Category Archives: Astronomy

The early evening sky in February reveals the constellations of winter: Orion stands in the southeast, his belt of three stars unmistakable, while overhead the familiar “W”-shape of Cassiopeia may look more like a letter “M” if you are facing north. There are many bright stars and star clusters scattered across the sky at this time of year, and you’ll discover many beautiful sights by scanning the sky with binoculars…

Beginning March 7th, Comet PANSTARRS will become visible in the evening sky for observers in Manitoba. This is a cool chance to see a comet, those mysterious visitors from the ragged edge of the solar system that occasionally grace our skies. But, you’ll need a pair of binoculars (and clear skies) for the best view. What is Comet PANSTARRS? It’s a small chunk of ice only a few kilometers in diameter that is in a long, oval-shaped…

On August 23 at about 9:35PM, a bright fireball was seen across southern Manitoba and several U.S. States. We are colelcting reports of the object to determine where it came from and also where any pieces might have landed. If you say this object, please email us at [email protected] with the details. Please include the following information: * where you were when you saw it; * the direction you were…

Yet another August has brought yet another rendition of the Great Mars Hoax. A viral email telling people Mars would be as big as the Moon on August 27th derailed several days of work while I answered hordes of  public inquiries about what would be seen. (Short answer: nothing.) Don’t get me wrong, I love answering questions from the public. It’s a chance to interact one-on-one with people interested in science…