Plateau Astro
@plateauastro
Space Educator based in Montréal.
Today, a total solar eclipse will happen at the precise time and location that we predicted decades ago. Science did that. Astronomy did that. Not pseudoscience. Not astrology. Not superstition. Not conspiracy theory.
Something so moving about seeing bright Venus alone in the summer, twilight sky
Today’s unusual planetarium venue. Thank you Dorval Summer Camp for hosting me today!
Huge thank you to Summit School for hosting me and my planetarium yesterday Over 160 special needs students got to see the night sky, constellations, and fly up into space! They loved it! I visited the same camp in 2024, and it was a real thrill to recognize some faces. Hope to return soon!
I can't say what was going on in his head in 2009, but I imagine he was expecting an ISS mission sometime in the next few years Welp… he had to patiently wait *17* years for a whole different type of mission: flying around the Moon What an incredible journey and career. Congrats, Jeremy!
Jeremy Hansen will be retiring as an astronaut in September One of my favourite photos is of him and David Saint-Jacques from 2009 at the entrance of the Canada Space Agency. They’d just been selected as Canada's new astronauts. If you've ever visited the CSA, you've stood in this exact same spot.
MONTRÉAL JET FLYOVER: Sunday, July 5 at 2:15 PM A formation of 9 jets from the Patrouille de France aerobatics group will fly over the St Lawrence River, passing Montréal on Sunday afternoon If you're in downtown, Old Port, or along the water's edge, expect a loud sound as they fly above
Tonight (Mon, Jun 29), the Moon rises at 9:08 PM in Montréal. Look to the southeast. The sky will be darker and the Moon will appear large and orange-reddish when it first rises and is low on the horizon. Ideal spot to watch it: Belvédère Kondiaronk / Mount Royal Chalet.
Tonight (Sun, Jun 28), the Moon rises in Montréal at 8:21 PM Look Southeast. A great lookout spot is the Belvédère Kondiaronk / Mount Royal As the Sun sets at 8:47 PM, you’ll see the Moon appear on a dark purple band near the horizon. That’s Earth’s shadow being cast on the atmosphere. Enjoy!
As the school year closes, here's some fun stats about my mobile planetarium this past year For 2026-2027, I want to double these numbers If you know a teacher, parent, or school in the Montréal area who wants students to learn about space in a cool way that's super cost effective, get in touch!
Here is the list of earliest times you could see a rainbow in the afternoon in MTL during summer (human time == more memorable time)
Rainbows can only appear at certain times of day. This time of year in Montréal, they can only happen at 4:30 PM or later (for an afternoon rainbow) We’re gonna have lots of rain this week, so good chances for rainbow sightings! But good to know *when* you can actually see them
The Crescent Moon peeking through the clouds shortly after tonight's sunset
The Crescent Moon, Jupiter, and Venus lined up over Montréal tonight
If it’s clear tonight (Tue, Jun 16), look West around 9:30 PM and you’ll see: 🌒 thin crescent Moon 🌡️ faint Mercury 🍊 brighter Jupiter 💡 very bright Venus
MONTRÉAL JET FLYOVER: Friday, June 12 at 7:00 PM A pair of CF-18 fighter jets will fly over the city for the Alouettes home opener. Expect a loud sound and two flyovers. Below is the expected flight path. Set an alarm at 6:55 PM to give you a 5 minute heads up.
Look West tonight and the next few nights to see Jupiter and Venus appear bright and beside each other in the sky
Montréal: the Full Moon will rise tonight at 8:33 PM (Sat, May 30) Look southeast shortly after this time to see the Moon appear large and orange when low on the horizon
So, we didn’t make the Stanley Cup Finals But this incredible playoff run and the most incredible human Moon mission of my life crossed paths. I’ll never forget April and May, 2026 Thanks Habs! And thanks Jeremy!
Yesterday's planetarium shows had a fun twist: it was at a school near the Canadian Space Agency! 4 students put up their hands to say "My mom/dad works there!" A few of them said their parent worked with Jeremy Hansen. Fitting, as we went inside the dome and recreated the Artemis II mission 🚀🌖
ANOTHER JET FLYOVER We’ll have *another* flyby of the Snowbirds over downtown Montreal on Monday evening. This time, to celebrate the Canadiens game. MON, MAY 25 6:15 PM
Set an alarm for 3:35 PM on Sunday for a 10-minute heads up You can also track the flight with the free FlightRadar24 app and searching "SNBD1" starting around 3:30 PM
The flyover will happen during the national anthem at F1 Grand Prix over Parc Jean-Drapeau. Here are the flight paths from 2024 and 2025. Last year they flew over parts of downtown, the Plateau, and Rosemont.
MONTRÉAL: there will be a jet flyover by the Snowbirds on Sunday, May 24th at 3:45 PM Here's some more details...