Astronomy: the worst summer in 65 years!

2023-08-22 11:05:00

Hugues Lacombe, founding president of the Charlevoix astronomy club, has been observing the stars for 65 years. His 65th astronomical summer will go down in history, but not for pleasant reasons. “I’m 77 years old, I started at 12… And it’s the first time I’ve seen such bad conditions. In addition to the regular weather, rain and cloudiness, this year added smoke which considerably reduced the quality of the sky,” summarizes the astronomer.

Deep-sky observations are most affected by these conditions. “We can still see certain things: the moon, planets, shiny objects, double and variable stars… But where it affects us is for the observation of nebulae, galaxies, what we call the deep sky,” says the astronomer.

Volunteer club members assembling the observatory.

The Charlevoix Astronomical Club has 56 members on both sides of the county. Activities are held throughout the year, including conferences and observation evenings. The inauguration of an observatory in collaboration with the City of Baie-Saint-Paul is expected shortly.

Wishing you several beautiful evenings of clear skies to enjoy!

Fashion for “super moons”

This summer more than ever, “super moons” have been in the news. Are they more “cool” than usual? We asked Hugues Lacombe, founding president of the Club astronomique de Charlevoix, to answer this “spatial” question!

It’s a fad! What has been described for a few years as a supermoon, for us astronomers, it doesn’t make a big difference with a full moon. ”

The full moon is not the favorite of astronomers, but it attracts the eyes of the general public to the sky. Stock Photo

He considers the psychological effect to be interesting all the same. “People read about it in the newspapers and suddenly they see it super big! In truth, with the naked eye, you can’t tell the difference! “, he laughs.

This phenomenon is explained by the slightly elliptical orbit of the moon. The moon, when it revolves around the earth, its orbit is not circular. Each month there is a time when the moon is closer, but it is not necessarily the full moon. To have the supermoon, it has to be full and it has to fall when it’s closest to the earth… “, he explains.

Super moons still have a positive effect. “We take the opportunity to get people interested in looking at the sky and it allows us to give explanations on celestial mechanics,” rejoices the astronomy enthusiast.