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by Helen Hall
Kitchener Citizen
January 14, 2016

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When Rick Burke was a child living in the prairies of Watrous, Saskatchewan, it was so dark at night that the only way he could find the horizon was to see where the blackness ended and the stars began.

This started a love of the night sky that has travelled with him across Canada. He now shares it with others as the president of the Kitchener-Waterloo Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (KW-RASC).

Currently, about 130 people have memberships in KW-RASC.

The group was first established here in the early 1950s by Carl Arndt, and was called the K-W Telescope and Mirror Grinders Astronomy Club. Now, its members come from throughout Waterloo Region and beyond. It is one of the larger RASC clubs in Canada.

“We have members that are 10 years old, and some that are 70,” Burke said.

After Burke’s family moved from Saskatchewan to British Columbia, he discovered a planisphere that belonged to his father, who was a teacher.

A planisphere is a star chart made of two adjustable disks that rotate on a common pivot. The disks can be moved to display the visible stars for any time and date, and shows how to recognize stars and constellations.

“I thought it was cool,” Burke said. “I’d lay on a big piece of cardboard in the backyard and look up at the sky. My parents bought me a cheap telescope and I was hooked.”

The members of the KW-RASC hold two meetings each month.

Their official meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. on the second Friday of each month (except in July and August) at Wilfrid Laurier University in the Dr. Alvin Woods Building.

Guest speakers talk about subjects of astonomical interest, and club business is discussed.

A second monthly meeting called “Stargazing 101” is held on the fourth Friday of every month in the Zehrs Community Room at the Laurentian Power Centre on Ottawa Street South in Kitchener.

While anyone can attend either meeting free of charge, Stargazing 101 is best for the beginner astronomer.
“You’ll get a lot of help from our members,” Burke said.

Burke said they share information on what kind of telescope is best, good locations for observing the stars, safety tips, and upcoming astronomical events. They also have some telescopes available for loan.

They even offer a list of experienced members who are willing to accompany new observers on a night out.
Burke said they often have over 30 people attend the Stargazing 101 meetings.

KW-RASC also offers several public events during the year, including Star Parties at Waterloo Park and Conestogo Lake.

In addition, KW-RASC member George Peer does presentations to grade six classes that are studying astronomy.

The key to getting a good look at the night sky is to be located in a dark area far away from the city lights.

The group currently doesn’t have an observatory, but does have a location where only members are able to go because it is on private property.

However, they have a list of public locations in rural areas of the region that are good for observing.

For many years, the group had an observatory near Ayr. The dome-shaped building was constructed in a farmer’s field, but when the property was purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway, they had to vacate.

Burke said that major astronomical events - like the Transit of Venus in 2012 and the Supermoon Lunar Eclipse in 2015, tend to increase its membership as people become more interested in learning about astronomy.

Its numbers also go down a bit in the winter, when the temperature makes it less comfortable for stargazing.

“We just have to convince people that we’re not a bunch of nerds,” Burke said with a laugh.
Local astronomy group has young and old gazing at the night sky 
Rick Burke
This photo was taken in Waterloo Region near the end of the 2015 Supermoon Lunar Eclipse on September 27, 2015. It shows the moon passing through earth’s shadow. The next Supermoon Lunar Eclipse is expected in 2033.
Photo by Helen Hall