RASC Toronto Centre

04/12/2026

for this week, with worldwide content. Clear skies! (image by NASA Artemis II)

This image of the western hemisphere of the moon that nicely frames Mare Orientale (below centre) was captured by the crew of Artemis II during their flyby on April 6, 2026. The broad expanse of dark material on the moon’s right side is the dark mare region of Oceanus Procellarum that we see from ...

04/05/2026

for this week, with worldwide content. Clear skies! (image by Ron Brecher)

This image taken by Ron Brecher of Guelph, Ontario on March 16, 2019 shows the bright, narrow appearance of the Whale Galaxy (or NGC 4631) at top left and the dimmer Hockey Stick or Crowbar Galaxy (or NGC 4656) at bottom right.These galaxies are about 25 and 30 million light years away from us, resp...

03/29/2026

for this week, with worldwide content. Clear skies! (image by Stellarium) https://astrogeo.ca/the-king-and-queen-hold-court-in-evening-and-viewing-tips-for-the-full-pink-paschal-moon/

03/27/2026

NO-GO for Millennium Square Public Star Party - March 2026 due to strong winds, chilly temperature, and clouds.

We hope for more pleasant conditions on our April 24 date!
Go Jays!

More Info:

2026-03-27       18:00 Millennium Square Public Star Party - March 27 or 28, 2026 (NO-GO for March) No-Go for March the to high winds and clouds. We will try again next month. Join us for an evening of free public stargazing along the north shore of Lake Ontario at Millennium Square. Observe th...

03/26/2026

Binoculars for Beginner Stargazers ✨

Want to explore the night sky before buying a telescope? Start with binoculars! Binoculars are lightweight, easy to use, and great for kids or new observers. They give you a wide-field view, and are perfect for spotting star clusters, bright nebulae, and constellations.

First Objects to Try:
- The Pleiades (Seven Sisters): a bright star cluster in Ta**us, easy to spot and stunning through binoculars.
- Orion Nebula (M42): in Orion’s Sword, a glowing cloud of gas and young stars.
- Beehive Cluster (M44): in Cancer, a tight cluster of sparkling stars.
- The Big Dipper: scan the bowl and handle to practice finding nearby clusters or galaxies.
- Bright planets: Venus, Mars, or Jupiter are easily seen and show more detail through binoculars.

Tips for Success:
✨ Start with 10×50 binoculars - good balance of magnification and field of view
✨ Use a star map or smartphone app to guide you

Sweep slowly and give your eyes time to adapt to the dark. With patience and practice, binoculars will open the door to a lifetime of stargazing!

03/22/2026

for this week, with worldwide content. Clear skies! (image by Bob Franke)

The Beehive Cluster also known as Messier 44 and Praesepe “the Manger” is a large and bright open star cluster in central Cancer that spans more than one degree of the springtime evening sky. It is only about 580 light-years from the sun. More gorgeous images by Bob Franke can be viewed on his w...

03/21/2026

Here are this week's best International Space Station flyovers for Toronto and the GTA. Just look up and see it moving!

As shown above, on Thursday, March 26, 2026 from 8:31 pm to 8:37 pm EDT, the International Space Station will be visible flying high overhead of southern Ontario in an extremely very bright pass, rising from the northwestern horizon to the right of Venus and then flying past the moon and Jupiter and...

03/15/2026

for this week, with worldwide content. Clear skies! (image by Martin Gembec)

This image by Martin Gembec of the Czech Republic shows the rich starfield of the Alpha-Persei Moving Group stars surrounding Mirfak (above centre), the brightest star in Perseus (the Hero). The photograph spans about 3.5 degrees of the sky, nearly filling the view in binoculars. Mirfak is the very....

03/14/2026

Here are this week's best International Space Station flyovers for Toronto and the . Just look up and see it moving!

As shown above, on Monday, March 16, 2026 from 8:15 pm to 8:21 pm EDT, the International Space Station will be visible flying high over southern Ontario in a very bright pass, rising from the western horizon near Venus and then flying close to Polaris before disappearing into Earth’s shadow low in...

03/08/2026

for this week, with worldwide content. Clear skies! (image by Fred Espenak)

This beautiful image of Gemini’s Messier 35 and the smaller, but denser open star cluster NGC 2158 (below right of centre) was captured by “Mr. Eclipse” himself, the late great Fred Espenak. Two more small open clusters shine at the far right – squint to see them! The image spans two thumb w...

03/08/2026

Here are this week's best International Space Station flyovers for Toronto and the GTA. Just look up and see it moving!

As shown above, on Saturday, March 14, 2026 from 8:10 pm to 8:17 pm EDT, the International Space Station will be visible flying high overhead of southern Ontario in an extremely bright pass, rising from the west-southwestern horizon and then flying very close to the very bright star Capella and the....

03/01/2026

for this week, with worldwide content. Clear skies! (image by Michael Watson)

This collage of images of the April 15, 2014 total lunar eclipse was captured and compiled by Michael Watson of Toronto. He has carefully positioned the images to show the southern half of Earth’s round shadow. The moon travels east by about its own diameter every hour. Notice that moon is deeper ...