Star Gazing

Our chances of experiencing the full splendor of the true night sky anywhere near a city are dwindling each year.

More and more school children have never seen the Milky Way, having lived in urban areas all their lives, and constellations that used to consist of dozens of stars now only reveal seven or eight points of light in urban environments, if they are visible at all.

Yet there are places in Canada where you can find the stars of years gone by.

The Wilderness Stargazing section of science.ca is cataloguing the best spots in Canada from which to experience the night sky. Most of these places are in parks and conservation areas accessible to the general public. Many boast hidden treasures that are as much a celebration of the land as the sky above.

There are stories about Canadian star constellations, too. They were told generations ago, not by the ancient Greeks, but by native Canadians. At science.ca we are gathering these tales together, along with hints, tips, and maps, into a guide to enjoy one of Canada's greatest natural resources: our Star Stories.

To learn about astrophotography, we recommend buying the book "Splendors of the Universe: A Practical Guide to Photographing the Night Sky" by Terence Dickinson and Jack Newton. Then get a T ring adapter to mate the camera body to a telescope, which is explained in the book. NOTE: you can't hook a camera up to a jiggly 60mm diameter scope from Radio Shack and get the greatest photo of all time. For anything but constellation photography you need a rock-solid mount and amazing optics. Generally a refractor or Schmidt-Cassegrain style telescope in the 8-12" diameter and $2,000-$3,000 range is needed.