2019 Week 35: (August 25-August 31)

This week in the sky we will have a new Moon and, if the weather is good, many astronomers will be out viewing the sky.

	Event
August 28	Moon in Beehive (M44)
August 30	New Moon

A new Moon offers the observer a beautiful dark sky free from natural light pollution.  This is a great time to pick out the dim galaxy that may have been eluding you all year.  A few days prior to the new Moon the Beehive Cluster (M44) will be in conjunction with the faint waning crescent Moon.  You can see this early in the morning before the Sun comes up.  Who does early morning astronomy anyway?

The Elusive Waning Crescent?

There are two rocket launches scheduled for this week.  A Chinese Kuaizhou 1A rocket will liftoff from Jiuquan, China on the 29th of the month.  Following this, a Russian rocket will carry a gravitational field monitoring satellite into orbit.  That sounds fascinating!

	Event
August 29	Kuaizhou 1A - KX-09
August 23	Rockot - Geo-IK 2

The Summer is coming to an end which means the Fall astronomy events will start to pick up!  Check out the September calendar at the following link: September Astronomy Calendar

The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's Calgary Centre will once again host great lectures at the Calgary Public Library's Central Branch.  Join us in September where will host Dr. Lisa Hughes from the University of Calgary.  She will be discussing Hercules as a constellation and as a mythic hero.  Stay tuned for more details!

If the sky is clear this weekend, find a great dark site and enjoy the beautiful sky!