The April 24th meeting of the RASC Mississauga Centre will feature a talk on the astronomical knowledge  at the time of the War of 1812.

Talk Title: The Stars of 1812

Speaker: Phil Mozel, Mississauga Centre RASC

The last two years have seen numerous celebrations to commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812.  Many battles took place very close to the venue of Mississauga Centre meetings.  Of possible interest to amateur astronomers is the state of astronomical knowledge at this time when war raged not only across parts of Canada and the United States but in Napoleonic Europe as well.  As an amateur historian, Phil will also reveal, through his alter ego, his special connection to this period.

William Herschel 12 metre telescope

Phil is a founding member of the Mississauga Centre and a Past National Librarian.  As a Contributing Editor of the RASC Journal he wrote the "A Moment With..." column detailing the research interests of astronomers.  He says he has spent more time than he cares to remember in the dark, both outside and under various planetarium domes. His own observing extends to variable stars and photographing sunset and (occasionally) sunrise phenomena.  He enjoys combining hobbies as will be seen in this talk.

Phil Mozel

The meeting will be held from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. at The University of Toronto,Mississauga Campus, in lecture hall SE2082 in the William Davis Building. The meeting is open to the public and is free.    

Enter off of Mississauga Road. Park in lot 4 or the parkade, across from the fitness centre south of theDavis Building. Enter through the Fitness centre, walk up the stairs until you reach the main corridor then turn right. (If you need an elevator,follow the corridor to the right of the stairs, then go up to the mainfloor.) Look for the Mississauga Centre sign in front of the lecture room.  Here are directions.

 Post meeting plans: we usually continue the discussion post-meeting at a local bar – please join us!