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!