2018 Week 35: (August 26-September 1)

This upcoming week reaches into September.  Fall is on its way.  With it, hopefully clear skies and the beginning of the beautiful Winter constellations.  This week in the sky is not too exciting but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying the fresh air and a healthy assortment of stars above.  The chart below showcases what is going on this week.

Date	Event
August 26	Full Moon
August 28	Mars Stationary

The Moon will be Full to start the week on Sunday.  As the Moon moves onto its waning gibbous phase be sure to enjoy the early evening sky without the light pollution.

Full Moon

Mars will be stationary on Tuesday as it ends its retrograde motion.  For those who are tracking the orbital motion of the red planet you will notice it start to move eastward compared to the background stars.  It is still quite large and bright and the perfect target for binoculars or a telescope!

You can still catch Jupiter as it sets in the southeastern sky shortly after sunset.  The great ringed planet Saturn stands prominently in the southern sky at this time.  Check it out before it gets swallowed by the evening twilight!

There are some great Fall constellations rising in the east.  Aquarius, Pisces and Aries make their return to the evening sky.  Along with them you can catch the ice giants Uranus and Neptune if you have some great telescope skills!

Andromeda can be seen in the northeastern sky between the 'W' of Cassiopeia and the Square of Pegasus.  Under dark skies you may be able to see the Andromeda Galaxy which lies 2.5 million light years away.  This is a great object for binoculars or a telescope.

If you stay up late enough (past midnight) you will see the Pleiades Star Cluster rising in the east heralding the start of the cool seasons.  I always remember looking up at this cluster while seeing my breath float away in the cold air.

2018 Week 34: (August 19-August 25)

The sky has been filled with smoke for several weeks now and it is certainly hindering our ability to see the stars!  There is not anything too exciting happening this upcoming week anyway.  The table below highlights the one event occurring in our sky.

Date	Event
August 21	Saturn 2°S of Moon

Saturn will be a mere 2° from the Moon late Monday evening to early Tuesday morning.  They will both be able to fit into the same binocular field and will make quite a sight if the sky is clear.  It may be fun to use a wide field telescope to see our Moon next to some of Saturn's Moons (if the Moon's light pollution doesn't swallow them).

If you are interested in watching some rocket launches there are a couple events happening this week.

Date	Event
August 21	Vega - Aeolus (15:20)
August 25	Falcon 9 - Telestar 18 VANTAGE (21:33)

A Vega rocket will be launching a wind profiling satellite for the European Space Agency on the 21st of August.  This will increase the accuracy of forecasting and provide additional information on climactic changes.  A link to an outline of this mission is provided below.

https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Aeolus/Introducing_Aeolus

Later in the week a Falcon 9 rocket will be taking a communications satellite up to space that will provide services throughout East Asia and the Pacific.

These launches can be watched live at the link below.

https://spaceflightnow.com/

If the smoke is clear this week be sure to check out the major planets that are continuing their sojourn across the southern sky.  A map is provided below to help you find some of our familiar friends.  The sky below is the evening of August 19 at 10:30pm.

Saturn is my favourite to look at with its beautiful rings.  Check out a public event for an astronomer to show you its beauty!

Saturn

Jupiter is setting early in the evening while Saturn and Mars still make tempting targets for those who like to stay up until midnight!  Let's hope for clear skies in the near future!

2018 Week 33: (August 12-August 18)

This upcoming week is usually particularly interesting to the casual observer.  A lot of people get outside under the dome of darkness to witness the Perseid Meteor Shower.  The chart below highlights this upcoming week in the sky.

Date	Event
August 12	Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks
August 14	Venus 6°S of Moon
August 17	Jupiter 5°S of Moon
August 18	Mercury Stationary
August 18	First Quarter

The Moon is brand new and will be a waning crescent until the weekend.  This would be a good time to catch some deep sky objects in the later evening sky after the Moon has set.  Also, this bodes very well for the Perseid Meteor Shower as we will not have as much natural light pollution.  After the Sun sets Sunday evening turn your eyes toward the northeastern sky.

Perseid Radiant Map

The basic idea is to find the well known 'W' asterism in the constellation Cassiopeia in the northeast.  Look just below this region toward the constellation Perseus.  You should be able to find an assortment of meteors falling to Earth that seem to radiate from this area.  The estimate of hourly rates is provided below.  As you can see, the further you get away from the city the more meteors you will expect to see.

City	Suburbs	Rural	Optimal
10	20	50	100

This year we may have to contend with smoke in the air.  This will certainly hinder our ability to catch sight of a Perseid Meteor.  If the smoke is think enough, expect to see zero.  A few evenings last week I had trouble finding the brightest planets in the sky.

The weather for this week is above average temperatures but not like that of the preceding week.  We can only hope the smoke clears from our sky to allow us a great view of the wonders above.  The global dust storm on Mars has cleared up only for us to become encompassed by a shroud of forest fire smoke.

The smoke in the sky has been quite adept at scattering light from bright objects such as the Moon and the Sun.  It is important to note that the smoke does not block all the harmful radiation from the Sun.  It is dangerous to look at the Sun without proper protection.  Many people damage their eyes at this time because it does not immediately feel uncomfortable to look at our solar friend.  If you want to avoid permanent eye damage, DON'T LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN.

However, take a look at the Moon when it sets.  It will likely be quite red as the smoke scatters more of the blue spectrum leaving the red to transmit through to our eyes.

The Parker Space Probe was delayed by a day and will be launching early in the morning on August 12, 2018 at 1:31am.  It will be lifted into space by a Delta IV Heavy which is quite an impressive rocket.  Check this launch out at the following link.

https://spaceflightnow.com/

It is worth watching as this will be a history setting mission that will be talked about for decades to come.

Enjoy the Perseids if the smoke clear out and continue to look up and be amazed each night!

2018 Week 32: (August 5-August 11)

It seems as though we are in for a hot week here in Calgary.  It may lead to perfect evenings to walk outside late and see the stars and planets above.

Date	Event
August 6	Aldebaran 1.1°S of Moon
August 7	Uranus Stationary
August 8	Mercury in Inferior Conjunction
August 11	New Moon
August 11	Partial Solar Eclipse

There will be a partial solar eclipse occurring this upcoming Saturday.  It will not be visible from Calgary.

It is important to note that many media institutions publish misleading information regarding astronomical events.  Online media bases its revenue on the amount of traffic attending the site.  In order to increase traffic they use false hyperbolic information to trick people into following the link to their site.  This occurred during the total lunar eclipse of July 27, 2018.  Several online media organizations dramatized this event as the greatest eclipse in a century that you can witness from Canada.  The Earth's outer shadow (penumbra) barely grazed the Moon on the easternmost point of Canada.  This would be imperceptible to the human eye.  I was asked more than a dozen times what was up with this eclipse.  Nothing.  Unless I was in stationed in the eastern hemisphere.

If you are an individual or media outlet uncertain about an upcoming astronomical event please do not hesitate to contact us below.

Email: simonjastronomy@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/simonjastronomy
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SimonJAstronomy

Getting back to the partial solar eclipse this weekend, it will be visible from parts of Canada.  However, the region of Canada it will be visible is quite lacking in observers.  The image below highlights the areas around the world it can be seen.  I would like to highlight Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut.  The eclipse will be visible as the Sun rises around 4:15am and will continue for more than an hour until 5:24am.  I think it would be absolutely fascinating to see a solar eclipse so early in the morning.

August 11, 2018 Partial Solar Eclipse (Image Credit: www.timeanddate.com)

As for other events this week it is a mixed bag.  The waning crescent Moon will be in conjunction with Taurus' bright star Aldebaran.  Taurus is now fully past the Sun and visible in the sky shortly before dawn.  In later months we will see the Pleiades creeping into our evening sky signalling the advent of Winter.

The seventh planet in our Solar System, Uranus, will be stationary on August 7 and it will begin its retrograde motion West against the backdrop stars.  It is still cruising the sky in Pisces and it makes a good target for those with binoculars or a telescope.

Mercury will be in inferior conjunction as its sits in front of the Sun relative to Earth.  It will again be visible later in the month in the morning sky.

The Moon will be New on August 11 and would likely qualify as a Supermoon.  Do not expect the media to jump all over that one since you can't see New Moons.  It will cause larger than normal tides as it lies close to Earth in its orbit at the same time it is aligned with the Sun.  For more information about tides follow the link below.

http://simonjastronomy.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-tides.html

Just for fun I have provided the tidal forecast for Vancouver below.  As the Moon approaches its Supermoon New Phase the tides get higher and higher with a 4.47m differential on the 11th.

I video chatted with my family on the beach while they were in Vancouver during the week of the Full Moon (another high tide time).  They arrived at the beach at low tide and had to walk 10-15 to the water.  The tide moved in quite quickly and recently built sandcastles became buried in mere minutes.

Vancouver Tidal Forecast August 4-12, 2018 (Image Credit: www.tide-forecast.com)

It is a very important week for space missions.  The chart below showcases the two major launches.

Date	Event
August 6	Falcon 9 (Merah Putih) 23:18
August 11	Delta 4 Heavy (Parker Solar Probe) 01:48

A Falcon 9 is scheduled to raise an Indonesian communications satellite to orbit in the late Monday evening.  However, the big event is the launch of the Delta 4 Heavy carrying the Parker Solar Probe.  This is shared in detail on my Space Missions 2018 Preview below.

http://simonjastronomy.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-preview-i-space-missions.html

This probe will get within 6 million kilometers of the Sun and will be able to study our own star like nothing before.  Even though this launch occurs at nearly 2 in the morning (MDT) it is worth checking out.

Parker Space Probe (Image Credit: John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory)

I will reiterate again to get outside and view Mars.  It is at its largest but will soon shrink back into insignificance for another two years.  It won't be this large again until the mid 2030s when we have all aged more than a decade.

Mars

The global dust storm is starting to die down and you may be able to catch some surface features.  I intend to take my first 2018 vacation from work to spend some time with the red planet.  Look toward the southeast sky after sunset for your glimpse of Mars and note its colour and brightness.


Also, do not miss Venus, Jupiter and Saturn throughout the evening sky.  Venus and Jupiter are well on their way toward opposition and will not be visible in the evenings of 2018 much longer.

Also, set aside some time the week after for the return of the Perseid Meteor Shower!

2018 Week 31: (July 29-August 4)

This week in the sky has Mars reach its closest approach to Earth during this opposition.  The small red planet will be only 58 million kilometers away.  The table below highlights this week.

Date	Event
July 31	Mars at Closest Approach
August 4	Last Quarter

The Moon will reach its last quarter phase this weekend allowing early evening deep-sky observers the chance to catch a few galaxies or clusters.  As for the rest of the week there is not really anything else too exciting happening.  This, however, doesn't mean there isn't anything to see.  Jupiter and Saturn are still big and bright in the southern sky and worth taking a peek.

Jupiter can be found shining brightly in the southeastern sky just after the Sun sets.  I was only able to catch a quick snapshot of the big planet before it went behind the neighbour's garage.

Jupiter

This week Saturn can still be found directly south after the Sun sets.  It is not as bright as Jupiter or Mars but should still stand out from the stars in the general vicinity.  Due to its direction in the sky I was able to spend more time capturing our ringed planet.  The seeing was not too bad and the Cassini Division was easily visible through my 8" reflector telescope.  I was surprised to see so much detail given how low Saturn is in the sky.

Saturn

Moving to the southwest the famous red planet of Mars can be found.  There is still quite a dust storm raging across the entire globe.  I was getting quite tired by the time I took images and a tree got in my way.  I hope to have more opportunities throughout August to take some more pictures,

Mars

If you are out for an evening walk with a clear view of the western horizon you will still be able to catch Venus as it sets just over an hour after the Sun.  It is currently visible at half phase which can be detected with most telescopes.  I have not imaged Venus recently as it is so low in the sky and causes a logistical nightmare to move equipment.  The image below is from early in 2017 and showcases the waning crescent phase.

Venus

Stay tuned for more great events and things to see in the sky!  Meteor shower season is almost upon us with the Perseids coming up in a couple weeks!