Greetings! This past year for the Regina Centre has been a lot of fun and we would like to invite you all to come "Explore the Universe" with us.

2010 is a very important year for our club, it will be our 100th birthday.  We have been preparing for this event and are excited for it to arrive.  Our club has a very strong history that includes public education, contributing to the science of astronomy, and making new friends while 'looking up'.  We will continue to build on our heritage while celebrating our accomplishments over the last 100 years.

Have you ever wanted to look at the moon up close through a big telescope or maybe see the solar prominences arcing across the edge of the Sun? Well next year is your chance to do that! The Regina Centre will be coordinating many free public observing events around Regina and the surrounding area. Keep checking our Public Events Calendar on this website for events near you. If you are interested in having us set up telescopes at your special event, feel free to contact us.

We often get contacted by people who are interested in purchasing a telescope. To help out, here are a few tips for purchasing a telescope:

1. Quality telescopes are not sold through department stores. Check out our list of Canadian Telescope companies. For used telescopes in Canada click here.
2. Magnification does not mean more power. The main purpose of a telescope is to gather light and focus it into your eye. Larger diameter telescopes will make images brighter allowing you to see more detail. The Earth's atmosphere usually limits useful magnification to 200 or 300 times on average.
3. Check for telescope reviews. There are numerous web sites that give reviews on telescopes. If the telescope you are looking for does not appear on a review site, chances are, it isn't considered a quality telescope. You can check out our list of review sites here.

If you would like any advice in which telescope to buy, please feel free to contact us. We will be more than willing to help out where we can. The astronomy club has two 8-inch telescopes available for club members. Join your local astronomy club and "try before you buy". For more information on buying a telescope, see Ed Ting's web site scopereviews.com

 

Clear Skies!

Shane Ludtke

President

RASC - Regina Centre