Check out Guelph’s night skies with the help of U of G’s new stargazing series
Past the layer of city lights and cloud cover, the vast expanse of space is filled with stars, planets, and meteoroids just waiting to be observed.
The University of Guelph’s department of physics launched its stargazing guide on YouTube in November of this year. Hosted by Orbax, the school’s production specialist for physics education content, the series covers various celestial events that can be observed from Guelph, from meteor showers to partial eclipses.
With the help of background graphics, Orbax goes over the many events happening during the respective month and explains when and how they can be observed. In this month’s guide, he delves into the winter solstice and explains why we experience less daylight during the season. He also points out which constellations, star clusters, planets, and meteor showers can be seen this December.
“One of the earliest memories that I have of having an interest in science is looking at one of my dad’s astronomy books when I was a kid that he had from when he was in university,” Orbax told The Ontarion.
“Going through the pages and seeing all this mind-blowing imagery of things that were millions and millions of kilometres away, and just this understanding that the universe was so much more than the world that we experience [was inspiring].”
It was for this reason that Orbax pursued an education in physics and ultimately completed a degree at the U of G in 2000.
“I often found that when I was looking for an astronomical event [online], I always found out the day after,” said Orbax.
“But when I was young, I remember watching PBS. There would always be these stargazing series that would come out once a month … and that always kind of excited me because it was something to look forward to but also because it suddenly became something that was accessible for me as a child.”
Orbax’s position as production specialist for the physics department meant he was able to work with local scientists to create an accessible series curated for local residents. While stargazers might not be able to spot the finer details of some celestial events, such as the rings around Saturn, without devices like a telescope, they can still observe them as bright lights.
The special thing about this series is that it provides specific information about Guelph’s night sky. Despite the vastness of space, the celestial events that can be observed from Guelph are different from those of a neighbouring city. This makes the experiences of Guelph stargazers one-of-a-kind.
“[Astronomy is about] looking at how the sky changes based on the fact that we’re moving throughout the vastness of it all.”
— Orbax
Orbax has a few tips for any locals hoping to take up stargazing.
First of all, a stargazer’s worst enemy is cloud cover. This can be circumvented with the help of sky viewing apps which allow you to see virtually-recreated astronomical events based on your location. But when the night is clear enough, Orbax suggests getting a high vantage point to peer over any light pollution.
“Don’t expect to see anything right away,” he explains. “It’s a waiting game. The things that happen up in the sky happen on incredibly long length scales, so it’s not like you’re gonna go out there and just see hundreds of meteors.”
Additionally, Orbax says that there’s no need to stay up too late to witness astronomical events. While some do occur in the late-night hours, there are just as many that can be observed during the evenings.
“The other biggest thing is to bring a notebook, a phone, or a tablet and draw the things that you see or write them down because one of the most important things about science in general is note-taking and observation.”
So if you witness, say, a shooting star, jot down the date and time you saw it as well as the direction it was heading in. If you’re observing an eclipse, doodle each phase of shadow the moon passes through.
“I think it just helps you reflect on the things that you saw earlier and how you can relate to them. That’s what astronomy is all about, it’s looking at how the sky changes based on the fact that we’re moving throughout the vastness of it all.”
The stargazing guide series will continue to release monthly episodes, so stay tuned. Orbax’s work with the U of G can be found on the physics department’s social media, including on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
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