2019 Week 22: (May 26-June 1)

This week will mark the first full week in 2019 without what is officially recognized as 'night'.  The Sun will be less than 18° above the horizon and twilight will reign for two months.

Date	Event
May 26	Last Quarter
May 28	Ceres at Opposition
May 30	Vesta 0.6°S of Moon
May 31	Uranus 5°N of Moon
June 1	Venus 3°N of Moon

On Sunday the Moon will have reached its last quarter phase and will be visible the early morning sky and throughout the day.  Soon it will be a new moon and then visible as a slim waxing crescent signalling the end of Ramadan.

The dwarf planet Ceres will be at opposition on Tuesday May 28 and will sit a few degrees above Antares, the bright red star in Scorpius.  Seasoned observers can certainly resolve this magnitude 7.0 object in a telescope and then pop over for a visit to Jupiter just to the East.

Ceres (Image Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA / Justin Cowart)

A magnitude 8.3 asteroid, the second largest object in the belt (after Ceres), will be in conjunction with the Moon two nights later.  The Moon will then dance with Uranus and Venus the following two evenings.  Well, by evenings I mean early mornings just before the sun rises.

I caught a conjunction with Uranus and Mars earlier this year in February and they are always more fun to see in person than to talk about!

Mars/Uranus Conjunction - February 2019

There are two rocket launches scheduled for this week that can be watched live.  A Soyuz rocket will be taking a navigational satellite into space as the day turns to May 27.  Three days later another Russian rocket will take off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with a communications satellite.

Date	Event
May 27	Soyuz - Glonass M (0:00)
May 30	Proton - Yamal 601 (11:42)

What sort of challenge object should you look out for this week?  I invite you to cast your telescopes on the Leo Triplet.  This small grouping of galaxies in the sky are separately known as M65, M66 and NGC3628.  They can be resolved in a field of view of 1° and also certainly worth the time for astrophotographers. 

Leo Triplet

They are conveniently located under the hind legs of the lion halfway between Theta and Iota Leonis.  Grab a light bucket telescope and seek them out for a great view 35 million light years from home.

We have started a Youtube channel to discuss all the things going on in the sky based right in here Calgary.  If you are reading this and haven't subscribed yet check it out below!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW8U3OjONxqEl4OOyT8k00A

It doesn't have a fancy URL yet because you need at least 100 subscribers!  So navigate there and click 'Subscribe'!

As always, take the time to look up and enjoy the night sky above.  If you are out camping away from the city you will see many more stars.  You can always learn more about them by wandering our many blogs, social media accounts or by emailing!

2019 Week 21: (May 19-May 25)

This week in the sky there will be many conjunctions among solar system objects!

Date	Event
May 19	Mars 0.2°N of M35
May 19	Ceres 1.2°N of Moon
May 20	Jupiter 1.7°S of Moon
May 21	Mercury in superior conjunction
May 22	Saturn 0.5°N of Moon
May 22	Pluto 0.1°N of Moon

Our neighbouring great red planet Mars will be in conjunction with an interstellar object known as M35.  Messier 35 is an open cluster that sits just above Castor's foot in the constellation of Gemini.

When it gets dark locate the twin stars Castor and Pollux in the northeastern sky.  Follow the constellation west from the northernmost of the bright stars to find Mars.  Through a telescope you should be able to see the planet amongst a beautiful cluster of stars.

Mars and M35 Conjunction

Throughout the rest of the week the Moon will dance with the dwarf planet Ceres, followed by Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto.  Unfortunately their closest encounters will be visible from the Eastern Hemisphere but we can certainly see them within 5° of each other.  If you hold your hand at arms length and extend your pointer, middle and ring finger 5° is the distance they span.

There is one rocket launch scheduled for this week.  India will be using a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle to send a radar Earth observation satellite into space.  You can catch most launches online at: https://spaceflightnow.com/

Date	Event
May 21	PSLV - RISAT 2B (17:57)

We have reached that moment late in Spring.  At 1:44am on Saturday, May 25 we will lose true night until July 19.  Since we live at 50°N latitude we are condemned to have 2 months of nothing but astronomical twilight throughout the evening.  Deep-sky astrophotographers up here typically pack up their gear until later in the Summer.  During this time the Sun does not dip more than 18° below the horizon which is how true 'Night' is defined.

A further explanation can be found at the link below:

https://simonjastronomy.blogspot.com/2017/06/what-is-twilight.html

There are still plenty of objects in the sky to check out.  If you have not yet navigated the galaxies of the Virgo cluster find a dark spot with your telescope and a guide to nail as many of these as possible.  Also, Leo is on its way down to the Sun so if you haven't found all the objects in the Lion for 2019 evenings, now is your chance.

Hercules is starting to rise in the eastern sky which will give observers a beautiful look at the great Hercules globular cluster -- M13.

Also, as Summer approaches you will start to see the Summer Triangle rising to signal the warm weather and plentiful supply of bugs.  Also, stay tuned for Milky Way Nights at the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory for a grand tour of the arms of our galaxy!

Scouting Sagittarius (Summer 2018)

Get outside with your unaided eye and see the amazing wonders above.  You may catch a meteor, aurora or recognize one of your favourite constellations!

2019 Week 20: (May 12-May 18)

This week the sky will showcase the Spring constellations as they cross the sky in the evening.  Spend some time outside under the stars and learn what is above. 

Date	Event
May 18	Venus 1.2°S of Uranus
May 18	Full Moon

The Moon will be full on Saturday and lighting up the evening sky.  This will we be the last full week of true night as the Summer twilight sets in until July the following week.  Jupiter rises just before midnight in the constellation of Ophiuchus and will be great for Summer viewing.  Saturn soon follows the big planet as it continues to play around in Sagittarius.

Jupiter

There is one rocket launch scheduled for next week as a Falcon 9 will launch several SpaceX satellites into orbit.  This is scheduled for 8:30pm MDT on May 15.

Date	Event
May 15	Falcon 9 - Starlink (20:30)

The event you're not going to want to miss is a free public lecture at the Calgary Public Library's Central Branch.  Dr. David Hobill will be giving a talk on Black Holes and Gravitational Waves.  This is a great opportunity to learn more about current science that is pushing the frontiers of our exploration of the universe.  A link to the event on Facebook is provided below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/281464452729885/

For additional details check out the RASC - Calgary Centre page below.

https://calgary.rasc.ca/speakers2019.htm#mayGM

Date	Event
May 16	Public Lecture - Einstein Was Right After All - Black Holes, Gravitational Waves and the True Nature of Gravity (19:00)

This event is perfect for the whole family!  A lot of students do not have school the following Friday so they can stay up and learn more about gravity from a leading expert!

Gravitational Waves

Stay tuned for many great events happening throughout the Summer, including a special series of presentations held in every branch of the Calgary Public Library.  Follow our page below so you don't miss out!

https://www.facebook.com/simonjastronomy/

2019 Week 19: (May 5-May 11)

This week in the sky we have a meteor show peaking and the Moon dancing with some very common objects!  The chart below highlights these great events.

Date	Event
May 5	η-Aquariid Meteors Peak
May 7	Mars 3°N of Moon
May 10	Moon in Beehive Cluster (M44)
May 11	First Quarter

The Eta-Aquariid Meteor Shower will be peaking Sunday/Monday.  It is an early morning shower that is difficult to see as the morning twilight might eat a lot of the meteors.  This is typically a shower for those in the Southern Hemisphere.  The chart below shows the expected rate based on where you live.

City	Suburbs	Rural	Optimal
3	5	10	60

The radiant can be located in the 'Y' shape asterism within Aquarius as shown below.

Eta-Aquariid Radiant

The Moon will be hanging out in the Beehive Cluster on May 10.  Check out the sky shortly after the Sun goes down and stick binoculars on the Moon.  You should see the Beehive just slightly to the west.  A map of this event can be found below.

Moon/Beehive Cluster Conjunction

Another great Moon event happens three evenings earlier.  The Moon will be in conjunction with Mars and they will both be in the same binocular field.  Also, the Crab Nebula will be in this field, however it is quite dim even for urban telescope users. 

Mars

There will be one public star night happening in Calgary this week!  Come to Ralph Klein Park on Saturday, May 11 from 7:30-10:30 in the evening to take in the wonder of the night sky.  Members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will be out with their telescopes to showcase the amazing sights in the sky.  This event is completely free and kid friendly!  Details can be found below:

https://calgary.rasc.ca/rkp_2019a.htm

https://www.facebook.com/events/288238772118789/

Date	Event
May 11	Ralph Klein Park Star Night

Ralph Klein Park Star Night

Also, it is important to note that at 7pm on May 16 at the Central Branch of the Calgary Public Library we will be hosting a lecture on Black Holes and Gravitational Waves.  Our speaker will be Dr. David Hobill, Professor at the University of Calgary.  This free event is one you are not going to want to miss.  Details can be found below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/281464452729885/

Black Hole

If you would like to keep up to date on astronomical events happening around Calgary on the ground and in the sky follow our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/simonjastronomy/