2018 Week 40: (September 30-October 6)

We are beginning the 40th week of 2018 and it looks to be a cold one.  There is a layer of snow sitting outside my house right now.  The weather is forecast to have temperatures well below average.  Hopefully the snow won't stick around too long and the sky clears out.  The chart below highlights the events occurring throughout this upcoming week.

Date	Event
October 2	Last Quarter
October 4	Moon 1.2°S of Beehive Cluster (M44)
October 5	Mercury 2°N of Spica
October 5	Regulus 1.9°S of Moon

The Moon will reach its last quarter phase on the second of the month and be visible in the southeastern sky in the early hours of the morning.  Two days later the Moon will be sitting next to the Beehive Cluster which rises mere hours before the Sun.

M44 - Beehive Cluster

Mercury is currently residing in Virgo this week but the Sun is as well.  Unfortunately we will not be able to see the conjunction with Spica.

As the Moon hangs around the early morning sky it will be in conjunction with the bright star Regulus in Leo on October 5.

Mars and Saturn are still worth a look in the southern sky.  You will be able to discern Mars by its beautiful red colour.

Mars

There is one rocket launch scheduled for this week and it takes place on Saturday.  The time is still to be determined so stay tuned to https://spaceflightnow.com/ for further information and the live launch.

Date	Event
October 6	Falcon 9 - SAOCOM 1A

There will be an amazing stargazing event happening at Ralph Klein Park this Saturday.  Many astronomers will be out with their telescopes pointing at the wonders in the sky.  Inside there will be many presentations and things to see.  I will be speaking on this evening about 'What's up in the Sky'.  I will cover the many constellations that reside in our Autumn sky and about the deep-sky secrets they hold.  This event is being held from 7pm-10pm and it is completely FREE to everyone.

Date	Event
October 6	Ralph Klein Park Public Stargazing (19:00-22:00)

A link to this event can be found below.

http://calgary.rasc.ca/rkp_2018b.htm

To follow the event on Facebook click on the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/305546816700653/

We hope to see you there clear or cloudy!  Bring a mug for the hot chocolate!

2018 Week 39: (September 23-September 29)

The weather this week looks horrible.  The many weeks of below average temperatures will continue until at least October.  However, there is not too much happening in the sky.

Date	Event
September 24	Full Moon

The Moon will be full on Tuesday and that is it!

Full Moon

It is now Fall and some of the favourite cold weather astronomical wonders are beginning to rise.  The Pleiades Star Cluster will appear in the eastern sky around 10pm.  Aquarius and Pisces will be cruising across the southern sky following Mars which resides in Capricornus.  Aquarius and Pisces offer the home to Neptune and Uranus respectively.  These are great targets for beginner-intermediate observers who wish to try their skills searching for our outer planets.

The Sun sets around 7:30pm giving astronomers lots of time to view the night sky.  The main observing season has already kicked off and there will be many public events continuing throughout the upcoming months.  Stay tuned for a public star night at Ralph Klein Park on October 6!

There is one scheduled rocket launch occurring this week happening in French Guiana.  An Ariane 5 rocket will launch some communications satellites into orbit.

Date	Event
September 25	Ariane 5 - Horizons 3e & Azerspace 2/Intelsat 38 (15:53)

As always you can watch live launches at the following webpage:

https://spaceflightnow.com/

Follow our Facebook page or Twitter feed for all of the latest Astronomy and Space News!

www.facebook.com/simonjastronomy
www.twitter.com/simonjastronomy

Watch out for October when we will have some meteor showers!

2018 Week 38: (September 16-September 22)

This week marks the first day of Fall which is not surprising as it has been on and off snowing for a week.  There are several great things to see in the sky this week highlighted in the chart below.

Date	Event
September 16	First Quarter
September 17	Saturn 2°S of Moon
September 20	Mars 5°S of Moon
September 20	Mercury in Superior Conjunction
September 21	Venus Greatest Illuminated
September 22	Equinox

The Sun will cruise over the equator to spend more time with our Southern Hemisphere friends until the beginning of Spring in March.  Nights will seem longer than days.  On warm evenings this will provide ample opportunity for great observing! We will have more than 8 hours of official 'Night' status amongst several hours of twilight.  Compare this to two months ago when we were still in unending daylight and twilight.

Day/Night Chart - September 22, 2018 (Image Credit: www.timeanddate.com)

The Moon continues to make its way through the planets on the southern horizon.  Upon reaching its first quarter phase it will snuggle in next to the great ringed planet Saturn on Monday evening.  Following this close encounter it will be near Mars on Thursday night.

That same evening Mercury will be at superior conjunction and will tuck in behind our Sun to emerge in the evening sky once again at the beginning of October.

Venus will be at its greatest illumination at -4.8 magnitude.  However the angles for Northern Hemisphere observers make it a tough observation.  You will need a clear cut view of the southwestern horizon and look for a bright object soon after the Sun goes down.  A keen observer may be able to find it before the Sun sets.  If you are using optical aid be sure to not accidentally point your optics at the Sun.

There are a few astronomy related activities happening around town this week.  Come check out a General Meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada - Calgary Centre.  There will be a free lecture entitled "At the Roots of Modern Astronomy: Messier, the Herschels and Fraunhofer", by Dr. Nic David.  I have been to lectures of his before and they are absolutely amazing.  Join us at the Kerby Centre downtown (free parking!) Thursday evening!

Also head out to the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory Friday evening for an Open House!  There will be telescopes setup and many hands on activities for the whole family.  Entrance is $30 per vehicle so pack everyone in tight!

Date	Event
September 20	RASC General Meeting (19:30 - Kerby Centre)
September 21	RAO Open House (19:30-22:30)

Stay tuned for more events around town and in your community!

2018 Week 37: (September 9-September 15)

This week appears to contain snow in the forecast.  It is quite common for this to occur near the end of our Canadian summers.  Hopefully it will put to rest the bugs that annoyed many astronomers throughout the season.  We have few things happening this week in the sky highlighted in the chart below.

Date	Event
September 9	New Moon
September 13	Jupiter 4°S of Moon

The Moon will be New on Sunday which offers the pleasure of viewing and photographing the night sky without the natural light pollution of our nearest celestial neighbour.

On Thursday the slim waxing crescent Moon will appear 4° North of Jupiter.  This will only be visible if the sky is clear and free from the possible snow that is forecast.

Jupiter

There are two scheduled rocket launches this week.  Japan will be launching a supply vehicle to the International Space Station this Friday.  The launch occurs during the day and can be caught live at https://spaceflightnow.com.  The following morning the NASA satellite ICESat 2 will launch from California.  It will be used to monitor ice sheet elevation, sea-ice and vegetation canopy height.  It may be worthwhile catching this launch as it will retire the Delta 2 rocket.  Details can be found below.

Date	Event
September 14	H-2B - HTV 7 (14:59:14)
September 15	Delta 2 - ICESat 2 (06:46)

Stay tuned for free Fall community activities.  Follow our Facebook page below to stay up to date!

www.facebook.com/simonjastronomy

Until then, clear skies!

2018 Week 36: (September 2-September 8)

We are now fully immersed in September and Fall is quickly approaching.  This means cooler weather and darker skies.  There are several things happening in the sky this week which are highlighted below.

Date	Event
September 2	Last Quarter
September 5	Zodical Light Visible
September 5	Mercury 1°N of Regulus
September 6	Saturn Stationary
September 6	Moon 1.4°S of Beehive Cluster (M44)
September 7	Neptune at Opposition

The Moon will be at its last quarter phase on Sunday and well out of the way of early evening deep sky observers.  The zodiacal light may be visible at dark sites in the East before morning twilight.  For more information about this phenomenon check out the link below.

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

Zodiacal Light

Saturn will once again begin its prograde motion through the stars on September 6.  If you track its position in the sky it will now appear to be moving eastward compared to the background stars.  It will slowly track towards Capricornus reaching the constellation in a few years.

You will be able to catch the Moon being attacked by bees of the Beehive Cluster this Friday in the early morning sky before the Sun rises.  Unfortunately the close encounter occurs when they are below the horizon.  However, you can still catch the pairing 6° apart when they rise early Friday morning.

Our furthest planet, Neptune, will be at opposition on Friday.  This will be the brightest and biggest it will be all year.  It is a perfect chance to get out your telescope and hunt for this elusive planet.  A guide to find it is provided below.

In the later evening (11pm) find the constellation Aquarius and see if you can naked eye Lambda and Phi Aquarii.  I usually find them southeast of the 'scissors' asterism located in the northern reaches of the constellation.  High resolution images can be found at the links at the end of the blog.

Neptune Wide Field

Neptune is placed approximately halfway between these two naked eye stars.  Now we can zoom in with our telescope or binoculars.

Neptune Narrow Field

The line from Lambda to Phi Aquarii will go through two bright stars located about halfway between the two naked eye stars.  There will then be a star sitting below the line just after this pairing.  This star is 83 Aquarii.  Neptune will be in the same telescope field of view (within 1°) of this star.  If you have this star at the bottom of your field you will have Neptune in your sights.  Look around the field for a blue/grey object that does not appear to be pinprick.  This will be Neptune located approximately 4.3 billion kilometers away from us.  It takes light about 4 hours to travel to us from Neptune.

To view or download high resolution images please use the links below.

Neptune Wide Field
Neptune Narrow Field

If you feel sad that Summer is on its way out then take some time to enjoy the starry night earlier in the evening!  Good luck as you look up!