2018 Week 14: (April 1-April 7)

The cold and snow continues in Calgary.  It has been a very tough year for astronomy.  We have been below 11°C since early December and the 14 day forecast shows no sign of rising above this in the foreseeable future.

There are a few things to catch in the sky this week if the weather permits.  The table below highlights what we expect.

Date	Event
April 1	Mercury in Inferior Conjunction with the Sun
April 2	Mars 1.3°S of Saturn
April 2	Falcon 9 Launch (2:30pm MDT)
April 3	Jupiter 4°S of Moon
April 2	Ariane 5 Launch (3:34pm-4:24pm MDT)
April 7	Saturn 1.9°S of Moon
April 7	Mars 3°S of Moon

After a magnificent display in the sunset sky Mercury has dropped back in front of the Sun to appear in the eastern sunrise sky this April.

Followers of my page have noticed that Mars and Saturn are dancing close to each other in the southern sky.  They will be 1.3° from each other during the morning of April 2.  You will be able to see them together in the same binocular field or with a wide field telescope eyepiece.

The image below shows the southern sky at 6:00am local time.

Saturn/Mars Conjunction (Southern Sky 06:00)

The field of view is shown for a 4.4° binocular field and a 2.32° telescopic field.

Saturn/Mars Conjunction

The planets will also be dancing with the Moon all week.  The first will be Jupiter on Tuesday as it comes within 4° of the Moon.  Saturn and Mars follow 4 days later at 1.9° and 3° respectively.

As mentioned previously, the weather is forecast to be unseasonably cold sitting below the freezing mark as a high.  There is also snow forecast to fall on the city which has been the continuing theme of 2018.  With more than 4 feet of snow sitting in parts of my yard, setting up my telescope is a mere dream at this time.

There are a couple launches to tune into this week.  Another Falcon 9 rocket will be taking off from Cape Canaveral on Monday afternoon with cargo for the International Space Station.  Three days later an Ariane 5 will take flight carrying a Japanese communication satellite to orbit from French Guiana.  As always you can tune into these flights live at the following webpage:

https://spaceflightnow.com/

When the weather improves we will book another McKenzie Lake Star Night.  We may be able to catch Jupiter rising above the houses by the end of the event and see some of its Moons and equatorial belts.

Jupiter from the Backyard

Also, stay tuned for the biannual Fish Creek Star Night on April 21st.  This free event is open to everyone with members of the Royal Astronomical Society showcasing the wonders of the night sky!

Stay warm this week and hope for better weather.  There is a great season of observing ahead!

2018 Week 13: (March 25-March 31)

This upcoming week has a few things in the sky that may be worth checking out.  We are hoping for more snow melting so it is easier to setup observing equipment.  The chart below highlights what is happening in the sky.

Date	Event
March 28	Regulus 1.0°S of Moon
March 28	Venus 0.07°S of Uranus
March 29	Falcon 9 Launch - 08:19 MDT
March 31	Full Moon

The Moon will be full on the last day of the month and will light up the sky throughout the entire night.  However, just before the Moon is full it will be very close to the brightest star in Leo -- Regulus.  Unfortunately, due to the weather this Winter/Spring I have not given much time to Leo.  It is a wonderful constellation with many bright stars and worthwhile deep sky objects.

The big event occurring this week will be the conjunction of the second closest planet and second farthest planet from the Sun.  Venus and Uranus will be within 4 arcminutes of each other in the sky.  They may be able to be split with a set of binoculars but your best chance will be with a telescope.  The below image shows the field of view of a pair of strong binoculars (4.4°).

Venus and Uranus, March 28, 2018, 20:30 MDT

The planets will be so close to each other that they fit into the same field of view under great magnification (>200x) through a telescope.  The image below shows a 1° field of view with some of my common eyepiece fields inside (23', 29').

Venus and Uranus with Telescope

If you can catch this sight it will be remarkable.  However, you must be careful since it is likely you will be setting up your telescope as the Sun is setting.  Never point the telescope directly at the Sun unless it has a proper filter at the aperture.  Some goto telescopes may even prevent you from looking too close to the Sun unless you disable the safety feature.  I caught our closest neighbour last year when it was in the evening sky.  The picture is shown below.

Venus

I haven't had too much time observing Uranus as it danced throughout Pisces.  A picture of my first glimpse is shown below.  It seemed like a dull blue colour that did not twinkle in the sky.

Uranus

Also, next week, for those who follow space launches, a Falcon 9 rocket will be taking off from Vandenberg Air Force Base this Thursday morning.  The launch is currently scheduled for 08:19 MDT.  See the following webpage for a live link of the launch.

https://spaceflightnow.com/

Stay tuned for some public events that will be happening in April.  The biannual Fish Creek Star Night is coming up and you will not want to miss it!  Once the snow clears from the community centre we will host another McKenzie Lake Star Night to see some of the great Spring constellations!

2018 Week 12: (March 18-March 24)

Visual astronomy has been very difficult throughout the past few months. There has been a near record amount of snowfall dumped on the city of Calgary.

Hopefully we will have some clear skies next week and we can see some of the following things.

Date	Event
March 18	Venus 4°N of Moon
March 20	Spring Equinox
March 22	Aldebaran 0.9°S of Moon
March 24	First Quarter
March 24	Star Night at the Park - Glenbow Ranch

I have been disappointed in the weather this Winter and apparently Spring is upon us.  The Spring equinox occurs on Tuesday at 10:15 MDT.  The southern hemisphere will dip into autumn and they can have some cold weather for awhile.  Once the snow clears it is a great time to get out the telescope.  The sky still gets dark relatively early and the weather will continue to get warmer.

The Moon will be in the western sky during twilight and will be particularly close to Venus on March 18.  Also, if you have yet to catch Venus and Mercury dancing in the sunset sky be sure not to miss it.  Mercury is once again moving toward conjunction with the Sun and we'll only be able to naked eye it for about 1 more week.

Mercury and Venus in the Twilight Sky at Sunset

The above image is the sky on Tuesday evening just after 8:30pm.  Mercury and Venus will fit in the same binocular field.  Venus will be almost full at 96% and Mercury a waning crescent at 23% illumination.  The weather is supposed to be mild and it will be a perfect time to go for a walk with the western horizon in view.  You will see Earth, Venus and Mercury.

I went to the ridge last week and had the opportunity to take a picture of this event.

Mercury (top), Venus (middle), Earth (bottom)

Other than having your last shot at seeing Mercury in the evening sky there is a lunar conjunction with Taurus' eye star, Aldebaran.  Several places in the world will actually see the Moon cover the bright red star.

An event that you should not miss is the Star Night in the Park at Glenbow Ranch.  This is a great opportunity to get out and see the sky through many different telescopes.  Details of this event can be found below:

https://www.facebook.com/events/806270429573001/

As the end of the week nears the Moon will be at its first quarter phase.

The weather is supposed to be less snowy this week but that isn't saying too much.  Hopefully the above freezing temperatures can slowly melt our way out of this wet Winter.

2018 Week 11: (March 11-March 17)

This week was originally forecast to have snow but it seems like it will be clear and warm.  This will be a perfect opportunity to see the night sky.

Unfortunately Daylight Savings Time begins this weekend which means it will get dark at later times in the day.  I am already dreading the day in May where we have constant astronomical twilight throughout the Summer.

The chart below highlights what the sky has in store for us this week!

Date	Event
March 11	Daylight Savings Time Begins (Set your clock forward)
March 15	Mercury at greatest elongation East (18°)
March 17	New Moon

Although it does not look too exciting on first glance it will be an important week.  Remember to set your clocks ahead 1 hour before you go to sleep on Saturday March 10.  The morning will be darker but the evenings brighter based on the time on our watches.

The Moon will be new on St. Patrick's Day.  The New Moon gives astronomers access to the sky without light pollution from our lunar neighbour.

The most important item on the calendar is Mercury's greatest elongation East.  This is the best time to see our innermost planet from mid-northern latitudes in the evening in 2018.  You can already see Mercury sitting a few degrees above Venus in the western sky just after sunset.  Look toward the West about 30 minutes after sunset just above the horizon.  You will immediately see a very bright 'starlike' object in the sky.  This is Venus.  Just above Venus you should see a fainter 'starlike' object.  This is Mercury.  As it spends most of its time tucked in next to the Sun it is only visible at certain times throughout the year.  Just with your eyes you'll see Earth, Venus and Mercury all in a row in the same naked eye visual field.

Mercury, March 2017

The weather for the week looks much different than what we have had throughout most of February and March this year.  The daily highs will be above freezing and the overnight lows tend to dip just below 0°C.  As we move to the end of the week there may be some precipitation but certainly no signs of another Winter storm.

Get outside in the warmer weather and take in the sights of the night sky.  Catch the great Winter constellations before they leave us for another year!

2018 Week 10: (March 4-March 10)

We have just received an enormous dump of snow with some estimates around 30cm.  2018 is turning out to be one of the snowiest years on record.  The sky is supposed to clear out for the week and we might be able to catch some sights in the sky.  I'm less optimistic about finding some ground to setup a telescope.  The chart below describes the events happening this week.

Date	Event
March 4	Neptune in conjunction with the Sun
March 5	Zodiacal light visible in West after twilight for the next two weeks
March 5	Mercury 1.4°N of Venus
March 7	Jupiter 4°S of Moon
March 9	Jupiter stationary
March 9	Last Quarter
March 9	Falcon 9 Launch (10:33pm-12:33am Launch Window)
March 10	Mars 4°S of Moon
March 10	Saturn 2°S of Moon

On Sunday Neptune will be in conjunction with the Sun and will start to appear in the morning sky.  It will likely be visible through a telescope in April for keen observers.  Once again the zodiacal light may be visible to those residing in dark sites away from urban light pollution.  For more information about the zodiacal light follow the link below.

http://simonjastronomy.blogspot.com/2017/02/what-is-zodiacal-light.html

Zodiacal Light

There will be several planets lining up with the Moon this week.  The first will be on March 7 when Jupiter will be in the same binocular field as our closest celestial neighbour.  If you look directly south at 5 in the morning on the 7th you will see this fine sight.

Exactly three days later at the same time look toward the southeast.  The Moon will be just North of Mars and Saturn.  Both planets will be at about the same magnitude (brightness) at 0.6.  The Moon will still be quite illuminated at just past last quarter.

Mercury and Venus require some work with the evening twilight.  The Mercury/Venus conjunction on the 5th will be very difficult.  The pair of inner planets will be about 13.5° away from the Sun.  After the Sun sets you can try to scan the horizon with a pair of decent binoculars to try to find them.  Obviously, do not use your binoculars on the Sun as you will likely go blind.  Wait until the Sun is completely behind the horizon before looking.  Later the following week you will have a great chance to see Mercury as it will be a full 18° from the Sun at its best evening visibility for us mid-northern latitude dwellers.

Jupiter will begin its retrograde motion early in the morning on the 9th.  This is nothing too exciting as it just means the planet will slowly transit East through Libra instead of West.  It will resume its prograde motion in the middle of July.  It's difficult to find good information about prograde and retrograde motion online as it seems only astrologers really care about it.

Also, if you are following space launches, another Falcon 9 will be blasting to the sky late on March 9.  Watch this live at the link below.

https://spaceflightnow.com/

As mentioned above the weather will perhaps be sunny throughout most of the week with temperatures hovering just below the freezing mark at their high.  Extending to the longer term it looks like we may have another week of snow.  Get your observing in when you can we might be in for a stumble across the equinox line this year.