Web links for Sky News magazine column on Gordon’s Park

Nestled among 100 acres of cedar-bordered meadows on the world’s largest freshwater isle, Gordon’s Park on Ontario’s Manitoulin Island is possibly the darkest reasonably-accessible place in the province. Continue reading “Web links for Sky News magazine column on Gordon’s Park” »

Web links for Sky News magazine column on Jasper

athabasca_falls_jasper_dark_skyIn the May/June 2012 issue of Sky News: The Canadian Magazine of Astronomy & Stargazing, I look at Jasper National Park and Dark Sky Preserve (the world’s largest dark sky preserve, by a factor of 10!) in the Canadian Rockies.

If you haven’t read the column (Wilderness Astronomer) about this incredible “Disney World of dark sky preserves”, you can grab it on news stands (including those at WalMart) subscribe, or buy an online edition here.

If you have read the column and are here to check out the as-promised web-links, here you go!:

Recommended stargazing sites:

Here are the sites I’ve researched and recommend in the magazine:

ALSO: Jasper is such a large dark sky preserve and is so full of amazing observing sites, it actually has its own jasper observing site resource guide wilderness astronomer sky news magazine column peter mcmahon

Sky News column web extras: Bruce Peninsula

**Links mentioned in the March/April 2012 Wilderness Astronomer column in the print edition of Sky News Magazine**

In addition to the fabulous features of the Bruce Peninsula and surrounding area chronicled in Sky News Magazine, I’d like to share with you an aspect of the region’s dark-sky success story we didn’t have space to get into in the print edition.

A magic bullet for dark sky success

More and more across Canada and North America, astronomy club members are being joined coast to coast by families, environmentalists, business leaders, marketing experts and Continue reading “Sky News column web extras: Bruce Peninsula” »

Meteors over Canada’s shipwreck capital

Wrapping up our rattlesnake tour of Canadian stargazing destinations, we stopped by Bruce Peninsula National Park/Fathom Five National Marine Reserve and Dark Sky Preserve.

(WEB RESOURCES AT BOTTOM OF POST)

Though it has fewer venomous snakes than Grasslands dark sky preserve, the ones here near the harbour town of Tobermory are a protected species (you can actually get in trouble with authorities for harming them.) Thankfully, no snakes emerged and our 20-lb mascot Winston was snuggled up in the motel far from any dangerous tall grass.

Meanwhile, local astronomy guru Rod Steinacher was kind enough to spend the night showing me around the local stargazing haunts and he did NOT disappoint! Continue reading “Meteors over Canada’s shipwreck capital” »

First Nations stars on the prairies

On the way back from the Canadian Science Writers’ Association conference just over a month ago, we stopped by the town of Val Marie, SK (pop. 136) on the edge of Grasslands National Park.

The lone (and lone) prairie habitat in the Parks Canada system recently doubled its yearly visitors from 5,000 to almost 10,000.

In comparison, 11 km long Point Pelee in Ontario gets 250,000…Banff gets more than 3 million.

How did Grasslands do it? The chief new attractions have been the rare, re-introduced Black-footed Continue reading “First Nations stars on the prairies” »