On Friday, October 2, Parks Canada and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will be designating the Grasslands National Park as a Dark Sky Preserve (DSP).

The ceremony, to be held at 2 pm at the Larson Prairie Dog Town in Grasslands National Park West Block, near Val Marie, Saskatchewan will celebrate our continued commitment to protecting natural areas from the adverse effects of artificial lighting.

Griffith Observatory, in the interest of stimulating the flow of information between scientists, science writers, and the public, proudly announces the sponsorship by Boeing of an annual offering of awards for the best articles in astronomy, astrophysics, and space science.

Awards will be made in March, 2010, for the articles which best communicate to the average reader, material of current or historical interest in astronomy, astrophysics, and space science.

The Herbert C. Pollock Award was established by the Dudley Observatory to honour the long service of Dr. Pollock as a member and past President of the Dudley Observatory Board of Trustees.

Find new instructions on how to access the private areas of the RASC's web services are here https://secure.rasc.ca/rasc/Sign_In.aspx

Rick Stankiewicz of the Peterborough Astronomical Association is creating cover envelopes commemorating IYA2009 and the DDO. If you are interested, see Rick's details at www.peterboroughastronomy.com or contact him directly:

(705) 295-6158 Evening

(705) 755-1807 Day

stankiewiczr @ nexicom . net

RASC Member (Unattached)

"Stars Up! Lights Down! Support light pollution abatement in your community!"

To all RASC members:

I am pleased to announce that the first round of funding for 2010 under the newly formed Public Speaker Programme (PSP) is now available.

Go to http://www.rasc.ca/education/programs.shtml to find the important documents relating to the Public Speaker Programme—Programme outline, Application Procedure, and Application Form.

The first deadline of the year closed 2010 April 15.

Watch for the next advice late in June for the second-half of the year application period.

Light Pollution Abatement Committee (LPAC) Chair Rob Dick was honored to have the LPAC committee approve unanimously the Dark Sky Preserve (DSP) designation for Kejimkujik National Park in southern Nova Scotia.

Link to the CBC announcement and reader discussions.

The Canadian Space Summit is an annual conference that brings together all elements of the Canadian space industry. In addition to displays, booths, and activities, the centerpiece of the Summit are two days of paper sessions covering a wide variety of topics. 2010 marks a year full of achievements, accolades and adventures. For more information visit https://www.css.ca/.

The 2010 GA Organizing Committee from the New Brunswick Centre would like to thank everyone who was able to attend the GA and festivities. The tours had positive feedback and speakers provided a wealth of information.