2019 Week 11: (March 10-March 16)

This week in the sky we have some conjunctions with the waxing crescent Moon.  Also, you have to check out the amazing public lecture next week!  It is completely free and well worth attending!

Date	Event
March 11	Mars 6°S of Moon
March 13	Aldebaran 1.9°S of Moon
March 14	First Quarter
March 14	Mercury at inferior conjunction

Mars is starting to getting much lower in the western sky as it slowly makes its way to solar conjunction in September.  At magnitude 1.3 it is not an impressive sight in the sky as it was last Summer.  The Moon will pair up with Mars on the 11th as it undercuts it by 6°.

Mars

The next night you will be able to catch the Moon cruising by the bright red star, Aldebaran which forms the eye of Taurus the bull.  The Moon will then reach First Quarter on March 14 and be worth a look through the telescope as you can make out many great features that intersect with the terminator.

The smallest planet, Mercury will pass between the Earth and the Sun as it reaches inferior conjunction the same evening.

There will be four rocket launches occurring this week.  The schedule is shown below and all launches can be watched live from: https://spaceflightnow.com/

Date	Event
March 14	Soyuz - IS-58S (13:14)
March 14	Vega - PRISMA (18:50)
March 15	Delta 4 - WGS10 (16:56)
March 15	Electron - R3D2 (16:30)

A Soyuz rocket will be taking off Baikonur Cosmodrome on the 14th carrying the next crew for the International Space Station.  Several other satellites will be launched and may be worth checking it out.

On March 21 at the University of Calgary the Royal Astronomical Society is hosting astronomy journalist Fraser Cain.  He will be discussing the Golden Age of Astronomy and highlighting the many research projects happening around the world.

We will also have a live video conference with the control room of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, one of the foremost research telescopes in the world.

Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope

For more information follow the link below.  It is open to everyone and all ages!

https://www.facebook.com/events/2211662482419661/

Stay tuned for the latest astronomy events by following us on Facebook below!

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

2019 Week 10: (March 3-March 9)

We may be in for a warming spell this week and could be done with the cold weather for the season!  This will be great for all those northern astronomers wanting to blow the dust off their telescopes!

Date	Event
March 6	New Moon
March 6	Neptune in conjunction with the Sun

Unfortunately as the week warms up there isn't much out of the ordinary to lay your eyes upon.  The Moon and Neptune will be in conjunction with the Sun on Wednesday.  We will be unable to see Neptune throughout the entire month but hopefully it will start to peek out early in April.  The furthest planet will be in conjunction with both Mercury and Venus during the first third of April and may make a great sight for those who like hunting objects in morning twilight.

It is important to note that Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday March 10 as many across Canada lose an hour during Saturday night.  We will need to stay up later for darker skies.

As the weather gets better it may signal you need to get out to the RAO for another one of their amazing Open Houses.  The theme of the night is Radio Astronomy and Dr. Jo-Anne Brown will be giving a lecture on the topic.

Radio Astronomy

We had the fortune of listening to a version of this talk a couple weeks ago.  It is well worth the time to check it out.  For more details follow the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/251392049122690/

Date	Event
March 9	Rothney Astrophysical Observatory Open House - Radio Astronomy

There is another public event coming up in March that we should discuss.  The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's Calgary Centre will be hosting our annual Peter Sim Lecture at the University of Calgary.  Fraser Cain from Universe Today will be giving a much anticipated talk on the Golden Age of Astronomy.  Also, we will be having a video conference with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope located on Mauna Kea.  This event is free and open to anyone!  Stay tuned for more details!

Peter Sim Memorial Lecture - March 21, 2019

This Spring we have many great public events planned to showcase the beautiful sky above.  Follow us on Facebook to keep up to date so you don't miss any opportunities!

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

2019 Week 9: (February 24-March 2)

This week in the sky we have several planetary conjunctions with the Moon.

Date	Event
February 26	Last Quarter
February 26	Mercury Greatest Elongation East
February 27	Jupiter 2°S of Moon
March 1	Saturn 0.3°S of Moon
March 2	Venus 1.2°N of Moon

The Moon will reach its Last Quarter phase on the 26th of February.  After that date it will befriend several of the Solar System's planets.  On Wednesday it will be only 2° away from the largest planet, Jupiter.  Two days later it will cruise by the large ringed planet of Saturn to eventually pair up with Venus the next night.  These are sights that are visible in the early morning before the Sun rises.

The weather has been unseasonably cold for the last 3 weeks and looks to continue throughout the following week.  Astronomers in Alberta have stayed indoors to avoid the punishing throes of Winter.

Stay warm this week but if you do catch yourself out after dark take the time to look up.  The Winter sky can offer some great visibility if you can manage the low temperatures!

2019 Week 8: (February 17-February 23)

This week in Calgary we may approach the freezing mark for the first time in several weeks.  We may have a few mild evenings to check out what is happening in the sky above!  The chart below highlights all the great events.

Date	Event
February 17	Moon 0.6°S of Beehive (M44)
February 18	Venus 1.1°N of Saturn
February 19	Full Moon (Perigean Moon)
February 20	Zodiacal Light Visible

The Moon will be what some people refer to as a 'supermoon' this week.  It will be the closest full moon to the Earth this year.  This phenomenon is essentially imperceptible to the human eye but the name 'supermoon' tends to excite people.  Besides the Moon being slightly larger and brighter, the tides may measure a little higher compared to other full or new moons throughout the year.  The reason for this is the gravitational force is dependent on the distance between two objects by an inverse square.  This essentially means the closer two objects are, the higher the gravitational force.

The previous week had a close conjunction of the fourth and seventh planet in our Solar System.  Mars and Uranus put on a great show during a cold clear night.

Mars/Uranus Conjunction, February 13, 2019

This week the second and sixth planet will be in close conjunction.  Venus and Saturn will be a little over 1° apart in the sky during the early morning just before sunrise.  This will be more difficult to see as at 7:00am the pairing will only be 8° above the southern horizon with the Sun close in pursuit.  Also, with possible flurries in the forecast it may be an impossibility for Calgarians.

Saturn and Venus (Crescent Phase)

The zodiacal light phenomenon may be visible in the west shortly after evening twilight.  This is best seen from dark locations away from the lights of the city.  A blog post describing this is provided below.

Zodiacal Light

After a few weeks of skies free of major rocket launches this week picks back up.  Three scheduled launches will be occurring with a Falcon 9 lifting an Israeli Lunar Lander for a rendezvous with our nearest celestial neighbour.  You can catch all of these launches live at: https://spaceflightnow.com/

Two Soyuz rockets are also scheduled to take some communication satellites into orbit.  This will include the first of a constellation of broadband internet satellites.

Date	Event
February 21	Soyuz - EgyptSat-A (09:47)
February 21	Falcon 9 - PSN 6 & Beresheet (18:45)
February 22	Soyuz - OneWeb Pilot (14:37)

We are fortunate enough to have a free public lecture on Radio Astronomy by Dr. Jo-Anne Brown from the University of Calgary.  Canada is a world leader in Radio Astronomy and this talk will discuss the recent work that is being done in the Okanagan Valley in BC.

Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory - John A. Galt Telescope (Image Credit: Jason Nishiyama)

This event is open to everyone and will be our last meeting at the Kerby Centre.  After a brief stopover at the University in March our new home will be the Central Branch of the Calgary Public Library.

Date	Event
February 21	RASC General Meeting - Imaging the Invisible Using Radio Astronomy (19:30)

If you would like more information about this great event please head to the event on Facebook, linked below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/408536426381970/

Stay tuned for some amazing events happening throughout 2019 by subscribing to our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/simonjastronomy/

Stay warm and if you catch yourself outside after dark don't forget to look up at the wondering staring down!

2019 Week 7: (February 10-February 16)

We have had an exceptionally cold February this year and it looks to continue for at least another week or two.  The sky has been relatively clear with great seeing but certainly difficult for astronomers to brave the cold!  Of course, in the middle of this cold we have a rare event that you do not want to miss.  The chart below highlights everything going on in the sky this week.

Date	Event
February 10	Mars 6°N of Moon
February 10	Uranus 5°N of Moon
February 12	First Quarter
February 13	Mars 1.1°N of Uranus
February 13	Aldebaran 1.7°S of Moon

I am really excited for the conjunction of Mars and Uranus.  The closest alignment occurs during the evening of February 13, 2019.  However, during the 11th-14th they will be in the same telescopic field with my camera.  Unfortunately the weather has been exceedingly cold which will make taking a photograph much harder.  If there is a clear sky I will likely be out on one of those nights.

A map of this event in the sky can be found below.  Mars will be the bright red object in the south-southeastern sky after it gets dark.  Don't confuse it with the bright red star Aldebaran which will be hanging out with the Moon that night.  Stick Mars in your binocular field and you will see Uranus hovering less than a quarter of your field below.

Mars/Uranus Conjunction, February 13, 2019

There are no rocket launches scheduled for this week but it looks like 4 may lift off the week after including the Crew Dragon Spacecraft.

There are no public events occurring this week but there will be a great free lecture next week.  Join us for the last meeting at the Kerby Centre before we move to the Calgary Public Library.  On February 21 at 7:30pm Dr. Jo-Anne Brown will be giving a talk entitled "Imaging the Invisible Using Radio Astronomy".  A description is provided below.

Radio Astronomy is a relatively young branch of astronomy that takes advantage of radio-frequency emission, instead of the more familiar optical emission. Radio telescopes can "see" through dust and gas in a way that allows us to probe farther into space, and thus further back in time than optical telescopes can. The Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO), nestled in the hills of the Okanagan Valley, has been, and continues to be, a world leader in radio astronomy, both in terms of observations and engineering. In this talk, I will review some of the history of radio astronomy, and of DRAO itself, as well as discuss my work on Galactic magnetism using data from DRAO.

DRAO Main Building and 26m Dish (Image Credit: Jason Nishiyama)

This is a free event for anyone to join, I really hope to see you there!  Details can be found below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/408536426381970/

Don't forget to subscribe to our Facebook Page for all the latest Space News and Astronomical Sights!

2019 Week 6: (February 3-February 9)

In Canada we have been experiencing unseasonably cold temperatures that may be keeping astronomers inside.  There are a few highlights this week in which the Moon dances with some objects in our Solar System.  The chart below highlights the events.

Date	Event
February 4	New Moon
February 6	Vesta 1.1°S of Moon
February 6	Neptune 3°S of Moon

On Monday a new lunar cycle begins with a Micro New Moon.  A micromoon is a non-scientific term that refers to a New or Full Moon near the time of apogee (furthest point in Moon's orbit around Earth).  I would not expect the media to jump all over this term like the 'Super Blood Wolf Moon' of two weeks ago.

However, this New Moon marks the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar.  This great event is celebrated worldwide with many festivities happening throughout the days before and after.  This upcoming year is the year of the pig.  So will people be calling this a Micro Pig New Moon?  I certainly hope not.

Happy New Year! 恭禧發財

The Moon, as a waxing crescent, will be seen in the western sky dancing between Neptune and the second largest asteroid in the belt: Vesta.  Both objects have been visited by spacecraft from Earth.  Voyager 2 visited Neptune back in 1989 while Vesta was visited relatively recently in 2011 by the Dawn spacecraft.  It may be difficult to see these objects as the Sun will have just set within the same hour.

The important date to set on the calendar in the coming weeks is February 13 when Mars and Uranus will be in the same telescopic field of view.  A similar situation happened back in December when Mars and Neptune were close friends.

Mars/Neptune Conjunction - December 2018

There are no rocket launches schedule for this week but things will pick up later in February.  Also, stay tuned for March when the second Falcon Heavy will launch from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Centre with a Saudi communications satellite.  It is an important historical fact that LC-39A was the same launch pad that sent the Apollo 11 mission to space with a Saturn V.

This is a great segue into the next agenda item: public astronomy events.  The Rothney Astrophysical Observatory is hosting another one of their famous open houses.  At this event, space historian Joel Powell will present "The Space Race: From Sputnik to Apollo 11 and Beyond".  Members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will be out with their telescopes so you're going to want to dress in warm clothes!

Date	Event
February 9	RAO Open House (20:00-23:00)

If you would like more details about this event check out the Facebook page:

 https://www.facebook.com/events/374772506684955/

or the event page:

https://www.ucalgary.ca/rao/node/2276

As always, stay tuned on our Facebook Page for the latest information about what is happening in the sky and the news.

www.facebook.com/simonjastronomy

2019 Week 5: (January 27-February 2)

We are now in the fifth week of 2019 and heading straight into February.  For the first time in 2 years there is nothing exciting happening in the sky!  There are no rocket launches scheduled and no public events planned either.  This defeats the whole purpose of this blog!

Date	Event
-	-

New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt continues to get exciting as the latest image of 2014 MU 69 (Ultima Thule) was beamed back to Earth for all to see.

2014 MU69 (Ultima Thule) (Image Credit: NASA)

An article on this news from Astronomy is provided below.

http://www.astronomy.com/news/2019/01/new-horizons-latest-images-from-ultima-thule-reveal-new-details

The Moon will be moving from its Full phase to Last Quarter this week.  The Lunar Eclipse last Sunday was incredible as the haze started dissipating shortly after totality.

Total Lunar Eclipse, January 20, 2019

Let's talk about what we can see in the sky around 10pm in the evening under clear skies!

Week 5 Sky (10pm)

The constellation Orion is in a perfect location directly south.  You will recognize the three bright stars of his belt crossing from east to west.  The star representing the upper eastern shoulder is a red supergiant called Betelgeuse.  The lower western knee is a blue supergiant called Rigel.  These two stars offer a great contrast in colour that can be seen with the naked eye.

If you trace the belt towards the southeast you should spy the brightest star in the night sky -- Sirius.  Telescope or binocular users may be able to see the open cluster, Messier 41, sitting just below this bright star of Canis Major.

Tracing a line from Rigel through the easternmost belt star, Alnitak, will take you straight to the twin stars of Castor and Pollux.  These are the brightest stars in Gemini.  Moving a telescope just above Castor will allow you to see the open cluster Messier 35.

Another trace of the belt towards the northwest will bring you to Taurus' bright red star Aldebaran.  Progressing a short distance further will take you to the Pleiades, Messier 45.

M45, Pleaides

On a cloud free night see if you can find all the stars in the Winter Hexagon.  The map below should help you in your quest.

Winter Hexagon

Take some time this week to observe the night sky.  Trace the stars from Orion to find some of these familiar constellations and stars.  Don't forget to see the Orion Nebula which sits just below the belt stars.  It appears as a faint blurry patch to the naked eye and can be resolved with a simple pair of binoculars.