: March 24, 31, April 7, 14.

$100 for the public, $85 for RASC members. Members, check your email or DM w/ your details for discount code.

Because it's been a while, here is an update of my plot on the altitude of the Hubble Space Telescope versus time

Star Data Update:
• Magnitude: 10.108 ± 0.002
• Color: ⬤
• Class: Subdwarf
• Spectral Type: B
• Color Index (B-V): 0.1
• Temperature: 9028K
Observed at: 2026-02-25 16:04:35 UTC
#Astronomy #TCrB

Black-and-white photograph of Molly Reilly seated in the cockpit of an aircraft, turned slightly to her left and looking out the side window. She wears a long-sleeved top and has short, light-colored hair. The instrument panel in front of her is filled with round gauges, switches, and dials, and the control yoke is visible near her right hand. The cockpit ceiling and window frame are visible above and beside her.

Molly Reilly was a trailblazing Canadian pilot. She was the first female Canadian pilot to reach the rank of captain, the first to fly in the Arctic professionally and the first to become a corporate Canadian pilot.
This is her amazing story.

🧵 1/10

Mississauga centre rasc logo seal

Friday February 27, 8-10p.m. is the Mississauga RASC Annual Meeting, Speaker Night, and Awards Presentations!
The speaker is Dr. Lea Hirsch with "Building a Dream Team: UTM Astronomy + RASC Mississauga Centre". Details: mississauga.rasc.ca/event/genera...

p.s. Allan says there will be treats 🍩🍪👀

Star Data Update:
• Magnitude: 11.509 ± 0.025
• Color: ⬤
• Class: Subdwarf
• Spectral Type: B
• Color Index (B-V): 0.1
• Temperature: 9028K
Observed at: 2026-02-06 17:13:21 UTC
#Astronomy #TCrB

NOTICE: Our member Potpourri tonight is cancelled due to weather. Join us on Friday, Feb 27 for our AGM and of course there is another Potpourri meeting scheduled in March!

NOTICE: Our member Potpourri tonight is cancelled due to weather. Join us on Friday, Feb 27 for our AGM and of course there is another Potpourri meeting scheduled in March!

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the Challenger Disaster. Many of us saw it live, and it became a moment that stood out in the memories of all who saw it. This tragic explosion brought on important safety changes that almost certainly saved lives in the future. May they never be forgotten.

LDN 1622: Dark Nebula in Orion apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap26012...
The silhouette of an intriguing dark nebula inhabits this cosmic scene. Lynds' Dark Nebula (LDN) 1622 appears against a faint background of glowing hydrogen gas only visible in long telescopic exposures of the region

SpaceX’s Starlink dodged 300,000 satellite collisions in 2025 The company’s mega-constellation is having to perform a huge number of manoeuvres to prevent a collision in Earth orbit

SpaceX's Starlink dodged 300,000 collisions in 2025.

That's nearly 40 maneuvers per satellite, and it's rising fast – possibly hitting 1 million maneuvers in 2027.

"If they make a mistake, we’re in really big trouble.”

Story by me in @newscientist.com

www.newscientist.com/article/2512...

Black Holes Eating Stellar Shedding Stars shed material as they shine, and today's authors think this may be enough to power X-ray emission from a massive black hole!

From Brandon Pries: Stars shed material as they shine, and today’s authors think this may be enough to power X-ray emission from a massive black hole! ⚛️🔭☄🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/22/m...

And of course you can also hear Mr. Sawyer speak for free in person tonight on the University of Toronto Mississauga campus. Details here: mississauga.rasc.ca/event/robert...

Tomorrow!! It's a free event that will be interesting, so we hope you'll join us. You don't even have to be a member -- just show up :)

Two more days! "...Hugo Award-winning science fiction novelist Robert J. Sawyer will introduce you to intriguing fictional extraterrestrials and share the techniques SF writers use in crafting alien biology and psychology." Details here: mississauga.rasc.ca/event/robert...

Artistic!

Please note there will be no RASC Speakers Night tomorrow.

For more events: https://rascto.ca/events

Clouds. Many clouds.

Uncanny indeed.

Star Data Update:
• Magnitude: 10.229 ± 0.024
• Color: ⬤
• Class: Subdwarf
• Spectral Type: B
• Color Index (B-V): 0.1
• Temperature: 9028K
Observed at: 2026-01-21 15:33:32 UTC
#Astronomy #TCrB

Artemis II is unleashed and on its way to the launch pad. Just incredible.

We love to see it!

Star Data Update:
• Magnitude: 11.596 ± 0.003
• Color: ⬤
• Class: Subdwarf
• Spectral Type: B
• Color Index (B-V): 0.1
• Temperature: 9028K
Observed at: 2026-01-18 01:53:52 UTC
#Astronomy #TCrB

#mississauga folks:

🌟 Potpourri Meeting — This Friday! Free & open to the public 🥳Talks include: the Observer’s Handbook, a Northern Lights story + tabletop Dob review, insights from the Bennu sample return, and resources to help school astronomy clubs thrive. Details here: mississauga.rasc.ca/event/new-me...

We're wishing the ill crew member the very best.

Star Data Update:
• Magnitude: 9.7558 ± 0.0088
• Color: ⬤
• Class: Subdwarf
• Spectral Type: B
• Color Index (B-V): 0.1
• Temperature: 9028K
Observed at: 2026-01-08 19:21:15 UTC
#Astronomy #TCrB

We had a quiescent #aurora last night, and then clouds showed up. :-( #astronomy

Why the discovery of hot gas in young galaxy clusters is exciting Canadian researchers | CBC News A team of international researchers, led by a University of British Columbia astrophysicist, has discovered a young galaxy cluster that was producing hot gas at a rate five times hotter than previousl...

Why the discovery of hot gas between galaxies is exciting Canadian researchers www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... #space #astronomy #physics #science

The ambitious plan to spot habitable moons around giant planets So far, humanity has yet to find its first "exomoon"—a moon orbiting a planet outside of the solar system. But that hasn't been for lack of trying. According to a new paper by Thomas Winterhalder of…

The ambitious plan to spot habitable moons around giant planets. Via @sciencex.physorg #Space #Astrophysics #OrbitalMechanics #Astronomy 🚀 🌌 ☄️ 🛰️

Check out this account tracking T Coronae Borealis, which is due to go nova sometime soon. "Soon" being a relative term, of course.