BITS AND BYTES

Stargazing

by KEVIN MCISAAC

One of the often underappreciated benefits of living in a small town in the Rockies is the ability to see the night sky. Of course, there are street lights and they do obscure the view, but almost anyone in town can get to a pretty dark location within a 5-minute walk. Walking to somewhere dark that’s safe and with a great view of the stars is a luxury that many Canadians do not enjoy to the same extent.

On clear nights the Milky Way is visible along with many stars and often planets. I have a nice telescope which is useful for getting a better view of some things, but I’ve learned that eyeballs or a pair of binoculars are just as good for viewing most things. Good luck catching a meteor in your telescope, for example.

Most of us didn’t grow up at the knee of an astronomer and while we can certainly appreciate the beauty of the night sky, and even recognize a few familiar sites, for the most part, the night sky is a bit of a mystery. Once again apps come to the rescue to help us know more about what we see.

So, now you’ve found your dark spot. You’ve got your binoculars. And you pull out your phone to help you identify constellations, planets, nebula, and galaxies. Which one do you use?

Well, first off, don’t wait till you’re in the dark to get your app. I strongly suggest installing it and trying it out a couple of times before heading out to star view.

Here’s what I look for in an astronomy app. Easy to navigate, even in the dark. Has a “night mode.” Usually, this turns the display red and removes the background colour to help you retain your night vision. Has time advancing, so you see how the night sky will look in the future, to help plan outings. I also have a few specific apps for determining if there will be good viewing conditions.

Here’s what I use:

1. Astrospheric. This is a conditions app. It shows predicted cloud cover, sun and moon rise and set times, and weather conditions on the ground. A glance at the three lines in the middle that indicate cloud cover, atmosphere transparency, and atmospheric turbulence is usually enough to let me know if there will be good viewing tonight. 2. My Aurora Forecast. This one is specific to the Northern Lights. When I lived in Northern Alberta we saw them so frequently that it stopped being an

“event.” Not so in Fernie. Here it’s an event with text and Facebook message storms flying fast and furious when they are visible. Usually, you see those messages the next morning. Don’t miss out. See them coming with this app.

3. Night Sky. This is my go-to astronomy app. It helps you plan by letting you see future skies. Its augmented reality mode lets you point your phone at the sky and have everything labelled with the ability to drill down into details for any object.

The library has 1.8 billion objects in it.

If you find an object not in its database, you should call NASA. It has a night mode so you can use it in the dark. Plus many more features.

4. ISS Detector. Other apps, such as

Night Sky do show this too, but ISS

Detector does one thing: tell you when the International Space Station is about to go overhead. It’s really fun.

5. NightCap Camera: This one is the only one without a free version.

It’s $3.99. You can do all the things

NightCap does without it, but it makes it very easy to take certain night photos with modes like long exposure, stars mode, star trails mode, meteor mode, etc.

Note, unless you have a much steadier hand than me, you’ll probably need a camera stand of some sort to get nice clear pics.

Stock Photo

“Walking to somewhere dark that’s safe and with a great view of the stars is a luxury that many Canadians do not enjoy to the same extent.”

September 2022

by ASHLEY KRISTINA

September blessings! We close down the summer as the sun travels through Virgo into the Autumn Equinox on September 22 where the sun enters Libra and there is equal day and night and Autumn officially begins.

September starts with the Sun in Virgo (practical), Venus in Leo (happy, jovial, heart-felt), Mars in Gemini (communication), and Mercury in Libra (partnership) and these are the themes of this month. Pluto, Saturn, Uranus, Jupiter and Neptune are all in retrograde and Mercury enters retrograde from 09/09-10/02 allowing the possibility for miscommunication - be wary! The asteroids: Chiron, Juno, Nessus, Vesta, Pholus are all retrograde. It is a karmic time, with much being internalized and the past coming up and being analyzed, realized and released. Look for the themes internally and externally and how retrograde planets manifest patterns on Earth.

The aurora borealis is especially prominent around equinoxes as there is twice the geomagnetic activity occurring, so the end of the summer is a great time to spend camping under the night sky.The full moon, also known as the harvest moon and the “Hunter’s Moon” occurs 09/10 at 03:00 at 17º Pisces with the Moon conjunct retrograde Uranus and the North Node: be prepared for a shift in your life and trust the process as this is leading to your destiny (North Node).The New (Hunter’s) Moon occurs 09/25 at 16:00 with a conjunction of the Sun, Moon, Mercury retrograde, Venus and Eros, opposite Jupiter deals with important heart-felt matters.

Aries

sweating, meditation and making sure your home is de-cluttered and ready for the change of seasons!

Taurus

It’s an ambitious month for you on the work-front as the sun travels through Virgo giving a practical and organized (and hyper-critical) energy on Earth. It’s a great time to finish your to-do list.

Gemini

A month to trust yourself and follow your inner compass. Write down what you are talented in and follow the route that makes your heart soar. You are in control of your destiny. Friction may occur with your ruling sign (Mercury) in retrograde.

Cancer

Cancers who do not feel supported emotionally may come to the realization that they are not as independent as the role they are playing. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable to this and vocal may actually lead to a cozier nest.

Leo

Work and your love life are the focus and if you are internally in balance this will be easy. Make sure you are keeping a good sleep schedule, eating healthy, drinking lots of water and getting exercise.

Virgo

Your month to shine! Happy birthday, Virgo. May you get extra-organized and may your house be in perfect condition and may you shine in all your other endeavours of supporting people, helping people and most importantly, your health!

Libra

month especially concentrated around the home environment: cleaning, organizing, reconstructing. Major shifts leading to success can occur this month.

Scorpio

A busy month on the work-front alongside a feeling of achievement. Heart-priorities are also of great importance this month so listen to your inner compass and follow what your heart is whispering.

Sagittarius

A peaceful and positive month where focus on health is of top importance. A good month to get into a daily health regime: juicing, detoxifying, sweating, exercise and a good sleep schedule.

Capricorn

Change is taking place in your life thanks to your discipline and good judgement. It is an extra practical and productive month for you, with the workplace taking the forefront but also an important time to make sure your health regime is in order.

Aquarius

A month of shifting energy, especially on the romantic front. There may be feelings of volatility and speculation as most feel uncomfortable with change. The practice of detachment and peaceful breathing/ meditation can help through any major transition.

Pisces

A month of deep internal work for Pisceans as karma is being cleared. Partnership is the major theme alongside deep spiritual truthfulness. It’s a healing time and this typically involves deep vulnerability and the peeling away of layers of un/half-truths.

The More You Know, Through Your Lens

Mom Knows Best by John Pelechosky pele-photocreations.com

The Rocky Mountains in Fernie is a wonderful place to be during the summer months. On this particular day, I was exploring the Elk Valley looking for an opportunity to photograph nature at its best. I came across a clearing in the forest and spotted a mule deer and her fawn basking in the warm sunshine. The doe, for the most part, just ignored my presence but the fawn was a little more cautious and moved slightly behind his mother. I’m sure she taught him to be cautious around people and other wild animals but for now, he had his mother to protect him. I watched them for a while and enjoyed how the fawn was inquisitive but cautious at the same time. The doe was comfortable in my presence and she was not threatened in the least.

The best thing you can do with nature in every situation is to enjoy the moment but I was lucky enough to have my digital camera with me. I slowly opened my backpack and took out my camera and both the doe and the fawn stood motionless as if they wanted to be photographed. What a wonderful capture! Today a mule deer and her fawn and tomorrow, yet to come. Another beautiful day and a wonderful memory in the Rocky Mountains of Fernie!

Judy McMahon Photo

My son peers down into his grandfather’s medium format camera. The same camera I learned to “see” images through as a very young child. I love sharing our family’s interest in history and art with my son. We are collectors and creators, always fascinated with the the tactile nature of relics and images from a time gone by.

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Since we launched Fernie Copperworks Inc. 2 years ago the Fernie Fix has proven to be instrumental in our booming success, with over 80% of our projects initiating from our ad in the Fernie Fix. ~ Tim Popowich, Fernie Copperworks

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Out in the Community:

What is the most valuable thing you have learned, and how do you help others to gain this same knowledge or awareness?

Katya Choroszewski

I think the most valuable thing I have learned is to enjoy the present moment. People get so focused on looking back and forward, but then forget what is in front of them then and there. I share this with others by leading by example!

Mary Giuliano

I learned at an early age that life is about love, honesty and service to family, friends, community and country. This provides meaning and purpose to individuals despite adversity and suffering that is part of living and can only be communicated by good example which was passed to me by my parents and that I hope in some small measure I have managed to do.

Stephen Roy

Get to know your neighbours. They don’t have to become friends or share political views, and maybe that’s the point: we are kinder, more generous and more tolerant with people we know even a little bit.

I think it’s because strangers become human like us. The noisy family next door suddenly becomes Jane, Joe and the kids. Then one morning, Joe worked all night and you will catch yourself shovelling their driveway so the kids can be driven to school on time. That stuff is contagious too. Next thing you know, you will be living on the best street, then the best town, country, etc. I know mine is. School District No 5 is back in session this September 6, which includes Isabella Dicken Elementary School, Jaffray Elementary / Middle School, Frank J Mitchell Elementary School, Rocky Mountain Elementary School, Fernie / Elkford / Sparwood Secondary Schools, and the Kootenay Discovery School. Additionally, CSF School Sophie-Morigeau and The Fernie Academy are back in session! We would

like to wish all students a successful year, as well as those leaving to attend post-secondary education.

Back to School!

This October 15, 2022, local government and school board elections take place across the province with the nomination period for candidates to submit their nomination running August 30 to September 9, 2022. A person may become a candidate in a local election as long as they have not been disqualified from seeking or holding elected office. A candidate for municipal mayor and councillor, regional district electoral area director, school trustee for boards of education, trustee for the Islands Trust, local community commissioner or specified parks board commissioner must:

• Be 18 years of age or older on general voting day • Be a Canadian citizen • Have been a resident of BC for at least six months immediately prior to filing nomination documents • Not be disqualified under the Local Government Act or any other enactment from voting in an election in BC or from being nominated for, being elected to or holding office, or be otherwise disqualified by law

Visit elections.bc.ca and gov.bc.ca for more details, and we look forward to learning more about our local candidates.

September is THE busiest month when it comes to locally held events! Are you ready? It all starts with

closing weekend at both Fernie Alpine Resort

and Island Lake Lodge as well as the return of the very popular FMBC event, the Wam Bam Dirt Jump Jam on Sept 3, swiftly followed by the Museum’s Fall Festival, Chautauqua Sept 9-11 and the Elk

Valley Suicide Task Force hosting World Suicide

Awareness Day with keynote speaker Adam Campbell on Sept 10. The following week is the last of the FMBC Little Critter Criteriums on Sept 13, and then we have a very busy weekend ending the month with the Elk Valley Pride Festival, the Lone Wolf trail race and the FMBC High Roller. On top of all of this, many organizations have begun their fall schedules for weekly activities. No wonder everyone always says fall is their favourite time of year – see you out there!

Flag Raising at Fernie Pride Festival, V. Croome photo