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Posted on: Wednesday January 29, 2025

February is an often-cloudy month in Manitoba, but for those clear nights there are lots of planets to watch, as well as the last chance to spot the winter constellations before they disappear into the longer days of spring.

The planet Jupiter and two of its moons.

The Solar System

Mercury passes behind the Sun from our point of view early in the month, an event known as superior conjunction. It re-appears in the evening sky very late in the month on its way to its best showing of 2025 for northern hemisphere viewers in March.

Venus shines at its brightest this month, dominating the southwestern sky after sunset. In a telescope, Venus shows its crescent phase, which shrinks thinner and thinner as it moves between us and the Sun.

Mars is just past its best last month, but is still bright and easy to find in the southeast after sunset. By 10 p.m. local time it is high in the south, and sets in the west after 5 a.m. Mars forms a triangle with the bright stars Castor and Pollux, and you can see the planet’s orbital motion day by day as this triangle shifts.

Jupiter spends the month very close to the V-shaped star cluster known as the Hyades, which marks the face of Taurus the Bull. The bright reddish star Aldebaran makes a nice colour contrast with Jupiter’s clear white light. The group is high in the south as darkness falls, and is visible for several hours past midnight before setting in the west.

Saturn will finally disappear from view at the end of February, dropping lower and lower into the sunset twilight each day. What is the last day you can spot it with the unaided eye? It will depend on your eyesight, how clear your southwestern horizon is, and how clear the sky is. Saturn will swing behind the Sun and re-emerge into the pre-dawn sky in April.

Uranus and Neptune are both too faint to be easily seen with the unaided eye, although Uranus can be glimpsed as a very faint “star” from a very dark location, and both can be seen in binoculars. The trick is to tell which dot is a planet and which is a background star. An online app like Stellarium can help you track down these challenging targets. Uranus is in the evening sky west of Jupiter and the Pleiades, but Neptune is over near Venus and quickly disappears into the twilight.

Of the dwarf planets, only Ceres is ever bright enough to catch in binoculars, and only at the right time. Unfortunately, this month Ceres is setting soon in bright twilight as it passes behind the sun in late March. The other dwarf planets – Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake – require very large telescopes or imaging to spot.

Sky Calendar for 2025

All times are given in Central Standard Time (UTC-6), the local time for Manitoba. However, most of these events are visible across Canada at the same local time without adjusting for time zones.

Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025 (evening): The thin crescent Moon is very close to Venus in the evening sky. Neptune is just below the Moon but invisible without a telescope.

Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 (evening): The First Quarter Moon approaches the Pleaides star cluster as it did last month, but it doesn’t starts covering (or occulting) stars until it has almost set for Manitobans. Observers farthest west will be able to see the Moon successively cover and uncover dozens of stars over the course of an hour.

Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025 (evening): The waxing gibbous Moon is above Jupiter, forming a ragged line with the bright star Aldebaran at the bottom.

Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025 (evening): The waxing gibbous Moon forms a small triangle with Mars and the two bright stars Castor and Pollux. The moon also occulted (eclipsed) Mars just a few hours before rising in Manitoba, similar to the event last month.

Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025 : Also on this date, Mercury reaches superior conjunction, on the far side (and slightly below) the Sun from our earthly viewpoint.

Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025: Full Moon

Friday, Feb. 14, 2025: The dwarf planet Ceres passes behind the Sun.

Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025: Last Quarter Moon

Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025 (evening): Mercury may become visible in the evening sky beginning on this date. It is *very* low in the southwest after sunset, and sets soon after the Sun. Throughout the rest of February it rises higher and becomes easier to see.

Monday, Feb. 24, 2025: Mercury is beside much fainter Saturn, low in the southwest after sunset. Saturn will likely be invisible without binoculars. Over the next few days Mercury will rise higher while Saturn sinks lower, finally disappearing into the sun’s glare.

Friday, Feb. 27, 2025: New Moon

Saturday, Feb. 28, 2025 (evening): The young crescent Moon joins Mercury, very low in the southwest after sunset. You will need perfectly clear skies and a flat horizon to spot them, and you’ll need to balance the darkening sky against the setting moon. Scan the skies beginning about 6:20 p.m. with binoculars, just above the horizon. This is your best chance this year to spot the thinnest possible crescent Moon.

Northern Lights, Meteors, and other Cool Stuff

People stare up at the northern lights above them.

Outside of the regular events listed above, there are other things we see in the sky that can’t always be predicted in advance.

Aurora borealis, the northern lights, are becoming a more common sight again as the Sun goes through the maximum of its 11-year cycle of activity. Particles from the Sun interact with the Earth’s magnetic field and the high upper atmosphere to create glowing curtains of light around the north (and south) magnetic poles of the planet. Manitoba is well-positioned relative to the north magnetic pole to see these displays often, but they still can’t be forecast very far in advance. A site like Space Weather can provide updates on solar activity and aurora forecasts for the next 48 hours. The best way to see the aurora is to spend a lot of time out under the stars, so that you are there when they occur.,

Random meteors (also known as falling or shooting stars) occur every clear night at the rate of about 5-10 per hour. Most people don’t see them because of light pollution from cities, or because they don’t watch the sky uninterrupted for an hour straight. They happen so quickly that a single glance down at your phone or exposure to light can make you miss one.

Satellites are becoming extremely common sights in the hours after sunset and before dawn. Appearing as a moving star that takes a few minutes to cross the sky, they appear seemingly out of nowhere. These range from the International Space Station and Chinese space station Tianhe, which have people living on them full-time, to remote sensing and spy satellites, to burnt-out rocket parts and dead satellites. These can be predicted in advance (or identified after the fact) using a site like Heavens Above by selecting your location.

Scott Young

Planetarium Astronomer

Scott is the Planetarium Astronomer at the Manitoba Museum, developing astronomy and science programs. He has been an informal science educator for more than thirty years, working in the planetarium and science centre field both at The Manitoba Museum and also at the Alice G. Wallace Planetarium in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Scott is an active amateur astronomer and a past-President of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Manitoba Stories: In the Sky

Astronomy

Wednesday January 29, 2025

Posted on: Monday January 13, 2025

Hello Manitoba Museum friends,

Happiest New Year. I wish you and your loved ones much joy in the year ahead.

I reflected over the winter holidays on the many changes we’ve made at the Museum in recent years. It’s been an intense and intentional period of transformation. In an organization’s life cycle, there are varying periods of operations; steady, growth, or decline. Occasionally, when an organization faces intense internal or external pressures, incremental changes aren’t enough. It must make an evolutionary leap. That’s what we’ve done at the Manitoba Museum over the last few years. We leapt. Our evolutionary leap has meant:

Redefining our raison dêtre – reason for being,
Recognizing, with gratitude and humility, that the ways in which we were operating no longer served our future,
Renewing our vision and calling upon the courage needed to become something significantly different, and
Releasing our grip on what was so that we could become a museum which not only honoured and continuously reexamined the past, but also one that would take meaningful actions to shape the future.

When an evolutionary leap takes place, the organization will either transform and realize a viable future, or it will miss the mark and face possible decline.

The Manitoba Museum bravely chose to change, work which will continue for many years to come. Thankfully, our efforts have been warmly welcomed by our communities, generously supported by donors, enjoyed by Members, and appreciated by partners, collaborators, and co-creators.

An important example of how we’ve changed is the implementation of a very important policy; the Indigenous Complimentary Admission Policy. Since actively promoting this policy in 2021 and working to strengthen our relationships with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, over 60,000 Indigenous visitors have come to the Manitoba Museum to connect and reconnect with their own heritages, histories, artifacts, and stories.

There is perhaps no stronger example of the impact of our efforts to exist in the service of our communities than these new and renewed relationships.

Why is complimentary admission for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples important, you might ask?

I’d like to take a few minutes of your time to answer this question.

Indigenous Complimentary Admission at the Manitoba Museum

In alignment with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the Manitoba Museum proudly offers complimentary admission to all First Nations, Inuit, and Métis visitors. This initiative reflects a deep commitment to reconciliation, cultural revitalization, and the reclamation of knowledge and language.

Reconciliation in Action

The TRC’s Calls to Action urge institutions across Canada to take meaningful steps toward healing and repairing relationships with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. For the Manitoba Museum, providing complimentary access is a tangible response to these calls, embodying the principles of respect, inclusivity, and acknowledgment of the profound contributions of Indigenous cultures and histories.

Similarly, UNDRIP emphasizes the rights of Indigenous peoples to maintain, develop, and share their cultural heritage. By opening its doors to Indigenous visitors at no cost, the Museum acknowledges its role in supporting these rights and creating an environment where Indigenous voices, stories, and traditions can flourish.

Photograph of the Treaty Number 6 handshake medal. A circular medal portraying a representative of England shaking hands with an Indigenous leader. They stand on grassy ground in front of tipis and the rising sun. Text around the edge of the medal reads, “Indian Treaty No. 6 / 1876”.

A Shared Commitment to Cultural Revitalization

The Manitoba Museum recognizes the unique relationship it holds with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. For generations, the Museum has been a repository of artifacts, stories, and histories that bear witness to the vibrant cultures and resilience of Indigenous communities. Indigenous Complimentary Admission strengthens this relationship by actively supporting the practice and revitalization of cultural traditions—past, present, and future. Moreover, complimentary access also acknowledges the Museum’s problematic role in colonialism. The forced removal of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis artifacts, knowledge, and stories in order to fill the collections vaults at museums globally has robbed Indigenous communities of their own cultures. The Manitoba Museum is in the process of conducting a thorough assessment of its collections to determine their provenance – the record of an object’s origins and ownership over time. Repatriation, rematriation, and complimentary access are all steps the Manitoba Museum is taking to right these historic wrongs.

Through access to exhibitions, programming, and educational resources, Indigenous visitors can engage with artifacts and narratives that resonate with their heritage. This access facilitates the transmission of Indigenous histories, languages, oral traditions, ceremonies, technologies, skills, philosophies, writing systems, and literature to current and future generations.

Image: This Treaty No. 6 Medal, first presented to Chief Red Pheasant on Aug. 28, 1876, came to the attention of the Manitoba Museum’s former curator, Katherine Pettipas, in 2002. The medal was acquired by the Museum in 1994 as part of a large donation of over 25,000 artifacts in the Hudson’s Bay Company Museum Collection. Records and oral history indicate that in 1885 an Indian Agent removed it from the possession of Chief Red Pheasant. Pettipas contacted Red Pheasant Cree Nation to initiate the repatriation of the medal to the Community, and in July 2019 Red Pheasant Chief and Council formally requested the repatriation of the medal. Director of Research and Collections, Seema Hollenberg worked with Chief Clint Wuttunee and the Band Council to returned to Red Pheasant Cree Nation, which occurred at Treaty Days on July 3, 2019.

An Anti-Colonial Stance

Providing complimentary admission to Indigenous visitors is more than a policy; it is a conscious anti-colonial act. By challenging barriers to access and welcoming inclusivity, the Museum rejects colonial practices that have historically excluded or marginalized First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities. Instead, it creates opportunities for empowerment and self-determination, affirming the centrality of Indigenous perspectives in understanding Manitoba’s shared history.

A pair of mid-calf high moccasins with floral beadwork. On the shin of the boot are orange flowers with green leaves, and on the top of the foot are red and black flowers with green leaves.

Honouring the Past, Inspiring the Future

The Manitoba Museum’s commitment to Indigenous Complimentary Admission is a step forward in its ongoing journey of reconciliation and partnership with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. It reflects a profound respect for the past and a dedication to inspiring discovery, learning, and connection for generations to come.

This initiative underscores the Museum’s belief in the transformative power of knowledge and the importance of sharing stories that shape our collective identity. By welcoming Indigenous visitors into its spaces, the Museum honours the rich tapestry of cultures and histories that define Manitoba and reaffirms its pledge to uphold the values of reconciliation and respect.

Removing Barriers to Connection

It is vital that the Manitoba Museum continues to remove any and all barriers faced by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in reconnecting with and experiencing their own cultures and histories. As an institution founded on colonial principles, the Museum acknowledges the need for definitive and direct action to change this reality. The Museum also recognizes that many artifacts held within its collection were not always acquired freely, fairly, or with proper compensation. Coercion, oppression, and systemically imposed policies resulting in poverty forced the hands of many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples to engage in trade and commercial relationships that exploited them.

Image © Manitoba Museum, H4-2-527

We cannot change the past, but we are responsible for changing the future. By providing accessible opportunities for cultural engagement and education, the Museum takes responsibility for its role in shaping a more inclusive and equitable future for all.

Thank you for your support as we undertake this important work.

Sincerely,

Dorota Blumczyńska
Manitoba Museum CEO

Is the Manitoba Museum an independent organization?

Yes, the Manitoba Museum is an independent legal entity guided by its mandate, mission, vision, and values in its service to Manitobans. Unlike many museums in other provinces across Canada, the Manitoba Museum is not an arm of the government, nor a department or crown corporation.

The Manitoba Museum is a not-for-profit organization with charitable status. It is governed by a Board of sixteen volunteers who set the organization’s strategic priorities, approve Board policies and procedures, and provide judicious oversight of the Museum’s resources. The Museum is led by CEO Dorota Blumczyńska, who determines day-to-day operations including the implementation of the Complimentary Admissions Policy.

Posted on: Friday January 10, 2025

Image, above: Visitors can experience a cougar and its skeleton up close and can experience the amazing journey of SK10 through maps and trail cam images. Explore the life of cougars through touchable paw prints, scat, and cougar screams and purrs. ©Manitoba Museum

The Manitoba Museum has a brand-new, permanent exhibit, and we invite visitors to pounce on the chance to see this exciting addition to our Museum Galleries. “The Cougar – Manitoba’s Big Cat” is an extraordinarily in-depth look at one of the most enigmatic creatures to roam our province.

“The Cougar – Manitoba’s Big Cat” is unique because it tells the story of one cougar, known as SK-10. In the spring of 2010, a cougar was born in Saskatchewan’s Cypress Hills. When he was just over one year old, he was given an ear tag, labeled SK-10, and fitted with a satellite tracking collar as part of a study by the University of Alberta. This study would reveal his remarkable 10-year journey through the prairies.

Have a staring competition with SK10 while experiencing the travels and lives of cougars in Manitoba. ©Manitoba Museum

Discover the inner workings of a cougar with a close-up look at its skeleton and understand how it is one of Manitoba’s most impressive predators. ©Manitoba Museum

SK-10 was destined to wander, but he traveled farther than any other cougar documented in the study. In just 100 days, he covered an astounding 750 kilometers, roaming through Montana before reaching Moose Mountain in Saskatchewan. His tracking collar malfunctioned that spring, but SK-10’s journey was far from over. From 2016 to 2018, he reappeared, caught on trail cameras in Riding Mountain National Park—a rare park visitor! He had traveled another 300 kilometers, reaching his final stop near Duck Mountain, where, in early February 2020, SK-10 was found accidentally caught in a legal coyote snare. This is where his journey to the Manitoba Museum began.

The Museum partners with Manitoba Wildlife officials and the Assiniboine Park Zoo to study and preserve any accidentally killed cougars. Placing the skin and skeleton in a museum gives the animal a second life of sorts, a lasting legacy by making it available for scientific study to better understand cougars in Manitoba and to tell their story to the public.

The skeleton of SK10 being mounted for exhibit. Each bone sits in a unique cradle that permits removal for later research. ©Manitoba Museum

SK10 arrives at the Museum from the taxidermist in April 2022. There is still a lot of work to get the cougar and its skeleton ready for exhibit. ©Manitoba Museum

The taxidermy mount and skeleton of the cougar are placed in the exhibit through a sealed back door to prevent damage from pests and dirt. ©Manitoba Museum

Because SK-10’s story is so extraordinary, the Manitoba Museum was determined to bring it to visitors as a permanent feature of the Parklands Gallery. “The Cougar – Manitoba’s Big Cat” is an incredible and unique look at the inner-workings of this powerful predator, providing a glimpse of cougar life in Manitoba.

Plan your visit today!

Dr. Randy Mooi

Curator of Zoology

Dr. Mooi received his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Toronto working on the evolutionary history of coral reef fishes. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in the Division of Fishes of the Smithsonian Institution…

Meet Dr. Randy Mooi

However, one “event” that is getting a lot of media attention is completely fake. The January 25 “parade of planets” or “planetary alignment” or whatever it’s being called is a complete fabrication. There is nothing happening on January 25th that isn’t also happening every other day this month, and last month, and for the next couple of months at least. See the “Solar System” section and entry for January 25th in the Sky Calendar for more details.

The red planet Mars shows a tiny white polar ice cap at top, and dark markings on its rusty red plains.

The Solar System

First: no, there is no “grand planetary alignment” or “parade of planets” on January 25th. What’s being claimed on January 25th has been happening every night for a month and will continue for another month – it’s the association with a specific date that is the error. Planets change their position slowly, being visible for weeks or months at a time. Any clear night in January you will be able to spot four planets in the sky plus Earth, and a pair of binoculars will add Uranus and Neptune to that total. Only Mercury will be out of sight from Canadian latitudes. This is NOT uncommon. But once again we see that interest in astronomy makes it the perfect vehicle to attract “clicks” and “likes”.

Anyway, on to reality…

Mercury was visible in the morning sky in December, but it now sinking back into the glare of the Sun. You *might* catch it during the first few days of the month, very low in the southeast just before sunrise.

Venus is putting on its best show of the year for northern hemisphere viewers right now, standing high in the southwest at sunset and blazing brilliantly. It reaches its greatest elongation from the Sun on January 10th, but it will be obvious all month for the first few hours after sunset.

Mars reaches its closest point to Earth this orbit on January 12, appearing bigger and brighter this month than any time since 2022. It’s also in opposition (opposite the Sun in our sky), so it rises in the east as the sun sets in the west, and is visible all night long. Mars is noticeably reddish compared to other nearby stars, a product of its rusty red plains. A telescope can reveal a hint of Mars’ polar ice cap and some dusky marking on the surface, but very steady skies and high magnifications are required. See image at right for a view of Mars in 2020, when it was even better than this year.

Jupiter was in opposition last month, but it’s lost almost none of its luster, standing in the southeast at sunset and rising high into the south by midnight. Alone among the planets, Jupiter will show some detail in a typical pair of binoculars: several tiny “stars” lined up with the bright planet. These are the four largest of Jupiter’s 95 moons. Jupiter in a telescope is a beautiful sight.

Saturn is coming to the end of its period of visibility this time around, shining in the southwest after sunset. Between the 13th and the 23rd, Saturn will sink lower while Venus rises higher, passing Saturn spending time in the same field-of-view of binoculars.

Of the dwarf planets, only Ceres is ever bright enough to catch in binoculars, and only at the right time. January 2025 is not the right time – Ceres is setting soon in bright twilight as it passes behind the sun over the next few months. The other dwarf planets – Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake – require very large telescopes or imaging to spot.

Sky Calendar for 2025

All times are given in Central Standard Time (UTC-6), the local time for Manitoba. However, most of these events are visible across Canada at the same local time without adjusting for time zones.

Friday, Jan 3, 2025 (evening): The waxing crescent Moon is very close to Venus in the evening sky.

Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025 (evening): The crescent Moon is above Saturn in the evening.

Monday, Jan. 6, 2025: First Quarter Moon

Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 (evening): The moon passes through the Pleiades star cluster, occulting many of its stars beginning about 6 p.m. CST. Watch with binoculars to see the Moon’s orbital motion in real time!

Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 (evening): Venus reaches its greatest apparent distance from the Sun, making tonight theoretically the “best” night to see it. (It’s pretty much the same view for a week or more on either side of this date, though.)

Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 (all night): The waxing gibbous Moon is near Jupiter in the sky.

Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025 (evening): Venus begins to pass Saturn in the southwestern sky after sunset. The two planets are visible in the same field of view of typical 7×50 household binoculars. Over the next two weeks, Venus will slowly overtake and pass Saturn, which is slipping west into the sunset. They reach their closest approach on Jan. 18, 2025.

Sunday, Jan 12, 2025: Mars reaches its closest to to Earth for this orbit, almost 243 million km away. Like all planetary events, you won’t notice a difference between today and any other night this month because these distances change very slowly.

Monday, Jan. 13, 2025: The Full Moon eclipses Mars, an uncommon planetary occultation. For Manitoba, the Moon begins to cover Mars at 8:17 p.m. CST, slowly moving over the red planet over the course of about 40 seconds. About an hour later, the Moon uncovers Mars beginning at 9:04 p.m. CST (in Manitoba), again taking about 40 seconds to complete the reveal. Note that these times are different for different locations across Canada; consult a site like In-the-sky.org for local details, but make sure you start observing a few minutes before the predicted times – sometimes sites like these don’t take into account minor details like the elevation above sea level or the slight out-of-roundness of the Earth.

Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025: Mars reaches opposition, the position in the sky opposite our Sun. This and its closest and brightest for the year always occur within a few days of each other, and also mean that the planet is visible all night long.

Friday, Jan. 17, 2025: Mars forms an almost straight line with the stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini. Castor (the top-most star) is a pure white colour, while Pollux is more yellow. Both contrast with Mars-ruddy orange colour. The alignment persists for a day or so after this date as well.

Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025 (evening): Saturn and Venus are at their closest point as they pass each other in the southwestern sky after sunset (see entry for Jan. 11).

Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025: Last Quarter Moon

Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025: Nothing special. Literally, there is no significant difference between the planets this day and on any other day this month. The online stuff you have read about a “cosmic convergence” or “parade of planets” is completely made up. Yes, the planets appear to be in a line as seen from the Earth, but that’s true on every day of every year because the solar system is roughly a plane and we are one of the planets in the plane. It’s like saying that on a certain date, all the cars on the highway will be lined up, with none of them above or below ground level: it’s technically true, but completely meaningless.

Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025: New Moon

Friday, Jan. 31, 2025 (evening): The thin crescent Moon is below Saturn, very low in the southwest after sunset.

Northern Lights, Meteors, and other Cool Stuff

Outside of the regular events listed above, there are other things we see in the sky that can’t always be predicted in advance.

Scott Young

Planetarium Astronomer

Manitoba Stories: In the Sky

Astronomy

Wednesday January 29, 2025

The Sky for February 2025

Astronomy

Tuesday December 31, 2024

The Sky for January 2025

Astronomy

Wednesday November 27, 2024

The Sky for December 2024

Winter nights start early and last long, making them perfect for star watching. Except for the temperature… and the clouds… Catch a clear December night, though…

Posted on: Friday December 20, 2024

Mornings in the Museum sometimes feel like the movie Night at the Museum. I cannot say that I have ever experienced anything coming to life when I am inside an exhibit or diorama, but when my colleagues walk by and see two Conservator’s standing beside a bull moose – I am sure it may seem like that to them! So, what happens before visitors, school and tour groups walk through the gallery doors to immerse themselves in Manitoba’s History? You will most likely see the Conservation department fixing, repairing, or cleaning many of the wonderful displays before everyone arrives.

The Conservation team is responsible for the long-term preservation of all 2.9 million artifacts and specimens in the Museum’s collection. That means that we look after not only what is held in our collection vaults, but also everything that is on display the 52,000 square feet of exhibition space – including the beautiful dioramas. Gallery maintenance is an ongoing daily, monthly, and annual job where we rotate between different exhibitions to make sure they are being preserved in the best possible way.

This maintenance happens in many different forms. It usually involves brushes, vacuums, drills, glass grippers, ladders and scissor lifts! We investigate exhibit cases for pests that may be attracted to eating certain types of objects and remove them from display if they are found.

Image below: Senior Conservator, Carolyn Sirett, vacuuming the exhibits in the HBC gallery.

Blonde haired woman wearing blue jeans and a grey t-shirt. Woman is wearing a grey backpack vacuum and is standing on a large York boat while vacuuming an exhibit display that is inside the boat.

The Conservation team will also carefully go into dioramas to vacuum dust-off furry mammals, wash plants that line the riverbed streams, and repair branches on trees. Perhaps what many visitors may not know is that most of the material in our dioramas are real – yes, the plants and mosses are real. These plant materials have been carefully sourced during fieldwork, pickled in a solution for preservation, and painted to bring back the “living colour” of what it looks like in the natural environment. It is irresistible to reach out and touch these very real pieces of art that are just within arm’s reach, but Conservator’s are big on no – touching! Asking visitors to not handle specimens stems from our passion to preserving history for many visitors to enjoy, and it is also the most challenging part for Conservation department to repair in the galleries.

Woman wearing a green t-shirt and blue jeans is seen unscrewing an exhibit case with an allen key.

Image above: Assistant Conservator Estelle Girard cleaning interior of an Earth History Case.

Next time you visit the Museum, I hope you have a moment to look around at all the amazing pieces on display, and now know that there are folks hidden behind-the-scenes caring for them each morning before you arrive.

Carolyn Sirett

Senior Conservator

Carolyn Sirett received her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Manitoba, Diploma in Cultural Resource Management from the University of Victoria, and Diploma in Collections Conservation and Management…

Meet Carolyn Sirett

Museum Stories: Collections & Conservation

Collections & Conservation

Friday December 20, 2024

Behind the Scenes – A Morning at the Museum

Mornings in the Museum sometimes feel like the movie Night at the Museum. I cannot say that I have ever experienced anything coming to life when I am inside an exhibit or diorama, but when my colleagues walk by…

Collections & Conservation

Tuesday December 3, 2024

Where in the World is Karnac, MB?

We’ve all had the experience of reading something when a word, a name, or a concept piques our curiosity and sets us off on a research quest. This often happens when I am working with…

Collections & Conservation

Thursday October 31, 2024

A Brief Introduction to Natural History Specimens

What do you think of first when you think of a museum specimen? A taxidermy bison? A pinned butterfly? The skeleton of an entire pliosaur? A museum could answer with…

Posted on: Friday December 13, 2024

The Manitoba Museum is a place of discovery, and not only for our visitors! Our Curators travel far and wide to acquire specimens and artifacts for the Museum’s collection. Some of these objects eventually end up on display in our galleries, while others may be significant for scientific research. Some even turn out to be new species.

A large, colourful screen shows animations of a variety of extinct marine life forms. Below the screen are small cases, text, and graphics.

Alongside a large, animated sea scape, you can see a selection of 450-million-year-old fossils of organisms that once inhabited Manitoba in the Earth History Gallery, Ancient Seas Exhibit. ©Manitoba Museum

This past summer, our Curator of Palaeontology and Geology made some spectacular fossil discoveries near Churchill and Grand Rapids, including at least one never-before-seen extinct species. Back at the Museum, these specimens will be carefully prepared under the microscope, removing overlying rock to tease out secrets hidden in stone. Then, they can be studied and shared through publications and exhibits with the scientific community and the public.

These polar bears interrupted us while collecting an important fossil specimen along the coast near Churchill. Fortunately, we were able to enjoy the photo opportunity and return to collect the specimen once the coast was clear. ©Michael Cuggy

A freshly split rock surface showing a specimen of Lunataspis aurora, the oldest known horseshoe crab. The species was first found in northern Manitoba and described by Manitoba Museum researchers and colleagues in 2008. The specimen is about 4 cm long. ©Manitoba Museum/Joseph Moysiuk

Modern horseshoe crabs, Limulus polyphemus, gathering on the shores of Long Island, New York, to reproduce. ©Joseph Moysiuk

Fossil deposits in northern Manitoba are of global scientific significance and Manitoba Museum researchers have been at the forefront in their discovery and study. These fossils are remarkable for their quality of preservation – even traces of soft organisms like jellyfish and seaweeds have been preserved. The rock layers date back to about 450 million years ago, a time long before the dinosaurs when Manitoba was covered by a shallow, tropical sea.

Dr. Joe Moysiuk, Curator of Palaeontology and Geology (front) and a colleague making the discovery of the new sea scorpion. ©Manitoba Museum/Joseph Moysiuk

A new species of eurypterid (sea scorpion) discovered this past summer, showing the head at left and segmented body to the right. So far this is the only specimen known and the largest sea scorpion that has been found in Manitoba. ©Manitoba Museum/Joseph Moysiuk

Few other places in the world preserve such a remarkable record of this time period, and the Manitoba Museum is the only place you can see specimens from these sites on exhibit.

Dr. Joe Moysiuk

Curator of Palaeontology & Geology

Joe Moysiuk recently completed his doctoral dissertation at the University of Toronto and Royal Ontario Museum. His expertise centers on the oldest animal fossils and insights they provide about the evolution…

Meet Dr. Joe Moysiuk

Posted on: Monday December 9, 2024

Charitable giving isn’t about charity, it’s about community.

I often think back to my childhood after we arrived in Canada. It wasn’t quite as expected. Starting over in a new country, not knowing the language, struggling to make ends meet, and not having a community was very hard.

I don’t remember being poor, per se. As a child, I’m not sure I would have understood what that even meant. We had what we had.

What I do remember is how much I loved the times we went swimming at our local pool, how proud my mama was of me when I got a good grade on my English homework, how excited I was to unwrap gifts from under our little tree, and how beautiful the table looked on Christmas Eve when we sat down together to enjoy a delicious feast.

I didn’t know at the time that we only went to the pool when it was free swim time, that the people who stayed after school to help me do my homework were volunteers, that the gifts came from a hamper, and our meal from the food bank.

What I did know, is that my life was made better, easier, and more joyful because of all of those things. Because people like you, who didn’t know my family, gave of their own savings to make sure we felt welcomed, supported, and loved in our new home.

My childhood was enriched by the kindness of strangers.

Fast forward a few decades, and now I understand it all. I’ve spent the majority of my career working in community organizations; I’ve personally witnessed the joys experienced by families who receive help from strangers. And I’ve come to understand that when we give to charities, we’re actually giving to our neighbours, the kids sitting next to our own in class, the families enjoying the local pool, the visitors entering the Manitoba Museum to see their stories honoured.

So when I say, charitable giving isn’t about charity, I mean it, I lived it.

Giving to causes close to our hearts it about extending a warm hand of friendship to others, it’s about reminding them that in their moments of hardship, they are not alone.

This year, I donated to a few community organizations whose work changes lives… those who care for our houseless relatives, help Indigenous women escape violence, encourage new Canadians to rebuild their lives, rescue, rehabilitate, and release wildlife in our beautiful province, and of course to my favourite museum (😉). I gave what I could because every gift makes a difference.

I invite you to join me in giving to our community.

If you would like to support the work the Museum does as a vibrant centre of community connection, research, and learning, you can click here to give. Through the generosity of the Johnston Group, all donations made up until December 31, 2024, will be matched dollar for dollar—up to $20,000. Every donation helps us build a stronger, brighter future for our community and beyond. Thank you for being part of our journey and for supporting the Manitoba Museum’s mission to preserve, educate, and inspire!

Dorota Blumczyńska
Manitoba Museum CEO

P.S. In case I haven’t said it enough, thank you. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way. I will forever be grateful for your kindness.

A smiling child sitting in the interior of the Nonsuch, a wooden sailing vessel.

P.P.S. This is me on the Nonsuch, about a year after we came to Canada. Then and now, I’ve always loved the Manitoba Museum.

Posted on: Tuesday December 3, 2024

We’ve all had the experience of reading something when a word, a name, or a concept piques our curiosity and sets us off on a research quest. This often happens when I am working with human history collections at the Manitoba Museum and regularly inspires my inner ‘Nancy Drew’.

One such search started with a donation mailed from England. About 40 years ago the donor had purchased a box of old cards and letters for a few pence in a second-hand shop. Amongst them was a black-bordered letter sent by Leonard Beer to Mary Thurman in Sheffield England, dated June 1914. Sadly, the letter contained a funeral card for Leonard’s wife Rebecca Annie and their infant daughter Mary. Leonard lived at 499 Inglewood, Karnac, MB. The donor asked if we knew where Karnac was located as he was unable to find it on a map.

A quick search of reference books on Manitoba geographical names didn’t turn up any results, past or present. Fortunately, we live in a world with vast on-line resources at our fingertips. The next step was a quick Google search for Karnac which naturally turned up thousands of hits for the famous Karnak temple complex near Luxor, Egypt. It is not unusual for Manitoba communities to be named for places all around the world.

Illustration of multiple white pillars covered with colourful Ancient Egyptian images.

But what about “Karnac Manitoba”? Far fewer hits this time including a site with a list of WWI soldiers, one of whom gave an address on Parkview St., Karnac. There were also some Free Press classified ads listing a Karnac address.

My next search led me to an on-line library that includes a digitized copy of a 1926 publication titled Distribution for Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The book contains lists of post offices and rail distribution schedules for mail from Fort William. I didn’t find Karnac where it should have been after Kaleval and Kane but before Katrime and Kawende. It was there however, on the “Nixie” List for Manitoba. Nixie was the designation given to post offices that had been closed. Karnac mail was now to be sent via Winnipeg.

Now I knew that Karnac was not a community but the name given to a post office district. On Library and Archives Canada’s web site I came across a feature on postal history with data base of Post Offices and Postmasters. The Karnac post office, located at 1841 Portage Avenue, was opened on May 1, 1913 and operated until June 26, 1923. For the first four years, Ralph R. Magee served as the postmaster. Following his resignation, the position was filled by A.J. Perrie until closing.

Another great resource for researching local history are the annual Henderson directories for the City of Winnipeg. They are a great way to explore changes in older neighbourhoods in the city and perhaps find out who used to live in your house. Our Karnac Post office first appears the 1914 edition. That year, in addition to the main post office at Portage and Garry, there were 32 sub offices and suburban post offices. Most had only a letter or number designation but some like Norwood Grove, Grand Vital and Morse Place survive as neighbourhood names. Others such as Karnac, Dickens or Derry may be less familiar to us today.

The Karnac Post office was located near the corner of Roseberry St. where today you will find the Good Earth Restaurant. The block from Roseberry to College was home to numerous shops including John Watson Co. Grocers at 1849 Portage, while Ralph R. Magee, ran the post office and a drug store next door at 1849-1/2. By 1918 at Harold Harris operated the grocers and Alex J. Perrie was the new druggist and postmaster. According to The History of Pharmacy in Manitoba, 1878-1953 Percy Braund opened the first pharmacy in St. James at the corner of Roseberry and Portage in 1910. Ralph Magee was the first manager and he purchased the business in 1913. He was succeeded by Alex. J. Perrie ran Perrie’s Pharmacy until he retired in 1945.

On May 1, 1913 the Winnipeg Free Press had reported that a new post office would be opening in St. James, “in R. Magee’s drug store at the corner of Roseberry street and Portage Avenue”. Known as the Karnac post office, it was intended to serve “all the district lying between Brooklyn and Rutland streets”. This would be the third post office in the area along with the St. James post office and the King Edward at the Winnipeg city limits. Readers were reminded that they should add the proper post office to the address rather than just name and St. James or a street address and ‘city’ in order to avoid a delay in mail reaching its destination. That would explain why our letter writer, Leonard Beer, used Karnac as his return address.

The same article mentioned that “the residents of St. James would like to draw the attention of their Winnipeg correspondents to the fact that letters sent to them require a two-cent stamp as St. James is not in the city” where only a one-cent stamp was needed. Residents of St. James often “have to pay two cents extra before they can receive their mail on account of only a one-cent stamp being on the envelope.” On March 17, 1916 the paper reported a change in policy meant that “all territory adjoining the city has been taken into the Winnipeg postal area.” Postage rates within the city had doubled to 2¢ but the 1¢ surcharge to mail a letter from Winnipeg to Karnac was no longer required. Readers could also look forward to letter carrier delivery in the future.

In the end, a simple question from a donor about an unusual place name led me to some interesting postal and neighbourhood history. Along the trail, I also discovered the Karnac Picture Palace or the Karnac Theatre, not far from the post office at 334 Roseberry and Ness Ave. It appears to have operated from 1915 to 1920. But that will have to be a case for another day.

Nancy Anderson

Collections Management Specialist – Human History

Nancy Anderson holds a B.A. (Hons) in History from the University of Winnipeg, and received her M.A. in Canadian Social History jointly from the University of Winnipeg and University of Manitoba. She has over 30 years experience…

Meet Nancy Anderson

Museum Stories: Collections & Conservation

Collections & Conservation

Friday December 20, 2024

Behind the Scenes – A Morning at the Museum

Collections & Conservation

Tuesday December 3, 2024

Where in the World is Karnac, MB?

We’ve all had the experience of reading something when a word, a name, or a concept piques our curiosity and sets us off on a research quest. This often happens when I am working with…

Collections & Conservation

Thursday October 31, 2024

A Brief Introduction to Natural History Specimens

What do you think of first when you think of a museum specimen? A taxidermy bison? A pinned butterfly? The skeleton of an entire pliosaur? A museum could answer with…

Posted on: Wednesday November 27, 2024

Winter nights start early and last long, making them perfect for star watching. Except for the temperature… and the clouds… Catch a clear December night, though, and you’ll be treated to the brightest stars and planets in the sky.

Comet Updates

The great fall comet, 2023 A3 (Tsuchinshen-ATLAS) has come and (mostly) gone, providing some beautiful views in October and November. It’s still in the evening sky, but only visible with telescopes as it rockets away from the inner solar system.

Another comet, Comet 2024 G3 (ATLAS), was discovered by the same program that helped find 2023A3 – the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS. This comet, a so-called “sun-grazer” will likely get quite bright, but only be visible in the daytime sky and from the southern hemisphere, so that means most Manitobans won’t be able to see it.

The Solar System

Mercury passes between Earth and Sun (and slightly above the Sun as viewed from Earth), so it remains invisible until the second half of December, when it appears low in the southeastern sky just before sunrise. On the morning of December 28, the thin crescent Moon is nearby, next to the reddish star Antares.

Venus spends the month in the evening sky, low in the southwest after sunset. The thin crescent Moon approaches on the 3rd, is nearby on the 4th, and is still close on the 5th, making a nice photo op. It stands a little higher at sunset each night, and sets about three hours after sunset. In a telescope, Venus displays phases like the Moon, and in December it is about 50% illuminated, a tiny half-moon shape at high power.

Mars rises in the northeast about 9pm in early December, and a bit after 7pm by month’s end. By midnight it is high in the south, providing the clearest telescope views. Mars reaches its best next month, its closest point to Earth on this orbit, but it’s worth looking at now.

December 2024 belongs to Jupiter, The giant planet reaches opposition on December 7, 2024, rising at sunset, hitting its highest altitude in the south around local midnight, and not setting until sunrise. Jupiter dominates the evening sky, outshining everything else except Venus and the Moon. A small telescope will reveal some of Jupiter’s banded clouds, while its four largest moons are visible in binoculars as tiny “stars” in a line on either side of the planet.

Saturn is low in the south at sunset, and sets before midnight. The rings are nearly edge-on as seen from Earth, but visible in a telescope with more than about 30x magnification. Saturn edges closer to Venus and the setting sun each night, making it lower and harder to get clear telescopic views.

Sky Calendar for December 2024

Dec. 1 : New Moon

Dec. 4: The thin crescent Moon is below Venus, just after sunset, low in the southwestern sky.

Dec. 5: The thin crescent Moon is to the left of Venus in the southwestern sky, just after sunset.

Dec. 7: Jupiter at opposition, visible all night.

Dec. 7: The crescent Moon is below and to the right of Saturn in the evening sky.

Dec. 8: The First Quarter Moon is to the left of Saturn in the evening sky.

Dec. 13-14: Peak of the Geminid meteor shower. The nearyl-full Moon will reduce the number of meteors seen, but you can still expect 20-40 meteors per hour in late evening and early morning.

Dec. 14: The nearly-full Moon forms a line with Jupiter and the bright star Aldebaran in the eastern sky.

Dec. 15: Full Moon

Dec. 17: The waning gibbous Moon is just above Mars as the pair rises in the East about 7:15 p.m. local time.

Dec. 21: The winter solstice occurs at 4:20 a.m. Central Time, marking the beginning of astronomical winter in the northern hemisphere (and the beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere).

Dec. 22: Last Quarter Moon

Dec. 22-23: The peak of the Ursids meteor shower, which radiate from near the North Star. They only produce a few meteors per hour, though.

Scott Young

Planetarium Astronomer

Scott is the Planetarium Astronomer at the Manitoba Museum, developing astronomy and science programs. He has been an informal science educator for thirty years, working in the planetarium and science centre field both at The Manitoba Museum and also at the Alice G. Wallace Planetarium in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Scott is an active amateur astronomer and a past-President of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Manitoba Stories: In the Sky

Astronomy

Wednesday January 29, 2025

The Sky for February 2025

Astronomy

Tuesday December 31, 2024

The Sky for January 2025

Astronomy

Wednesday November 27, 2024

The Sky for December 2024

Winter nights start early and last long, making them perfect for star watching. Except for the temperature… and the clouds… Catch a clear December night, though…

Posted on: Friday November 8, 2024

First developed in 1974 as the “Urban Gallery,” this visitor favourite has undergone some major changes over the last four years. The gallery was always meant to represent Winnipeg in 1920, when it was Canada’s third largest city. Our goal with the transformation was to introduce more real history to the gallery, populate it more thoroughly, and explore the diversity of Winnipeg’s population at the time.

View down a street in the Winnipeg 1920 Cityscape of the Manitoba Museum. In the left foreground, a storefront identified as the Sing Wo Laundry, a male mannequin irons a shirt.

Ukrainian, Black, Chinese, Métis, and Jewish historical communities are all touched upon, as well as the important events of the 1919 Strike, women’s voting rights, and immigration. New businesses are included, such as the Ukrainian Booksellers, Darbey Taxidermy shop, Foote and James Photography Studio, the Colcleaugh Pharmacy, Strathcona Restaurant, Tribune Newspaper, and A & M Hurtig Furrier. To help bring these stories alive, we’ve included four video projections, three audio stations, twelve new mannequins, and hundreds of new artifacts.

Image: The Sing Wo laundry was once located on Euclid Ave. Discover the stories of hard work and dreams of family during a period of discrimination and Chinese exclusion. ©Manitoba Museum

People love this gallery because there is so much to explore, and it’s completely immersive. That hasn’t changed! You will still discover something new (or old) around every corner.

Here are some fun things to look for the next time you visit: a bizarre bison horn inkwell; a restored version of the 1920 HBC documentary film “Romance of the Far Fur Country”; an engaging discussion about women’s voting rights between Mrs. Garvin and her maid Alma; footage of a busy Portage Avenue filled with cars, trucks, bicycles, and pedestrians, but lacking any stop signs; Winnipeg Tribune grotesques (look up); and Hattie Colcleugh, one of the first female graduates from the Manitoba College of Pharmacy.

Edward Darbey’s Taxidermy shop, once located at 223 Main St., has been recreated and showcases numerous historical taxidermy specimens of the period. ©Manitoba Museum

The Hudson’s Bay Company documentary film “Romance of the Far Fur Country” was premiered at the Allen Theatre in Winnipeg in 1920 (now it’s the Met). We provide a short, edited version as an option, along with all the old Chaplin and Buster Keaton favourites. ©Manitoba Museum

Special thanks to The Manitoba Museum Foundation, the Province of Manitoba (Heritage Grant), and the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund for their support in making these exciting changes possible.

Explore Winnipeg 1920 and more at the Manitoba Museum! Click here to plan your visit today.

Dr. Roland Sawatzky

Curator of History

Roland Sawatzky joined The Manitoba Museum in 2011. He received his B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Winnipeg, M.A. in Anthropology from the University of South Carolina, and Ph.D. in Archaeology…

Meet Dr. Roland Sawatzky