The Winter is soon approaching and the cold will become commonplace for a few months. The Winter can offer crisp, clear skies conducive to great observing! This week the Moon will reach its first quarter phase shining brightly in the constellation Aquarius.
| Date | Event |
|---|
| December 3 | First Quarter |
Jupiter, Saturn and Venus are all excellent targets for those who like to spend time in the evening twilight. Jupiter sets an hour after the Sun but is big and bright enough to catch with the naked eye. Just above Jupiter will be Venus shining 7 times brighter as a large waning gibbous. Above Venus, you will still be able to catch the large ringed planet of Saturn. Saturn will seem nearly 75 times dimmer than Venus but certainly still visible to the naked eye. A telescope will pull in the rings but atmospheric distortions, so prominent with objects close to the horizon, will disturb the view.
 |
| Saturn |
There is a free astronomy event happening in Calgary this week. Come down to the Central Branch of the Calgary Public Library for the annual presentation of
The Christmas Star: An Astronomer's Perspective. This lecture will take you through the realms of possibilities of the star the wise men saw more than two thousand years ago.
| Date | Event |
|---|
| December 3 | The Christmas Star - Central Library (7pm-8:30pm) |
Next week one of my favourite meteor showers will peak. The Geminid meteor shower unfortunately occurs two days after the Full Moon but I'm hoping to still catch a few! As the Sun sets earlier, stay warm and take a look outside at the sky!
