Nice day for a walk

It's ironic, given that title, that I haven't had time to get out of the office today. Yesterday, though, I went out for a while to see if I could find spring. These photos won't look especially springy considering all the snow that's still out there, but the melted-out tracks show that it's coming.

I caught a glimpse of one of last year's Red-wing Blackbird nests amongst the cattails on the West Gaetz Lake. It seems hard to believe, but it won't be too long before the blackbirds are back at our feeders.

The Nature Nursery kids were having some fun playing on the snow pile beside our staff parking lot.

If you look closely at the centre of this shot, you'll see the hole in the lake ice amidst the tracks.

When there are lots of Waxwings around the trees almost look decorated. How many can you find in this picture? I see four, but there may be more than that.

This isn't a Sanctuary photo (obviously), but it is a reminder that it's worth looking up at night even in the city. Last night from my balcony I was able to find the constellations Orion (to the left, with the line of three stars for his belt) and Taurus (the v-shaped Hyades cluster as the bull's head, the two "horn" stars above, and to the far right the Pleiades cluster that makes the bull's shoulder). The bright "star" above the Hyades -- the brightest thing in the shot -- is actually the planet Jupiter. This was taken after 9:30 pm looking WSW. Why not try having a look for yourself on our next clear night?

Our next Family Planetarium show isn't until April 14th, but if you're looking for some fun before then don't forget about our Easter Spring Fling on (oddly enough) Easter Sunday. There are crafts, activities, prizes and a nature egg hunt. It goes from 1 - 4 pm on March 31. Give us a call at 403-346-2010 for more information.

A bit of the birds and bees for spring...

Public Programming has been given a rare opportunity this year. No, not an early spring (at least not by all the snow I still see around), but the chance to let loose a little, get a little naughty, and host a sure-to-be-entertaining adults only planetarium and mixer! It's called "Diabolical Deities: A Night of Murder, Lust, and Mayhem" and we're having it here at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre on Saturday, April 16, 2011, from 8 to 10 p.m. Costs are $20+gst/members and $23+gst/non-members. Paid pre-registration is required (due to planetarium size). There are only 15 spots left: you can drop in to the Nature Centre or call 403-346-2010 to reserve yours today! Diabolical Deities is sure to be a great night out for you and your fun-loving friends: wine, greek-themed food to go with the uncensored Greek myth star stories, costumed hosts, and togas are encouraged! See you there!

Look waaay up...

For those interested in the night skies, remember that there is a total lunar eclipse coming up on December 21st. The forecast right now says that we're to expect a clear, if chilly, night, so hopefully we'll have some good viewing.

The eclipse lasts for about 72 minutes, with the partial eclipse starting at 11:33 pm and mid-eclipse hitting at 1:17 am. There's no special equipment needed to view a lunar eclipse; just dress warmly, find a dark spot to watch the sky from, and look for the moon.

For more information, check out NASA's eclipse page.

Night sky over Red Deer

Admittedly this isn't the most spectacular night photography ever seen, but it's not bad for an autofocus camera snapshot from an apartment balcony. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you should see a bright "star" and the crescent moon. The star is actually the planet Venus, and it can be easily seen in the early evening sky if you look towards the south.

The photo was taken on December 30th at about 5:45 pm. Right now the moon is waxing (heading towards full moon on the 11th) and is more to the left of Venus, but if you look to the south not long after it gets dark in the evening, they should still both be pretty easy to identify.

Seeing stars

I thought I'd remind everyone that our brand new Starlab portable planetarium is up and running. Well, not literally up and running (we don't keep it inflated at all times, of course), but it is available for school and youth group bookings. We can do star shows here at the Nature Centre or, if you have several groups and a suitable space, we can take the shows to you.

Please give us a call at (403) 346-2010 for information on rates and space requirements.

We are planning to offer public shows in the upcoming months as well, so if you'd like to see the planetarium in action keep an eye on your local papers and this blog for dates and times.