2019 Week 25: (June 16-June 22)

This week in the sky there will be several conjunctions among Solar System objects and the Summer Solstice.

Date	Event
June 16	Jupiter 2.0°S of Moon
June 17	Full Moon
June 18	Mercury 0.2°N of Mars
June 18	Saturn 0.4°N of Moon
June 21	Solstice
June 21	Neptune Stationary

On Sunday evening catch a glimpse of the southeastern sky as the Moon and Jupiter will pair up nicely.  If you look through binoculars or a telescope you may be able to see five Moons: our Moon and the 4 Galilean Moons of Jupiter.

Mercury continues to separate itself from the Sun in the western sky at dusk.  It stays above the horizon for nearly an hour and a half after sunset and should be visible to most observers with the naked eye.  It is 4 times brighter than Mars which will appear alongside our smallest planet.  Snag some binoculars and see both of them in your field of view.

Mars/Mercury Conjunction

Once you are done observing the conjunction of Mercury and Mars swing over to the southeastern sky around midnight to catch the Moon and Saturn extremely close to each other.  They will certainly fit in a tight telescopic field and may make a great photograph for those skilled to handle the great brightness differential.

On June 21 at 9:54 MDT in the morning it will be the Summer Solstice.  The first hours of Summer.  A link for more information about it can be found below:

https://simonjastronomy.blogspot.com/2017/06/what-is-solstice.html

The Summer Solstice is a double edged sword for astronomers.  We will have the minimum of darkness for observing but every evening from now will give us more and more until December!

The very same evening Neptune will be stationary in the sky and will begin its retrograde motion.  The planet will appear to move westward compared to the background stars.  It has moved nearly 7° since I first observed it back in 2016.  It is slated to move into Pisces in 2022.

There are two rocket launches scheduled for this week.  An Ariane 5 rocket will be launching a bunch of communication satellites into orbit from French Guiana.  Following the next day a Russian Proton rocket will send a join Russian/German X-ray observatory.  This is quite exciting as it will conduct an all-sky survey in the X-ray band of the electromagnetic field.  Will it shine some light on dark matter?  Stay tuned.

Date	Event
June 20	Ariane 5 - AT&T T-16 & Eutelsat 7C
June 21	Proton - Spektr-RG

There are no public events planned for this week as most astronomy events are non-existent around the solstice.  However, starting the first week of July there will be a Summer long set of programs held at the Calgary Public Library.  We will be in each branch teaching youth and families all about astronomy!  Details can be found below!

https://events.calgarylibrary.ca/programs/online-registration?id=7902|1

We hope to see you out at one of these great events!  Bring friends and see the Sun through a telescope like you have never seen it before!

2019 Week 24: (June 9-June 15)

This week we will have an event that occurs only once per year; the opposition of Jupiter.  Of course the days and weeks after the event will be great as well since the big planet comes into view for casual observers who don't like to stay up too late.

Date	Event
June 9	First Quarter
June 10	Jupiter at Opposition
June 15	Ceres 0.9°S of Moon

When an planet is said to be in opposition it means it is directly opposite the Sun from the point of view of the Earth.  On June 10, Jupiter will be in opposition and will rise as the Sun sets.  Earth will be at its closest point to the big planet this year.  It will be at its brightest and largest.  Many planetary imagers spend time around oppositions taking pictures.

Below is an image I captured of Jupiter during its 2017 opposition.  The Great Red Spot is clearly visible.  I hope to spend time improving my planetary imaging this year if I can find the time.

Jupiter

Saturn will soon follow Jupiter a couple hours later in the southern sky.  The ringed planet approaches opposition during the middle of July.

To find Jupiter, check out the bright object in the southeast sky sometime after 10 or 10:30pm.

The Moon will reach its first quarter phase during the evening of Sunday, July 9 and will be well positioned for great observing.  The Moon will then move into conjunction with the dwarf planet Ceres (magnitude 7.4).  Ceres is conveniently located above the tip of the Scopion's tail.  It will get as close as 1.25° above Beta Scorpii and fit in many telescopic fields of view.  Watch this region of space over a few days and you will see Ceres move amongst the background stars.

There is one rocket launch scheduled for this week with a Falcon 9 taking three radar Earth observation satellites into space for the Canadian Space Agency.

Date	Event
June 12	Falcon 9 - Radarsat Constellation Mission

If you are looking for a good object in the sky to tell your friends about, look for M4.  This globular cluster is located just to the west of Antares.  Antares is the bright red star in Scorpius in the southern sky.  If you can find Jupiter look just to the southwest and you should see a bright red naked eye star.  A lot of people confuse it with Mars due to the ruddy colour and relative brightness.  In fact, the name Antares means the 'adversary of Ares' or the adversary of the god of war.  Mars is the god of war in the Roman pantheon.

When you find Antares, immediately put it into a binocular field.  You should see a cluster of stars (or blurry patch of light) just to the west.  This is M4 which sits more than 7,000 light years away from Earth and measures nearly 75 light years across.  A very large object and the first globular cluster in which individual stars were resolved.

Spend some time outside under clear skies this week and point out some Spring constellations to your friends, including Leo, Virgo, and Boötes!  Click on the links to aid your search!

Subscribe to our Facebook page for the latest news and updates on the sky!

www.facebook.com/simonjastronomy

2019 Week 23: (June 2-June 8)

This week we are hoping for less smoke and moderate conditions conducive to optimal viewing.  The smoke from the Northern Alberta forest fires encompassed Calgary with a thick blanket that essentially reduced visibility and breathability to zero.

Date	Event
June 3	New Moon
June 4	Mercury 4°N of Moon
June 5	Mars 1.6°N of Moon
June 5	Mercury 1.2°N of M35
June 7	Moon in Beehive (M44)

Early Monday morning the Moon completes another lunar cycle and will be new.  The waxing crescent shortly following will also signal the end of Ramadan and the celebration of Eid.  The next day at work were are inundated with excellent home cooked Middle Eastern food from members of our team.

The evening of June 4 the great challenge will begin.  Find a place where you have a clear view of the western horizon.  Shortly after the Sun sets the Moon will be well placed between Mercury and Mars.  Also Mercury will be sitting right next to the star cluster M35 just above the foot of Castor.  Mars is now quite distant from us and will actually appear 10x dimmer in the sky than the diminutive Mercury.

It may be difficult to catch a glimpse of this multiple conjunction as you will be contending with a bright dusk sky.  Binoculars or a telescope may assist you in this endeavour.  However, it is recommended you do not start using your optical aid until you are sure the Sun is below the horizon.

Mars/Moon/Mercury/M35 Conjunction

Two nights later the Moon will be in conjunction with the Beehive Cluster (M44).  This cluster forms the heart of the crab constellation known as Cancer.  Just after 11pm in the evening throw the Moon into your binocular field.  You will also see M44.  This conjunction will be much easier than the one from Tuesday as the sky will be darker.

There is one rocket launch tentatively scheduled for this week.  A Chinese Long March 11 will take a couple Earth-imaging satellites into orbit.

Long March 11 Rocket

Date	Event
June 5	Long March 11 - Jilin 1

 It will take off from an ocean platform in the Yellow Sea.  The launch time has yet to be determined.

This week we will explore a rather large but often forgotten constellation.  Boötes lies right above the head in late Spring from northern latitudes.  It contains the brightest star in the north celestial sky--Arcturus.  You may have wondered what that bright red/orange star above your head has been.

Typically recognized as the herdsman it forms the shape of a person holding a herding tool in its hand.  Although it contains no Messier objects it can be easily used to find the globular cluster M3.

M3 is located almost exactly between Arcturus and the bright star of the constellation Canes Venatici--Cor Coroli.

How to find M3

Cor Caroli is the bright star located under the last star in the handle of the Big Dipper.  Follow a line between Cor Caroli and Arcturus and you should glimpse the fairly bright globular cluster M3.

For more information about Boötes and M3 check out the links below:

https://simonjastronomy.blogspot.com/2017/04/explore-universe-bootes.html

https://simonjastronomy.blogspot.com/2018/05/messier-objects-m3.html

Spend some time under the dark skies this Spring and learn about the constellations.  Next week Jupiter will be at opposition and will appear the brightest and largest of 2019.  This is a perfect time to track down someone with a telescope to showcase the beauty of our Solar System's largest planet!

2019 Week 22: (May 26-June 1)

This week will mark the first full week in 2019 without what is officially recognized as 'night'.  The Sun will be less than 18° above the horizon and twilight will reign for two months.

Date	Event
May 26	Last Quarter
May 28	Ceres at Opposition
May 30	Vesta 0.6°S of Moon
May 31	Uranus 5°N of Moon
June 1	Venus 3°N of Moon

On Sunday the Moon will have reached its last quarter phase and will be visible the early morning sky and throughout the day.  Soon it will be a new moon and then visible as a slim waxing crescent signalling the end of Ramadan.

The dwarf planet Ceres will be at opposition on Tuesday May 28 and will sit a few degrees above Antares, the bright red star in Scorpius.  Seasoned observers can certainly resolve this magnitude 7.0 object in a telescope and then pop over for a visit to Jupiter just to the East.

Ceres (Image Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA / Justin Cowart)

A magnitude 8.3 asteroid, the second largest object in the belt (after Ceres), will be in conjunction with the Moon two nights later.  The Moon will then dance with Uranus and Venus the following two evenings.  Well, by evenings I mean early mornings just before the sun rises.

I caught a conjunction with Uranus and Mars earlier this year in February and they are always more fun to see in person than to talk about!

Mars/Uranus Conjunction - February 2019

There are two rocket launches scheduled for this week that can be watched live.  A Soyuz rocket will be taking a navigational satellite into space as the day turns to May 27.  Three days later another Russian rocket will take off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with a communications satellite.

Date	Event
May 27	Soyuz - Glonass M (0:00)
May 30	Proton - Yamal 601 (11:42)

What sort of challenge object should you look out for this week?  I invite you to cast your telescopes on the Leo Triplet.  This small grouping of galaxies in the sky are separately known as M65, M66 and NGC3628.  They can be resolved in a field of view of 1° and also certainly worth the time for astrophotographers. 

Leo Triplet

They are conveniently located under the hind legs of the lion halfway between Theta and Iota Leonis.  Grab a light bucket telescope and seek them out for a great view 35 million light years from home.

We have started a Youtube channel to discuss all the things going on in the sky based right in here Calgary.  If you are reading this and haven't subscribed yet check it out below!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW8U3OjONxqEl4OOyT8k00A

It doesn't have a fancy URL yet because you need at least 100 subscribers!  So navigate there and click 'Subscribe'!

As always, take the time to look up and enjoy the night sky above.  If you are out camping away from the city you will see many more stars.  You can always learn more about them by wandering our many blogs, social media accounts or by emailing!

2019 Week 21: (May 19-May 25)

This week in the sky there will be many conjunctions among solar system objects!

Date	Event
May 19	Mars 0.2°N of M35
May 19	Ceres 1.2°N of Moon
May 20	Jupiter 1.7°S of Moon
May 21	Mercury in superior conjunction
May 22	Saturn 0.5°N of Moon
May 22	Pluto 0.1°N of Moon

Our neighbouring great red planet Mars will be in conjunction with an interstellar object known as M35.  Messier 35 is an open cluster that sits just above Castor's foot in the constellation of Gemini.

When it gets dark locate the twin stars Castor and Pollux in the northeastern sky.  Follow the constellation west from the northernmost of the bright stars to find Mars.  Through a telescope you should be able to see the planet amongst a beautiful cluster of stars.

Mars and M35 Conjunction

Throughout the rest of the week the Moon will dance with the dwarf planet Ceres, followed by Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto.  Unfortunately their closest encounters will be visible from the Eastern Hemisphere but we can certainly see them within 5° of each other.  If you hold your hand at arms length and extend your pointer, middle and ring finger 5° is the distance they span.

There is one rocket launch scheduled for this week.  India will be using a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle to send a radar Earth observation satellite into space.  You can catch most launches online at: https://spaceflightnow.com/

Date	Event
May 21	PSLV - RISAT 2B (17:57)

We have reached that moment late in Spring.  At 1:44am on Saturday, May 25 we will lose true night until July 19.  Since we live at 50°N latitude we are condemned to have 2 months of nothing but astronomical twilight throughout the evening.  Deep-sky astrophotographers up here typically pack up their gear until later in the Summer.  During this time the Sun does not dip more than 18° below the horizon which is how true 'Night' is defined.

A further explanation can be found at the link below:

https://simonjastronomy.blogspot.com/2017/06/what-is-twilight.html

There are still plenty of objects in the sky to check out.  If you have not yet navigated the galaxies of the Virgo cluster find a dark spot with your telescope and a guide to nail as many of these as possible.  Also, Leo is on its way down to the Sun so if you haven't found all the objects in the Lion for 2019 evenings, now is your chance.

Hercules is starting to rise in the eastern sky which will give observers a beautiful look at the great Hercules globular cluster -- M13.

Also, as Summer approaches you will start to see the Summer Triangle rising to signal the warm weather and plentiful supply of bugs.  Also, stay tuned for Milky Way Nights at the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory for a grand tour of the arms of our galaxy!

Scouting Sagittarius (Summer 2018)

Get outside with your unaided eye and see the amazing wonders above.  You may catch a meteor, aurora or recognize one of your favourite constellations!

2019 Week 20: (May 12-May 18)

This week the sky will showcase the Spring constellations as they cross the sky in the evening.  Spend some time outside under the stars and learn what is above. 

Date	Event
May 18	Venus 1.2°S of Uranus
May 18	Full Moon

The Moon will be full on Saturday and lighting up the evening sky.  This will we be the last full week of true night as the Summer twilight sets in until July the following week.  Jupiter rises just before midnight in the constellation of Ophiuchus and will be great for Summer viewing.  Saturn soon follows the big planet as it continues to play around in Sagittarius.

Jupiter

There is one rocket launch scheduled for next week as a Falcon 9 will launch several SpaceX satellites into orbit.  This is scheduled for 8:30pm MDT on May 15.

Date	Event
May 15	Falcon 9 - Starlink (20:30)

The event you're not going to want to miss is a free public lecture at the Calgary Public Library's Central Branch.  Dr. David Hobill will be giving a talk on Black Holes and Gravitational Waves.  This is a great opportunity to learn more about current science that is pushing the frontiers of our exploration of the universe.  A link to the event on Facebook is provided below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/281464452729885/

For additional details check out the RASC - Calgary Centre page below.

https://calgary.rasc.ca/speakers2019.htm#mayGM

Date	Event
May 16	Public Lecture - Einstein Was Right After All - Black Holes, Gravitational Waves and the True Nature of Gravity (19:00)

This event is perfect for the whole family!  A lot of students do not have school the following Friday so they can stay up and learn more about gravity from a leading expert!

Gravitational Waves

Stay tuned for many great events happening throughout the Summer, including a special series of presentations held in every branch of the Calgary Public Library.  Follow our page below so you don't miss out!

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

2019 Week 19: (May 5-May 11)

This week in the sky we have a meteor show peaking and the Moon dancing with some very common objects!  The chart below highlights these great events.

Date	Event
May 5	η-Aquariid Meteors Peak
May 7	Mars 3°N of Moon
May 10	Moon in Beehive Cluster (M44)
May 11	First Quarter

The Eta-Aquariid Meteor Shower will be peaking Sunday/Monday.  It is an early morning shower that is difficult to see as the morning twilight might eat a lot of the meteors.  This is typically a shower for those in the Southern Hemisphere.  The chart below shows the expected rate based on where you live.

City	Suburbs	Rural	Optimal
3	5	10	60

The radiant can be located in the 'Y' shape asterism within Aquarius as shown below.

Eta-Aquariid Radiant

The Moon will be hanging out in the Beehive Cluster on May 10.  Check out the sky shortly after the Sun goes down and stick binoculars on the Moon.  You should see the Beehive just slightly to the west.  A map of this event can be found below.

Moon/Beehive Cluster Conjunction

Another great Moon event happens three evenings earlier.  The Moon will be in conjunction with Mars and they will both be in the same binocular field.  Also, the Crab Nebula will be in this field, however it is quite dim even for urban telescope users. 

Mars

There will be one public star night happening in Calgary this week!  Come to Ralph Klein Park on Saturday, May 11 from 7:30-10:30 in the evening to take in the wonder of the night sky.  Members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will be out with their telescopes to showcase the amazing sights in the sky.  This event is completely free and kid friendly!  Details can be found below:

https://calgary.rasc.ca/rkp_2019a.htm

https://www.facebook.com/events/288238772118789/

Date	Event
May 11	Ralph Klein Park Star Night

Ralph Klein Park Star Night

Also, it is important to note that at 7pm on May 16 at the Central Branch of the Calgary Public Library we will be hosting a lecture on Black Holes and Gravitational Waves.  Our speaker will be Dr. David Hobill, Professor at the University of Calgary.  This free event is one you are not going to want to miss.  Details can be found below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/281464452729885/

Black Hole

If you would like to keep up to date on astronomical events happening around Calgary on the ground and in the sky follow our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/simonjastronomy/