2020 Week 4: (January 19-January 25)

This week in the sky, the Moon makes its way to become a New Moon.  It will be in conjunction with both Mars and Jupiter in the early morning sky.

Date	Event
January 20	Mars 2° of Moon
January 22	Jupiter 0.4°S of Moon
January 24	New Moon

Mars is shining at magnitude 1.4 in Ophiuchus which is two constellations away from where the Sun is located in Capricornus.  This makes for some early twilight astronomy which, apparently, some people enjoy.  Jupiter shines nearly 20 times brighter in Sagittarius 30° east of Mars and will be in conjunction with the Moon on January 22.  Two days later the Moon will be in conjunction with the Sun which is called a New Moon.  With the lack of natural light pollution and great improvement in the temperatures this will be a perfect chance to get out and explore the night sky.

On January 25 it will be the Chinese New Year.  The New Moon ushers in the Year of the Rat(Mouse).  In the Chinese calendar, the New Year typically occurs on the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice.

Watch out for the big event happening on January 27.  Neptune and Venus will appear in the sky less than 5 arcminutes from each other.  Around 6pm, in Calgary, they will be about a quarter of a degree from each other.  This is half the diameter of the Moon.  Find someone with a telescope, or use binoculars to see this amazing conjunction.  Phi Aqaurii will also be in the same 1° field of view.  I hope to be out that evening taking a picture.  Stay tuned for next week's blog to learn more about it!

2020 Week 3: (January 12-January 18)

We have an amazing week in store with a free lecture at the Calgary Public Library on Impact Craters in Seismic Data.  This is open to everyone and for all ages!  No need to register!

Date	Event
January 13	Saturn in Conjunction with Sun
January 13	Ceres in Conjunction with Sun
January 17	Last Quarter

The week in Calgary is anticipated to be very cold with daily highs approaching -30°C.  The week after looks like it will again be above seasonal.  On Monday, January 13 both Saturn and the dwarf planet Ceres will be in conjunction with the Sun.  Saturn will once again appear in the morning sky, probably becoming visible early in February.

The Moon will be at its last quarter phase at the end of this week and appear in the early morning skies.

Last Quarter

The big news is we will have an expert speaker coming to the Central Branch of the Calgary Public Library to discuss impact craters throughout Alberta.  A synopsis can be found below.

Synopsis: Since the acquisition of seismic data in the 1960's, impact structures have been seen in seismic data. These are structures that were created earlier in the Earth's history from a meteorite impact and have since been buried underground. While many of these unique structures are known to be located in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, we also find these buried impact craters around the world with many well-known astroblemes located in the USA. Some of these structures occur in areas with oil and/or gas concentrations and are of interest to the industry for economic reasons, while others exist in zones without any hydrocarbons and are of scientific interest to gain a better understanding of these structures and events. In this presentation we will take a world tour of some of the well-known impact structures seen in seismic data, followed by an in-depth look at a few examples found in Alberta. Come explore a unique topic where astrophysics meets geophysics!

This event is occuring on January 16 at 7pm in the main program room of the Calgary Public Library!  Don't miss out on free knowledge!  Perfect for youth!  Check out the links below:

https://www.facebook.com/events/518298638759999/

https://calgary.rasc.ca/speakers2020.htm#janGM

Stay warm this week and if you're not looking at the sky, clean off your equipment for the warm temperatures the week after!

2020 Week 2: (January 5-January 11)

This week in the sky we have a lot going on that you're going to want to check out.  The Earth will be at its closest position in its orbit to the Sun early in the morning on Sunday.  Since the Earth orbits the Sun in an elliptical shape with the Sun at one node we experience a perihelion and an aphelion.  It is the tilt of the Earth that affects the seasons and not the proximity of the Earth to the Sun, unlike what my grade 6 teacher may have thought.  See below for more highlights!

Date	Event
January 5	Earth at Perihelion
January 9	Moon 4°S of M35 @Midnight
January 10	Mercury in Superior Conjunction
January 10	Full Moon
January 10	Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
January 11	Uranus Stationary
January 11	Moon 2°N of Beehive Cluster (M44) @8pm

Around midnight during the transition between January 8-9 the Moon will be in the same binocular field as the open cluster M35 at the foot of Castor, one of the brothers in Gemini.

The next day Mercury will be in superior conjunction with the Sun and will position itself in a line behind the Sun as viewed from the Earth.  We may be able to catch the diminutive planet in the evening twilight by the end of January.

The Moon will be full that same day and will shine brightly only 3 days from its perigee.  This is certainly not the best time to crack out the high aperture telescope to search for distant objects.

Full Moon

A penumbral eclipse will occur at this time for many observers.  However, it will not hit Calgary, but if it did, it's a penumbral eclipse.  Penumbral eclipses are difficult to see even to the most experienced observers.

Uranus will become station and then, once again, begin its prograde motion as it will move east compared to the background stars in Aries.

The same evening, watch as the moon rises.  Put that into your binocular field and see the beautiful Beehive Cluster sitting right next door.

Also, don't miss the free event coming up at the Calgary Public Library.  The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is hosting Amanda Obodovsky who will be talking about Impact Craters in Seismic Data.  See below for more details!

https://calgary.rasc.ca/speakers2020.htm#janGM

https://www.facebook.com/events/518298638759999/