Date: 30th September, 2022
Location: Locarno Beach
Time: 9PM
Though not completely free of city light, the sands of Locarno Beach had the honour of hosting a flash off-campus observation by the UBC Astronomy Club. Through an APM 140, 8-inch Dobsonian, and a club exec’s personal NP-101, Jupiter, its four Galilean moons, and Saturn were observed spectacularly. Though it was International Observe the Moon Night, the moon had unfortunately set early due to Vancouver’s high latitude.
We briefly looked at Albireo, the fifth-brightest “star” of the Cygnus constellation. Albireo is a special binary star system consisting of the amber-tamboured β Cygni A and blue-hued β Cygni B. A binary star system is a celestial duet, coordinated by the laws of physics, where two stars orbit each other. Astronomers are often unable to confirm the binarity of a system, as their orbital periods range from tens to hundreds of thousands of years.
We are glad to have provided a great opportunity for both passers-by and students to connect over shared love and interest in space!
Approximate turnout: 30