2019 Week 1: (December 30-January 5)

This will be the first week of the New Year!  The big news starts out on New Year's Day with New Horizons' flyby of the Kuiper Belt Object now known as Ultima Thule. 

Thule in Latin refers to a legendary island that is beyond existence and Ultima is the word for furthest.  This name is quite savvy as Ultima Thule will be the furthest object we have explored.

NASA TV will have full coverage on this groundbreaking flyby.  The link below is a Sky and Telescope article written by New Horizons' Principal Investigator Alan Stern.

https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/new-horizons-approaching-ultima-thule/

New Horizons at the Plutonian System (Image Credit: NASA)

There are other great events happening in the sky that we can see in Calgary!  The chart below highlights them.

Date	Event
January 1	Venus 1.3°S of Moon
January 1	Saturn in conjunction with the Sun
January 3	Jupiter 3°S of Moon
January 3	Quadrantid Meteors Peak
January 4	Mercury 3°S of Moon
January 5	New Moon
January 5	Partial Solar Eclipse
January 5	Venus greatest elongation West

There will be a Solar Eclipse occurring on January 5th for those east of the International Date Line and on the 6th for the observers to the west.  A map of the eclipse region is found below.

January 5-6, 2019 Partial Solar Eclipse (Image Credit: https://www.timeanddate.com)

Throughout the week we will have three planetary conjunction with the Moon in the hours prior to sunrise.  Venus will be partying with the Moon early on New Year's morning as both will be found within the same telescopic field of view.  Two days later it will be Jupiter's turn follow by Mercury a day after that.

There is also a major meteor shower peaking on Thursday night.  You can catch the Quadrantids without the horrible glow of a Full Moon of the first week of January last year.  In the suburbs you may be able to catch about 10 per hour but may get lucky!  Look just above the head of Boötes as the radiant and see if you can catch a few!  For more information on viewing and/or recording this shower, follow the link below.

https://simonjastronomy.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-quadrantid-meteor-shower.html

Quadrantid Meteor Shower Peak

The week ends with a New Moon to start the first lunar cycle of 2019.  The same night Venus will reach its westernmost appearance in the sky away from the Sun at a whopping 47°.  It will be in a last quarter phase with only 50% of the planet illuminated.  This will be a great time to catch it in a telescope.

Get outside and observe the Winter constellations in the spells of great weather!

2018 Week 52: (December 23-December 29)

We are nearly at the end of 2018.  What a great year we have been having!  Will 2019 top this past year?  You'll have to stay tuned to find out!  The table below highlights what is happening throughout the upcoming week.

Date	Event
December 24	Moon 0.6°S of Beehive (M44)
December 29	Last Quarter

Comet 46P/Wirtanen is high in our Northern Hemisphere sky this week.  It starts off right next to Capella, the brightest star in Auriga. It ends it week in the lesser known constellation of Lynx.

Mars still sits bright and red directly south as it just recently crossed the border into Pisces.

On Christmas Eve the waning gibbous Moon will be within the same telescopic field as the Beehive Cluster.  This cluster is also known as Praesepe which is Latin for 'Manger'.  This is a perfect conjunction for this date!  Unfortunately I do not yet have a great picture of the Beehive but I hope to fix that in 2020!

Beehive Cluster - Praesepe (Manger)

This event will occur in the eastern sky with their closest approach being 10pm.  A map of this region can be found below to help you find it.  Just follow the line between the twin stars of Gemini towards the Moon and look through binoculars!

Moon/Manger Christmas Conjunction in the East

Just prior to the end of the year the Moon will be at its Last Quarter phase on its way to becoming a New Moon.  This New Moon will be quite special as it will cause a Partial Solar eclipse in some of the most populated areas in the world.  Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, and Taipei will all have a glimpse of the Moon covering our very own home star!

We had a couple great nights of public star nights!  Unfortunately clouds rolled in but the Moon was still somewhat visible.  Public star nights are always a gamble as the weather is perhaps the largest casino in the world.  We are looking at having some basic telescope nights early in the new year with some scopes setup at dark locations throughout several communities.  This will be an outdoor event only dependent on the weather.  Thank-you to the amazing volunteers who helped put on these events and to the facilities who graciously let us use their space.

Public star night volunteers after their last shift

There is only one rocket launch scheduled for this week.  The Russian Government is sending observation satellites into orbit to help map forest fires.  You can catch this launch live at https://spaceflightnow.com just after 7pm on Boxing Day.

Date	Event
December 26	Soyuz - Kanopus-V 5&6 (19:07)

There are no public events planned for a couple weeks.  However, you can mark your calendars for January 10 when the Telus Spark will be hosting an Adult Night entitled 'Embrace Outer Space'.  A link to this event can be found below.

http://sparkscience.ca/experience-telus-spark/events/embrace-outer-space

Also, look out for a great event at the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory on January 20.  There will be a Total Lunar Eclipse that evening which is being called a 'Super Blood Wolf Moon'.

Follow us on Facebook for details of upcoming events!

2018 Week 51: (December 16-December 22)

This week will have the Winter Solstice marking the first day of winter.  However, before this occurs mark your calendar for the last astronomical event of the Fall!

There will be a great free event at the Calgary Public Library.  A lecture entitled: The Christmas Star, An Astronomer's Perspective will be given on December 20, 2018 starting at 7pm.  A link to this event is given below.  Don't miss out!

The Christmas Star, An Astronomer's Perspective

The chart below highlights all the events happening in our cool late autumn skies!

Date	Event
December 21	Aldebaran 1.7°S of Moon
December 21	Mercury 0.9°S of Jupiter
December 21	Winter Solstice
December 22	Full Moon
December 22	Ursid Meteor Shower Peak

There are a few conjunctions occurring throughout the week if you are lucky to catch them.  The bright red star of Taurus will be in conjunction with the Moon early Friday morning.  You will be able to put both inside the same field of a telescope with the right eyepiece.  A couple years ago I had the opportunity to see the Moon occult Aldebaran.  Unfortunately that will not be the case this December.

If you wait just before the Sun comes up that same morning you might be able to catch our smallest and largest planet hanging out with each other.  Mercury and Jupiter will be under a degree from each other.  You may need some optical aid to lure them out of the morning twilight.  DO NOT use optical aid when the Sun is above the horizon as you will damage your eyes if you catch our star in your field of view.

The Moon will be Full the next night and cause a great deal of light pollution wiping out faint objects.  This brings us to the Ursid Meteor Shower which will likely be mostly destroyed by the Moon.  The American Meteor Society estimates an hourly rate of 1 meteor per hour during a Full Moon.  Will you catch this 1?  The radiant sits just above the scoop of the Little Dipper asterism in Ursa Minor.

Ursid Radiant

What else is there worth watching for in the sky?  Comet 46P/Wirtanen is coming further north and will be playing around in the constellation Auriga.  A link to the finder charts can be found below.  I will update it for the last week of December soon.

Comet 46P/Wirtanen Finder Charts

Mars is still in our nighttime sky in the northeastern reaches on Aquarius before it moves into Pisces by the end of the week.  In February it will have a very close conjunction with Uranus at less than a degree away.  This will make for a great picture if the sky is clear!

'Twas the week before Christmas and all through the Earth the rockets were launching!  There are five launches scheduled for this upcoming week.

Date	Event
December 18	Falcon 9 - GPS 3-01 (07:11)
December 18	Soyuz - CSO 1 (09:37)
December 18	Delta IV Heavy - NROL-71 (18:57)
December 19	GSLV Mk.2 (03:30)
December 20	Proton - Blagovest No. 13L (17:15)

The most interesting launch will be the Delta IV Heavy that was stopped on December 7 with a mere seven seconds left in the countdown.  That same morning a Falcon 9 will be lifting off with a GPS satellite and a Soyuz will be taking a French optical imaging satellite into space.

The next day a GSLV Mk.2 will be lifting off from India carrying a communications satellite for the Indian Air Force.  On December 20 a Russian Proton rocket will also put a communications satellite into space to provide high-speed internet, television and much more to a domestic and military audience.

All is not quiet on the public events calendar either!  After the event at the library there will be two community star nights for anyone to check out.  Click on the links in the chart below for more details!

Date	Event
December 20	The Christmas Star, An Astronomer's Perspective (7-9pm)
December 21	Cranston Star Night (6:30-8:30pm)
December 22	McKenzie Lake Star Night (6:30-8:30pm)

We hope to see you out this week!

Geminids 2018

This year the Geminids were fantastic!  The peak of the shower was scheduled for the early morning of Friday, December 14.  I was up from 11pm-12:30am on Thursday night to Friday morning.  I counted 18 separate meteors during this time including a small green bolide that split into 3 additional meteors.

I used an all-sky map to record the observations of the meteors.  This is shown below.

Geminids 2018 - Observation Map

If you look at the observation record you can see that 94% of all recorded meteors radiated from a point just north of Beta Geminorum (Castor).  Just one of the observed meteors was recorded to move in the opposite direction towards the typical Geminid radiant (shown below).

Geminid Radiant

I set myself up in an Adirondack chair in my backyard wearing warm winter attire with my clipboard, red flashlight and watch.  There were narrow cloud bands running west to east travelling through the region of Gemini.  They came and went throughout the entire hour and a half I was outside.  Sometimes the clouds fully encompassed Gemini, Orion, Taurus, or Auriga.  This may have contributed to a lower count throughout the evening.  I complained about this shortly into the evening.

The meteors started off quite slowly and my eyes began to wander to other sights in the sky.

The shower picked up just after midnight with nearly 2/3 of all observed meteors occurring in the last half hour I was out.  More clouds started to roll in and work the next day allowed my bed to beckon to me.

My eyes settled on a sweet spot in the sky between Betelgeuse and Castor's foot (of M35 fame).  This was basically the center of the Winter Hexagon which is becoming more prominent in our cold skies (shown below).  The house blocked a lot of my northern skies but I wasn't too concerned as there was a lot of action in the south.

It was a fun and relaxing evening. The temperature was 3°C and the wind was quite gentle.  I could not really expect better conditions at this time of year.  I am looking forward to the Quadrantid Meteor Shower next month as it occurs a mere 2 days before the New Moon.  If the weather is good I will be out again!

2018 Week 50: (December 9-December 15)

In the sky this week we have a prolific meteor shower peaking.  The annual Geminid meteor shower reaches its best on Thursday Night-Friday Morning!  Also, there will be a great free event coming up at the Calgary Public Library.  A lecture entitled: The Christmas Star, An Astronomer's Perspective will be given on December 20, 2018 starting at 7pm.  A link to this event is given below.  Don't miss out!

The Christmas Star, An Astronomer's Perspective

The sights in the sky this week are presented in the chart below.

Date	Event
December 13	RASC on Global Morning (07:40)
December 14	Geminid Meteors Peak
December 14	Mars 4°N of Moon
December 15	First Quarter
December 15	Mercury Greatest Elongation West

Join the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada on the Global Morning Show at 7:40am on December 13 where Roger Nelson will be detailing Comet 46P/Wirtanen. 

This year's Geminids are looking to be great.  The moon will set a few minutes before 11pm removing the biggest natural source of light pollution in the sky.  This will allow for prime viewing of the Geminids if you can escape artificial sources of light pollution.  On the same night the Moon will be paired up with Mars in the sky and you will be able to view both through a pair of binoculars.  The next evening the Moon will reach its First Quarter phase.

If you are a morning person you should try to find Venus, Mercury and Jupiter.  Venus is unmissable in the southeastern sky as it will appear as a very bright looking 'star'.  Mercury rises around 6:30am, two hours before the Sun.  Jupiter will rise 45 minutes later and be visible to the keen observer who can navigate the sky during twilight.  The map below shows how the southeast sky will appear at 7:30am on December 15.

Planets - December 15

The Delta Heavy launch last week was stopped with 7 seconds left in the countdown.  I have not seen such an event and was riveted.  Live launches are always a wonder to watch and it's a shame I don't see more of them.

There is one launch scheduled for next week out of the North island of New Zealand.  It will be carrying several CubeSats into orbit for NASA.  I have yet to watch a launch from this location and am looking forward to it.  All launches can be watched live from the link below.

https://spaceflightnow.com/

Date	Event
December 12	Electron - VCLS 1 (21:00)

Stay tuned for more great astronomical events as we approach the end of the year!

2018 Week 49: (December 2-December 8)

We have a good week for conjunctions coming up including an amazing one with two planets!  The chart below highlights all the action happening this week!

Date	Event
December 3	Venus 4°S of Moon
December 5	Mercury 1.9°S of Moon
December 6	Mercury Stationary
December 7	New Moon
December 7	Mars 0.04°S of Neptune
December 8	Saturn 1.1°S of Moon

As the Moon ends its cycle watch for a faint waning crescent to coincide with Venus on the morning of December 3.  You will be able to see Venus in the southeast sky before the Sun rises.  You can't miss this great pairing.  Look a little bit to the West and you will also see the bright star of Virgo--Spica.  Venus and the Moon will fit in a pair of binoculars and may be worth dusting them off.

Two days later the Moon will pair up with our Solar System's smallest planet, Mercury.  The Moon will be so slim that it will be dimmer than Venus that morning.  Mercury can be found just South of the Moon.  Your best bet may be to grab your binoculars you used two mornings ago.  Also, if you look to the East of this pair you may be able to see Jupiter rising above the horizon just before the Sun.

The Moon will eventually die out and become New on the 7th of December.  It will pair up with Saturn the next evening on the 8th.  This may be a difficult sight as it will be in the evening twilight.  However, if you have a good view of the western horizon shortly before 5pm see if you can see them!

The best treat is saved for the evening of December 6 and 7.  Mars and Neptune will be within a degree of one another.  At their closest they will appear a mere 2.4 arcminutes from each other.  That is 6 times closer than Mizar and Alcor in the handle of the Big Dipper.  This is certainly worth getting the telescope out for, it is rare that we have two planets so close to each other.

Neptune and Mars

If that is not enough, Comet 46P/Wirtanen is putting on a great show in the southern sky.  As of December 2, 2018 it has an average observable magnitude of 5.6.  This is a good target with binoculars from the suburbs.  If you want a treat, head out to a dark site away from the city.  How can you find this comet?  Check out the link below where there are sky maps for the days in December.

Comet 46P/Wirtanen Finder Carts

There are several rocket launches occurring this week that you should check out.  Canadian David Saint-Jacques will be taking off in a in a Soyuz Spacecraft headed towards the International Space Station.  This launch will be occurring at 4:31am, wake up early or stay up late!

Date	Event
December 3	Soyuz (04:31)
December 3	Falcon 9 - Spaceflight SSO-A (11:31)
December 4	Falcon 9 - SpaceX CRS 16 (11:38)
December 4	Ariane 5 - GSAT 11 & GEO-Kompsat 2A (13:37)
December 7	Long March 3B - Chang'e 4 (11:30)
December 7	Delta 4 Heavy - NROL-71 (21:19)

The rest of the week has a busy schedule of some amazing launches.  The Falcon 9 is scheduled for two launches in two successive days taking some satellites into orbit and cargo to the ISS.

An Ariane 5 rocket will be launching an Indian communications satellite and a South Korean weather satellite.  This launch is scheduled to take place two hours after the Falcon 9 lifts off with ISS cargo.

In a much anticipated mission to the far side of the Moon a Chinese rocket will be hauling Chang'e 4 into space on December 7.  The Chinese hope to land the first robotic craft on the far side of the Moon.  A rover will be part of this mission and will certainly give the public a show if successful.  This mission was previewed at the beginning of the year on our site.  Follow the link below for more information.

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

The busy week ends with a Delta 4 Heavy lifting off with a classified US spy satellite into orbit.  The launch of a Heavy rocket is always amazing to watch, especially live.  To watch these launches use the following website.

https://spaceflightnow.com/

The weather looks like it will be clear for most of the week after the dump of snow we received.  This is the perfect time to enjoy the sights above!