There will be a great free event at the Calgary Public Library. A lecture entitled: The Christmas Star, An Astronomer's Perspective will be given on December 20, 2018 starting at 7pm. A link to this event is given below. Don't miss out!
The Christmas Star, An Astronomer's Perspective
The chart below highlights all the events happening in our cool late autumn skies!
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| December 21 | Aldebaran 1.7°S of Moon |
| December 21 | Mercury 0.9°S of Jupiter |
| December 21 | Winter Solstice |
| December 22 | Full Moon |
| December 22 | Ursid Meteor Shower Peak |
There are a few conjunctions occurring throughout the week if you are lucky to catch them. The bright red star of Taurus will be in conjunction with the Moon early Friday morning. You will be able to put both inside the same field of a telescope with the right eyepiece. A couple years ago I had the opportunity to see the Moon occult Aldebaran. Unfortunately that will not be the case this December.
If you wait just before the Sun comes up that same morning you might be able to catch our smallest and largest planet hanging out with each other. Mercury and Jupiter will be under a degree from each other. You may need some optical aid to lure them out of the morning twilight. DO NOT use optical aid when the Sun is above the horizon as you will damage your eyes if you catch our star in your field of view.
The Moon will be Full the next night and cause a great deal of light pollution wiping out faint objects. This brings us to the Ursid Meteor Shower which will likely be mostly destroyed by the Moon. The American Meteor Society estimates an hourly rate of 1 meteor per hour during a Full Moon. Will you catch this 1? The radiant sits just above the scoop of the Little Dipper asterism in Ursa Minor.
 |
| Ursid Radiant |
Comet 46P/Wirtanen Finder Charts
Mars is still in our nighttime sky in the northeastern reaches on Aquarius before it moves into Pisces by the end of the week. In February it will have a very close conjunction with Uranus at less than a degree away. This will make for a great picture if the sky is clear!
'Twas the week before Christmas and all through the Earth the rockets were launching! There are five launches scheduled for this upcoming week.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| December 18 | Falcon 9 - GPS 3-01 (07:11) |
| December 18 | Soyuz - CSO 1 (09:37) |
| December 18 | Delta IV Heavy - NROL-71 (18:57) |
| December 19 | GSLV Mk.2 (03:30) |
| December 20 | Proton - Blagovest No. 13L (17:15) |
The most interesting launch will be the Delta IV Heavy that was stopped on December 7 with a mere seven seconds left in the countdown. That same morning a Falcon 9 will be lifting off with a GPS satellite and a Soyuz will be taking a French optical imaging satellite into space.
The next day a GSLV Mk.2 will be lifting off from India carrying a communications satellite for the Indian Air Force. On December 20 a Russian Proton rocket will also put a communications satellite into space to provide high-speed internet, television and much more to a domestic and military audience.
All is not quiet on the public events calendar either! After the event at the library there will be two community star nights for anyone to check out. Click on the links in the chart below for more details!
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| December 20 | The Christmas Star, An Astronomer's Perspective (7-9pm) |
| December 21 | Cranston Star Night (6:30-8:30pm) |
| December 22 | McKenzie Lake Star Night (6:30-8:30pm) |
We hope to see you out this week!
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