2019 Week 8: (February 17-February 23)

This week in Calgary we may approach the freezing mark for the first time in several weeks.  We may have a few mild evenings to check out what is happening in the sky above!  The chart below highlights all the great events.

Date	Event
February 17	Moon 0.6°S of Beehive (M44)
February 18	Venus 1.1°N of Saturn
February 19	Full Moon (Perigean Moon)
February 20	Zodiacal Light Visible

The Moon will be what some people refer to as a 'supermoon' this week.  It will be the closest full moon to the Earth this year.  This phenomenon is essentially imperceptible to the human eye but the name 'supermoon' tends to excite people.  Besides the Moon being slightly larger and brighter, the tides may measure a little higher compared to other full or new moons throughout the year.  The reason for this is the gravitational force is dependent on the distance between two objects by an inverse square.  This essentially means the closer two objects are, the higher the gravitational force.

The previous week had a close conjunction of the fourth and seventh planet in our Solar System.  Mars and Uranus put on a great show during a cold clear night.

Mars/Uranus Conjunction, February 13, 2019

This week the second and sixth planet will be in close conjunction.  Venus and Saturn will be a little over 1° apart in the sky during the early morning just before sunrise.  This will be more difficult to see as at 7:00am the pairing will only be 8° above the southern horizon with the Sun close in pursuit.  Also, with possible flurries in the forecast it may be an impossibility for Calgarians.

Saturn and Venus (Crescent Phase)

The zodiacal light phenomenon may be visible in the west shortly after evening twilight.  This is best seen from dark locations away from the lights of the city.  A blog post describing this is provided below.

Zodiacal Light

After a few weeks of skies free of major rocket launches this week picks back up.  Three scheduled launches will be occurring with a Falcon 9 lifting an Israeli Lunar Lander for a rendezvous with our nearest celestial neighbour.  You can catch all of these launches live at: https://spaceflightnow.com/

Two Soyuz rockets are also scheduled to take some communication satellites into orbit.  This will include the first of a constellation of broadband internet satellites.

Date	Event
February 21	Soyuz - EgyptSat-A (09:47)
February 21	Falcon 9 - PSN 6 & Beresheet (18:45)
February 22	Soyuz - OneWeb Pilot (14:37)

We are fortunate enough to have a free public lecture on Radio Astronomy by Dr. Jo-Anne Brown from the University of Calgary.  Canada is a world leader in Radio Astronomy and this talk will discuss the recent work that is being done in the Okanagan Valley in BC.

Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory - John A. Galt Telescope (Image Credit: Jason Nishiyama)

This event is open to everyone and will be our last meeting at the Kerby Centre.  After a brief stopover at the University in March our new home will be the Central Branch of the Calgary Public Library.

Date	Event
February 21	RASC General Meeting - Imaging the Invisible Using Radio Astronomy (19:30)

If you would like more information about this great event please head to the event on Facebook, linked below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/408536426381970/

Stay tuned for some amazing events happening throughout 2019 by subscribing to our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/simonjastronomy/

Stay warm and if you catch yourself outside after dark don't forget to look up at the wondering staring down!

2019 Week 7: (February 10-February 16)

We have had an exceptionally cold February this year and it looks to continue for at least another week or two.  The sky has been relatively clear with great seeing but certainly difficult for astronomers to brave the cold!  Of course, in the middle of this cold we have a rare event that you do not want to miss.  The chart below highlights everything going on in the sky this week.

Date	Event
February 10	Mars 6°N of Moon
February 10	Uranus 5°N of Moon
February 12	First Quarter
February 13	Mars 1.1°N of Uranus
February 13	Aldebaran 1.7°S of Moon

I am really excited for the conjunction of Mars and Uranus.  The closest alignment occurs during the evening of February 13, 2019.  However, during the 11th-14th they will be in the same telescopic field with my camera.  Unfortunately the weather has been exceedingly cold which will make taking a photograph much harder.  If there is a clear sky I will likely be out on one of those nights.

A map of this event in the sky can be found below.  Mars will be the bright red object in the south-southeastern sky after it gets dark.  Don't confuse it with the bright red star Aldebaran which will be hanging out with the Moon that night.  Stick Mars in your binocular field and you will see Uranus hovering less than a quarter of your field below.

Mars/Uranus Conjunction, February 13, 2019

There are no rocket launches scheduled for this week but it looks like 4 may lift off the week after including the Crew Dragon Spacecraft.

There are no public events occurring this week but there will be a great free lecture next week.  Join us for the last meeting at the Kerby Centre before we move to the Calgary Public Library.  On February 21 at 7:30pm Dr. Jo-Anne Brown will be giving a talk entitled "Imaging the Invisible Using Radio Astronomy".  A description is provided below.

Radio Astronomy is a relatively young branch of astronomy that takes advantage of radio-frequency emission, instead of the more familiar optical emission. Radio telescopes can "see" through dust and gas in a way that allows us to probe farther into space, and thus further back in time than optical telescopes can. The Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO), nestled in the hills of the Okanagan Valley, has been, and continues to be, a world leader in radio astronomy, both in terms of observations and engineering. In this talk, I will review some of the history of radio astronomy, and of DRAO itself, as well as discuss my work on Galactic magnetism using data from DRAO.

DRAO Main Building and 26m Dish (Image Credit: Jason Nishiyama)

This is a free event for anyone to join, I really hope to see you there!  Details can be found below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/408536426381970/

Don't forget to subscribe to our Facebook Page for all the latest Space News and Astronomical Sights!

2019 Week 6: (February 3-February 9)

In Canada we have been experiencing unseasonably cold temperatures that may be keeping astronomers inside.  There are a few highlights this week in which the Moon dances with some objects in our Solar System.  The chart below highlights the events.

Date	Event
February 4	New Moon
February 6	Vesta 1.1°S of Moon
February 6	Neptune 3°S of Moon

On Monday a new lunar cycle begins with a Micro New Moon.  A micromoon is a non-scientific term that refers to a New or Full Moon near the time of apogee (furthest point in Moon's orbit around Earth).  I would not expect the media to jump all over this term like the 'Super Blood Wolf Moon' of two weeks ago.

However, this New Moon marks the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar.  This great event is celebrated worldwide with many festivities happening throughout the days before and after.  This upcoming year is the year of the pig.  So will people be calling this a Micro Pig New Moon?  I certainly hope not.

Happy New Year! 恭禧發財

The Moon, as a waxing crescent, will be seen in the western sky dancing between Neptune and the second largest asteroid in the belt: Vesta.  Both objects have been visited by spacecraft from Earth.  Voyager 2 visited Neptune back in 1989 while Vesta was visited relatively recently in 2011 by the Dawn spacecraft.  It may be difficult to see these objects as the Sun will have just set within the same hour.

The important date to set on the calendar in the coming weeks is February 13 when Mars and Uranus will be in the same telescopic field of view.  A similar situation happened back in December when Mars and Neptune were close friends.

Mars/Neptune Conjunction - December 2018

There are no rocket launches schedule for this week but things will pick up later in February.  Also, stay tuned for March when the second Falcon Heavy will launch from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Centre with a Saudi communications satellite.  It is an important historical fact that LC-39A was the same launch pad that sent the Apollo 11 mission to space with a Saturn V.

This is a great segue into the next agenda item: public astronomy events.  The Rothney Astrophysical Observatory is hosting another one of their famous open houses.  At this event, space historian Joel Powell will present "The Space Race: From Sputnik to Apollo 11 and Beyond".  Members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will be out with their telescopes so you're going to want to dress in warm clothes!

Date	Event
February 9	RAO Open House (20:00-23:00)

If you would like more details about this event check out the Facebook page:

 https://www.facebook.com/events/374772506684955/

or the event page:

https://www.ucalgary.ca/rao/node/2276

As always, stay tuned on our Facebook Page for the latest information about what is happening in the sky and the news.

www.facebook.com/simonjastronomy