For the first time in 10 years, the inside of National Office has been painted. Where once were marked, peach-coloured walls, there is now mocha with white trim! The ceiling and some of the walls in the library and shipping area were included in the face lift.

Jaymie Matthews, member of the Vancouver Centre and Associate Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of British Columbia was appointed to the Order of Canada by Governor General Michaëlle Jean on February 20th. The Society congratulates Mr. Matthews, OC on this honour which was effective October 5, 2006.

The RASC National Library and Archives are winnowing out materials that are deemed surplus. These items are being offered on a priority basis to Centres and members.

A new newsletter is now available from the Coalition for Canadian Astronomy highlighting progress with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the Thirty-Metre Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). [Ed. A cope was formerly available in the CASCA Astronomy News NOV 2006, which is no longer found].

Top 10 Canadian Astronomy Stories of 2011!

Toronto, Canada (January 9, 2012) – The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) and its more than 4,000 members from coast to coast looked back on 2011 and voted on which stories, that were not just newsworthy, but ones which were fundamentally important to Canadian astronomers. Here are the Top Ten Astronomy Stories of 2011 as voted by the RASC members:

Remember IYA2009 and the Mi'kmaq sky story about Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters? Well, Muin is rising again! On 30 December 2011, new members of the Order of Canada were announced. Cheryl Bartlett, who worked closely with Mi’kmaq Elders to bring a significant component of Aboriginal astronomical knowledge into IYA2009 in Canada, was made a member of the Order of Canada.  The full list is at the link below, from which is copied Cheryl’s citation:

2011 was another interesting year in the universe with exoplanets, near-Earth asteroids and sun-grazing comets dominating the astronomy news wire but how was it for you? Personally?

Did you:

• Complete an observing challenge?
• See your first meteor shower, aurorae or eclipse?
• Pass a milestone for astronomical observations or other activities?
• Get some really cool new equipment AND have it work the first time?

Your astronomical Society wants to know and there are prizes!

Andrew Fraknoi, chair of the Foothill College astronomy department is honorary member of the RASC. See the article my clicking here:

https://www.mv-voice.com/news/2011/12/12/foothill-professor-is-an-astronomy-star

This is the first announcement calling for applications for the 2012 Public Speaker Program.

Three Trustees, Hugues Lacombe, Centre francophone de Montréal, Bruce McCurdy, Edmonton Centre, and I will accept and assess applications from Centres or Speakers for travel in the first half of 2012 -- January 1 to June 30.

RASC members can now sign-up directly for our public discussion groups from the new National website. Here is a list of groups that are available:

 

• RASCals - The RASC's informal town hall has been operating continuously since November 1995 and has over 300 members who share the latest interesting astronomy news as well as updates on RASC activities and politics.