The Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library is holding a presentation this week on astronomy with special guests.
On April 1 at 6:30 p.m., the library will be welcoming Steve Ritchie and John Hlynialuk who will talk about their experiences with astronomy.
“I have been doing this a few years, he (Hlynialuk) has been doing this a few decades and so the two of us are tag teaming a presentation on amateur astronomy for interested folks,” says Ritchie. “My part of it is I am going to be talking about how I got into this stuff, my personal journey into backyard astronomy, which began during Covid when everything was shut down.”
Ritchie will also share tips for people interested in getting into stargazing.
“If you are really interested in the sky, you don’t need anything to start, you just need eyes, you need a willingness to go outside at night and look up when the skies are clear, which is something not a lot of us do very much any more,” says Ritchie.
Hlynialuk will present images of the recent total lunar eclipse and a rare blood moon, as well as talk about past celestial events and what to look for in the night sky in the coming months.
Ritchie, who regularly holds his own sidewalk astronomy events, says he has long been interested in astronomy and bought his first telescope during the pandemic.
“There is a lot of undiscovered delight in the sky that people who never bothered to look up are aware of until they get the opportunity. Since we have been going out and doing sidewalk events, the numbers of people coming out and taking part has certainly gone up,” says Ritchie. “I think there is a growing interest out there.”
Ritchie will cap off the presentation with a musical performance.
Those interested in registering for the presentation can visit the library website here or call 519-376-6623.
