Look ahead, and\u00a0look up!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Pembina\u00a0Valley\u00a0Astro Club is giving us a glimpse into what the new year will provide for stargazers,\u00a0and\u00a0all\u00a0other\u00a0celestial enthusiasts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
2026 has already started off with a\u00a0Super\u00a0Wolf\u00a0Moon in January, while\u00a0February will bring a\u00a0Snow Moon, so the skies are already rich with viewing opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pembina Valley Astro Club founder Kenton Dyck spoke\u00a0about his\u00a0own\u00a0viewing of the\u00a0new\u00a0year\u2019s early super moon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI had some friends over, and we snuck outside for a little bit to watch it. Jupiter was up there, super bright. So\u00a0yeah,\u00a0it’s\u00a0starting off with that.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
There\u2019s\u00a0even more to come. Dyck\u00a0talked about\u00a0sightings and events on\u00a0the 2026 celestial calendar\u00a0that\u00a0we can all look forward to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will have a couple of meteor showers and\u00a0eclipses\u00a0this year. Unfortunately, we\u00a0won’t\u00a0have a complete solar eclipse anywhere near our area.\u00a0Those\u00a0are\u00a0always\u00a0really fun\u00a0to look at, as well as the lunar eclipses.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Saturn – photo supplied by Kenton Dyck<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the springtime, there is a fantastic opportunity to view some of the planets, particularly Saturn and Jupiter\u00a0–\u00a0among the two brightest objects. Just go outside. \u00a0If you have even a rudimentary pair of binoculars, you should be able to see them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The stars offer a twinkly show<\/p>\n
Dyck expanded on upcoming\u00a0events to be on the lookout for, later in the\u00a0year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo,\u00a0we have\u00a0the planets right now.\u00a0It’s\u00a0always difficult to start\u00a0hyping\u00a0stuff about eight months in advance simply because I have found, particularly the last two years, is you can make plans, but some of the most successful and the most memorable events that we have had\u00a0have\u00a0been events that we\u00a0couldn’t plan for. We only know about them\u00a0literally as they enter our solar system.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That unpredictability affords unique viewing experiences. Dyck shared more of the variety of\u00a0images that can be viewed throughout the various seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe night sky has\u00a0certain cycles throughout the year.\u00a0Typically\u00a0this time of year, you can\u00a0image\u00a0a lot of nebulas. As we get into the early spring, then\u00a0it’s\u00a0galaxy season.\u00a0The way the heavens\u00a0kind-of shift, we can see different things.\u00a0There just happens to be some targets that are more abundant during certain\u00a0times of year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
New gear, new views<\/p>\n
Dyck described some recent\u00a0Astro Club\u00a0equipment\u00a0purchases\u00a0that will enhance his image capture capabilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year, we\u00a0have the ability to\u00a0record events.\u00a0I’m\u00a0really looking forward to that. In the future, if we were to have an actual solar eclipse that we could witness, we now have ways to capture that.\u00a0I’m\u00a0pretty excited about that.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the new pieces of gear that I have picked up\u00a0is an astrophotography camera that has a neat feature where if you thread on a particular type of lens,\u00a0it’ll\u00a0give you a\u00a0150-degree\u00a0view of the sky, 360 degrees around.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can load in some\u00a0software\u00a0and I can tailor it to capture certain things. One of the things that we will be using it for is capturing auroras.\u00a0We\u2019ll\u00a0be able to set it\u00a0outside\u00a0and\u00a0it’ll\u00a0just record.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Automation brings benefits<\/p>\n
It gets even more advanced.\u00a0\u00a0Dyck described the automation\u00a0features\u00a0his new equipment offers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the other things we can do is\u00a0build\u00a0in software where\u00a0it’s\u00a0constantly recording about 15 seconds, and then something triggers motion through that camera.\u00a0Then it will record the last 15 seconds and save that.\u00a0I’s\u00a0constantly recording 15 seconds, but only when something transits\u00a0and trips that motion sensor, then it records those 15 seconds and\u00a0saves it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo\u00a0what\u00a0we’re\u00a0going to be doing with that is\u00a0all of\u00a0the meteor showers that we have will be able to set this up outside at night.\u00a0It’ll\u00a0record all night and instead of having a massive file,\u00a0you’ll\u00a0only have the parts where there was\u00a0actually motion\u00a0through there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Related stories:<\/p>\n
Patience is a benefit not limited to a Jedi<\/p>\n
Dyck admitted\u00a0that\u00a0it can be a waiting game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just waiting for a couple of clear nights\u00a0so\u00a0that we can\u00a0actually go out and image, because it’s been quite stormy and foggy the last month or so.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kenton Dyck<\/p>\n
Dyck is\u00a0always\u00a0keen to build the sky-viewing community, as well as continue to host events to support local businesses, like\u00a0Dead\u00a0Horse\u00a0Cider, and Jurassic Clubhouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to work with people in this area simply because if we go to say Charlie B’s Dead Horse Cider\u00a0or\u00a0any of these eateries,\u00a0people\u00a0know these establishments.\u00a0They know that\u00a0they’re\u00a0run\u00a0locally. These are our\u00a0neighbors.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
“It’s\u00a0nice to gather more as a community. And I\u00a0can’t\u00a0think of a better place for us to gather, to get together and just appreciate the night sky. I am\u00a0very excited\u00a0to continue some of those relationships\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
There are a few new\u00a0relationships\u00a0in the works\u00a0as well, Dyck shared.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things\u00a0that’s\u00a0been\u00a0very exciting\u00a0is\u00a0I feel that the Astro Club, the\u00a0word\u00a0is\u00a0kind-of\u00a0getting\u00a0out.\u00a0I’ve\u00a0had invites to go all the way to\u00a0Neepawa, Stonewall, the Whiteshell.\u00a0We’ll\u00a0see where\u00a0Astro Club goes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pembina Valley Astro Club fosters a love of astronomy by making the wonders of the cosmos accessible through public events, educational outreach,\u00a0and\u00a0community engagement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Visit their\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0site to get connected, or email\u00a0astroclubpv@gmail.com<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n with files from Jayme Giesbrecht\u00a0<\/p>\n