2017 Week 30: (July 23-29)

The final week of July has come and with it the last lunar cycle before the great solar eclipse.  There are several conjunctions happening throughout this week including the innermost planet Mercury.  If you have a view of the western horizon you might be able to pick Mercury out of the twilight as it will be less than a degree South of the Moon.  It will be quite close to the alpha star in Leo and shining twice as bright before you go to bed on the 25th.

Date	Event
July 23	New Moon
July 25	Mercury 0.9°S of Moon
July 25	Regulus 0.07°S of Moon
July 26	Mercury 1.1°S of Regulus
July 26	Mars in conjunction with the Sun
July 27	Southern Delta Aquariids Peak
July 28	Jupiter 3°S of Moon

July 26 also has Mars in conjunction with the Sun.  This means Mars will be tucking in behind the Sun and will start peeking out in the following months.  On July 27th in 2018 Mars will be at opposition, its closest since 2003.  However, for higher northern hemisphere observers it will be difficult to see properly.  It will be at nearly -26° declination.  This is lower than Saturn currently sits.  The atmosphere will give us bad seeing which will make it quite difficult for imaging.

The Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower will also peak this week.  The radiant is, obviously, Delta Aquarii in the southern reaches of Aquarius.  Your best bet to see them will be between Thursday and Friday.  Look South in the middle of the night and catch perhaps 20 meteors per hour at their best.  An image of Aquarius with Delta Aquarii circled is shown below.  It is located at the bottom of the flow of water from the water bearer's flask.

Aquarius and Delta Aquarii

Jupiter is starting to go down with the twilight in the West and will be close to the Moon Friday evening.  If you're hoping to catch it through a telescope you better get your observing in before the fine details get swallowed in the atmosphere!

Astronomical twilight is finally over and Calgary can have some real night for the first time since the end of May.  This will be a great time to get prepared for another season of great observing!

2017 Week 29: (July 16-22)

This Summer has proven rotten for anything good in the sky to observe.  The 29th week of the year does not have anything too special.  The last quarter Moon occurs tomorrow if anyone is awake in the early morning before sunrise to see it shine brightly in the sky.  Aldebaran will be very close to the Moon a few nights later closer to sunrise.

Date	Event
July 16	Last Quarter
July 19	Aldebaran 0.4°S of Moon
July 20	Venus 3°N of Moon

If you like viewing Venus you can see it in the morning sky a few hours before sunrise.  It will be quite close to the waning crescent moon on July 20.  Soon we will have the July new moon which is exactly one lunar cycle before the great solar eclipse on August 21.

There are many interesting constellations up in the sky during the early Summer.  Hercules stands bright at our zenith and, for the careful observer, you might be able to catch M13 in all its great glory.

M13

The twlight is still killing early evening observing but if you like staying up past midnight you'll be able to view the stars in cool comfort after the bugs have gone to bed.

Please catch Jupiter as it plunges into the sunset after another season of great evening observing.  Saturn will be directly south with nearby Antares shining brightly to the west of the ringed planet.

Good luck observing this week and watch closely for some Summer constellation profiles I hope to post throughout the next couple weeks!

2017 Week 28: (July 9-15)

It is Stampede week in Calgary and we've been hit with a heat wave.  Hopefully you'll take some time in the evening to cool down in your backyard and look at the sky.  However, there isn't much to see as far as significant astronomical events.

Date	Event
July 9	Mercury 0.04°N of M44 (Beehive Cluster)
July 13	Neptune 0.9°N of Moon

The Moon will be full this evening and, along with the heat, will contribute to insomnia across southern Alberta.

If you haven't caught Jupiter yet this year I would encourage you to look to the southwest.  It will be dipping down into the twilight soon and the Earth's atmosphere will destroy any good seeing for the year.  Saturn will be in a great position as it can be seen in the southern sky.  It will be at an altitude of approximately 17° above the horizon just before midnight.  It will not be for a few years before Saturn will be higher in the sky away from the poor seeing that comes being so low.  Saturn's rings are pretty much tilted to their maximum and any small telescope will be able to make them out.  If you are lucky and have moments of good seeing you may be able to see the divisions among the rings.

The great solar eclipse is almost a month away so you should be thinking about preparing for it.

Solar Eclipse

If you are to travel from Calgary your quickest driving route will be Oregon, Idaho, or Wyoming.  Below are some maps of the route of totality.

Oregon Totality

Idaho Totality

Wyoming Totality

Calgary will see a partial eclipse with the New Moon covering approximately 77-78% of the face of the Sun.  It will be dangerous to look at the Sun without proper protection during all times of the eclipse from Calgary.  To view with your naked eye you should have certified solar glasses and, even then, do not stare at the Sun for long periods of time.  If you are interested in a pair of these glasses please get in touch with me through my facebook page below.

https://www.facebook.com/simonjastronomy/

2017 Week 27: (July 2-8)

The first week of July has begun and the Sun will start spending less time in the sky as the days progress.  There are only a few sights in the sky this week but perhaps worth checking out.

Date	Event
July 2	Juno at opposition
July 3	Earth at aphelion
July 7	Saturn 3°S of Moon

If you are a telescope user the asteroid Juno will reach opposition on July 2.  It is, however, an unfavorable opposition and will only reach magnitude 9.8.  Good luck if you try to scope it out.

The Earth will reach aphelion the next day which means it will be at its furthest point away from the Sun in its orbit.  This may seem counter intuitive to residents of the Northern Hemisphere.  The heat of summer occurs while the Earth is at its furthest from the Sun?  That is true, it is the tilt of the Earth that affects the seasons, not the proximity to our home star.  Perihelion occurs around January 3 each year and the Earth is at its closest in the elliptical orbit.

Later in the week Saturn will appear 3° South of the Moon.  Saturn has been visible in the early evening skies for a few weeks now if you look toward the southeast.  Observers with telescopes should try to find Saturn while the Sun is still above the horizon using the Moon as a guide.  Last night Jupiter was only 2.5° away from the Moon and I was able to catch it in my telescope more than 2 hours before sunset.  The equatorial bands and great red spot were clearly visible against the backdrop of the blue sky.

Jupiter

The Moon's phase will be between the first quarter and full which means it is easy to see in the early evening and has amazing features that can be seen with just a simple pair of binoculars.

Lunar Impact Craters Visible from 8-9 Day Old Moon

The ice giants in the outer solar system are starting to rise nearer to midnight and will make challenging targets for amateur astronomers.  I can promise that finding Neptune or Uranus with a manual scope is quite rewarding!