I saw my first bolide ever on Sunday, January 17th at 18:35 EST just as I was coming out the front door of the house in Oshawa. The bolide broke into 3 elongated flaming pieces and then into 8 or 9 star-like points travelling at the same speed in an easterly direction. The entire event took place about midway between Aries and the Hyades.

Durham Astronomy, Jan. 1982 issue [153k] (newsletter of the Durham Region Astronomical Society).
 

I did my first variable star estimate on Sat/Sun February 27/28, 1982: R Leonis at 9.0 on JD 2445029.1
 

Durham Astronomy, March 1982 issue [150k] (newsletter of the Durham Region Astronomical Society).
 

Durham Astronomy, May 1982 issue [103k] (newsletter of the Durham Region Astronomical Society).
 

As part of a trip to the World's Fair in Knoxville in June, I had a brief opportunity to visit the late Leslie Peltier's observatory site — it was just as he described it in Starlight Nights. It was quite thrill to see the big observatory dome housing the 12" refractor as well as his innovative "Merry-Go-Round" Observatory (the small structure at left in the picture above). I would build my own, somewhat different version of MGRO in 1990.
 

Durham Astronomy, July 1982 issue [113k] (newsletter of the Durham Region Astronomical Society).
 

I saw my first total lunar eclipse on July 6th. It was quite hazy that night, so the moon was invisible for most of totality, even through a telescope!

1982 was a good year for aurora. There were good displays on:

• Th/Fr April 22/23
• Tu/We June 29/30
• Tu/We August 10/11
• Tu/We August 17/18 (?)
• Mo/Tu September 6/7
• Tu/We September 7/8
• We/Th September 8/9

A cool summer and very colourful sunsets were a result of the eruption of a Mexican volcano.
Comet Austin reached naked eye visibility at this time.
 

The Celestial Observer, Dec. 1982 issue [85k] (newsletter of the Oshawa Astronomical Society).
 

On December 30th the temperature was several degrees above freezing, there was no snow, the fields were mud, and the skies were cloudy. Then cold arctic air moved in and the skies cleared in time for the start of the lunar eclipse! Steve Chomniak joined me at the farm to watch. The next total lunar eclipse at this location was not until August 1989. My account of this eclipse.