Valentine’s Day can be about more than roses and champagne.
Why not surprise your loved one(s) with a trip to the great outdoors? It’s a great opportunity to get in touch with nature and spend some quality time together.
If you’re not sure where to go, we’ve got you covered! Take a look at some of the romantic activities here at Ontario Parks:
For thousands of years, humans have looked up at the stars. The stars helped them try to understand their purpose, and the role they play in our lives.
To help memorize the different stars, patterns of connect-the-dot figures were created by many different cultures. Today, we recognize 88 official patterns or “constellations” of stars.
Today we will explore one of the most well-known constellations: Orion.
Welcome to the Ontario Parks “Eyes on the Skies” series. This “space” will cover a wide range of astronomy topics with a focus on what can be seen from the pristine skies found in our provincial parks.
The cold, crisp days of the New Year often reward us with fantastically beautiful nights, rich with bright stars and interesting sights.
Of the 17 brightest stars seen from Ontario, nine are visible during winter nights, and many interesting objects await the observer who is prepared to brave the cold.
Here are our astronomical highlights for January:
Stargazers: the skies have something special in store for you this week!
On the morning of Friday, November 19, observers from Ontario will be fortunate to see a partial lunar eclipse.
Sneaking out of your tent in the middle of the night to stare up at the stars… is there anything better?
There’s no substitution for witnessing a starry sky firsthand, but this month’s FREE digital download is a good start!
Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered “how did it all begin?” Check out our series about the astronomical origins of the universe.
This post kicks off a four-part photographic journey into the history of our universe! Read on to explore the key events that led to the formation of our provincial parks and the natural world we live in.
Have you ever stared up into a starry sky and wondered “how did it all begin?”
Today we will discuss the origins of the universe, the evolution of galaxies and globular clusters, and conclude with a history of the first stars and supernovae.
Stay tuned for Part II where we detail how stars are born and live out their lives, Part III with the formation of the planets and our solar system, and finally in Part IV, we will discuss the future of the Sun and larger stars.
So let’s get started with our origin story!
Continue reading From the Big Bang to beyond: the astronomical origins of the universe – part 1
Welcome to the Ontario Parks “Eyes on the Skies” series. This space (see what we did there?) will cover a wide range of astronomy topics with a focus on what can be seen from the pristine skies found in our provincial parks.
While spring “technically” begins in March, most of us living in cold climates tend to celebrate May as the true start to the season.
Here are our astronomical highlights for May, 2023:
In last month’s constellation post, we discussed the Bears and a Dragon.
In this month’s edition, we will talk about constellations that are ideal for warm weather observation.
Continue reading Featured constellations: Boötes the Herdsman, Virgo the Maiden and Libra the Scales
After a typical Canadian winter, we look forward to the spring season and the changes that go with it: fresh flora fragrance, natural forest lushness and the flowing water tranquility.
Spring also ushers in a new landscape of interesting objects visible in the night skies: the galaxies.
Continue reading The galaxies: a partially solved mystery – part 1
November is the perfect time for stargazing.
Even though the temperatures are cooling down, the early sunset and later sunrise provide us with almost fifteen hours of darkness in which to observe nighttime splendors. Plus, there are some exciting occurrences lighting up the skies all month long.
Why not take some time this month to view these celestial splendours?
