The gate at the bottom of the hill may be closed and the road going up lonely and quiet but the Friends of the DAO are working to reopen our public programs for the Centre of the Universe and the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory.

We would love to put on our Saturday Night Star Parties again and have you join us, but unfortunately we cannot open just yet. So instead we are going ... VIRTUAL.

This summer you won’t need to reserve any tickets, or wait in lines in your cars, or be concerned about the wind or the weather. We are going to bring the programs to you, in the comfort of your home, to be enjoyed at your leisure.


Right: Comet NEOWISE above the Plaskett Dome. Picture courtesy of DAO scientist Dr Hugh Thompson .
Zoom Details
Time: Aug 1, 2020 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 870 8029 4269
Passcode: May1918
Featured Speaker:

David Balam, Plaskett Telescope Observer at the DAO

So Many Comets………So Little Time”

This is the year of numerous and bright comets. I shall describe the more unusual objects passing through the inner solar system in 2020 and the participation of the optical transient survey conducted with the DAO 1.82-m Plaskett telescope and the Canadian Space Agency NEOSSat orbiting telescope.

David D. Balam  is a  Canadian   astronomer  and a research associate with  University of Victoria's  Department of  Physics  and  Astronomy , in  Victoria ,  British Columbia . Specializing in the search for  Near-Earth objects , Balam is one of the world's most prolific contributors to this research;only two astronomers have made more such discoveries than Balam.He is credited with the discovery or co-discovery of more than 600 asteroids, over a thousand extra-galactic  supernovae ,and  novae  in the  galaxy M31 .Balam is also co-credited for the 1997 discovery of  Comet Zhu-Balam .
Also:

  • Welcome to the FDAO Virtual Saturday Night Series
  • What’s New at the FDAO and the DAO
  • Exo Explorations Explanations!
  • Story Time (for young and old)
  • What’s Up in the Sky this summer?
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Thank you for all your support which makes our activities possible!
ENJOY
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