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The Montréal Centre was one of the most active amateur astronomy organizations in North America during the 1950s and 60s, thanks to a core of dedicated and enthusiastic lovers of the hobby. I was fortunate to join them in my teens, after the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 at the very onset of the Space Age. The ensuing years were truly a golden era of amateur astronomy. They were also formative years in my life and that of many of my contemporaries and led directly to my becoming a professional scientist and an avid amateur astronomer to this day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quest for life beyond Earth has become a major driving force in current astronomical research and space exploration. Whether this involves looking for fossil or extant evidence of microbial life on Mars or potential life on outer Solar System water bodies, biosignatures from exoplanets, or SETI, the underlying questions are the same: "Is life common or rare in the Universe?" and perhaps even more compelling: "Are we alone?" Since, for the first time in human history, we may actually get answers to these questions, this article reviews some of the key issues and considerations involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin of life on Earth remains one of the major unanswered issues in science. The question is as old as humanity itself and explanations have ranged from special creation, to abiological chemistry, to propagation across the Universe by natural forces and even deliberate transmission by technologically advanced civilizations. Although we are no closer today to a final answer, the ongoing discovery of potentially habitable exoplanets and the possibility of finding life elsewhere in the Solar System, have drawn renewed focus on this question. This article reviews some of the key issues involved and the notion that panspermia or the viable transfer of organisms between planets and beyond may have played a role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past several years, two excellent histories of astronomical photography have been published (Ré, 2010 and Hughes, 2013). The former is available only as e-book and the latter in both e and paper formats. In addition, several websites have collections of vintage astronomical photos and illustrations (see e.g. Pinterest 2016). Each presentation places emphasis on different aspects of the story, as have we. Ré's work makes no effort to be comprehensive, highlighting instead selected individuals and applications to the end of the film age. Hughes's monumental work covers a very broad array of topics, with again emphasis on the people and the social settings of their respective eras. Our focus here is on Solar System photography and the evolution of the technologies that have advanced both the science and art of astronomical imaging from Daguerreotype to web cams and CCDs. We also place great emphasis on contributions by amateur astronomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a brief history of the lunar exploration, focusing on the efforts of amateur astronomers to fill the gap in research to natural satellite and planets as astronomers focused on astrophysics and cosmology. It discusses the importance of complete understanding of the geology, surface topography and composition of the Moon, its measurement using geometric methods, and the discovery of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 by geologist Eugene Merle Shoemaker, known as Gene Shoemaker.

The article discusses a history of the lunar exploration. It mentions the symbolism of the Moon including the different myths and supertitions associated with it. It cites the people who made contributions in the better understanding of the moon, which include Galileo Galilei and Englishman Thomas Harriott.

The article features several astronomical observatories. These include the David Dunlap Observatory in Toronto, Ontario, Mount Wilson Observatory in Arizona, Griffith Observatory, Palomar Observatory, and Lick Observatory, all in California. Also mentioned are details on the observatories' founding and financing.

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's fifty years of experience as an astrophotographers in which he observed the 1963 total eclipse of the Sun and shot his first mage of the Moon in 1959 using a Kodak Tri-X film.

The article offers information on the three- and four-element aprochromatic refractors (apos) imaging instrument for astrophotographer. It mentions that apos offered eye-popping deep-sky views when coupled with 30-millimeter (mm) premium eyepiece with 82° apparent field of view. It states that the telescope exhibit showpieces such as the Pleiades, Orion Nebula and M31 and not just the densest parts of the Milky Way at 30x magnification.

The article offers information on Lowell Observatory. It says that Lowell Observatory is the prime attraction in Arizona and named as the World's 100 Most Important Places by the magazine "Time." It states that Lowell Observatory made various contributions to astronomy, such as discovery of the rings of Uranus, the detection of water vapour around an extra-solar planet, and the atmosphere of Pluto. Morever, Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) its new addition that began formal operation in 2013.