"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,..." Shakespeare

Many months ago, Dr. Brian Pihack spoke at a C.F.U.W. meeting that I attended...even before the one where I got the idea to be on tv!   His talk that evening was about how many of the holidays we celebrate today,  for instance Halloween, originated as pagan celebrations.  His talk was fun and entertaining, as well as educational.  During the question and answer period at the end, one of the ladies asked him what he thought about the Mayan Calendar and the end of the world in December!  His answer? 

"Don't even get me started!"

I wrote his name down on my newsletter, I knew some how, I'd want to talk to him again!

When I approached Brian about being on the show, he was a little hesitant...not about being on tv as I later learned, but about me.  Understandable I guess as he'd never actually met any of us before!  So, we too arranged to meet over lunch.  We met at a little diner in Niagara Falls close to where he works as a Chiropractor.  Our conversation went from pagan holidays to 2012 to dinosaur DNA to aliens and just about everything in between.  It made me dizzy and I loved every minute.  Lunch was over much too soon.
And Brian agreed to be a guest on the show.

Being as he also happens to be the Vice President of The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Niagara Centre, he agreed to talk about the stars...more specifically what we can see in the night skies around Niagara!  He also agreed to bring along some really cool photographs taken locally. 

Before the cameras were on and we were getting set up, Brian was giving the website address to our Producer to put in the credits, and he mentioned how often people say "astrology" instead of astronomy, and how in fact, the last time he'd been interviewed, they had introduced him as an Astrologer!  I looked at him aghast!  "Why did you say that?"  I asked him.  "Now, I'm going to say it.....!"

In the seconds leading up to that little red light coming on, I sat in my chair chanting..."astronomer...astronomer....astronomer...astronomer....."

And then I introduced Dr Brian Pihack, local astrologer!  I caught myself immediately, and we came close to dissolving into a fit of laughter, but somehow managed to pull it together! 

To see some of the amazing pictures that Brian showed us, and to find out more about the skies over your head Niagara,check out:

http://www.astronomyniagara.com/html/contact_us.html