2019 Week 34: (August 18-August 24)

This week in the sky might be good for those seeking out deep sky objects.  The Moon is slowly moving east in the sky towards its last quarter phase on the 23rd.  This will allow the early part of the evening to be free for darker skies to find some great objects!

	Event
August 21	Uranus 5°N of Moon
August 23	Last Quarter

Uranus, which now resides in the constellation Aries, will be in conjunction with a waning gibbous Moon on the 21st of August.  This is best seen early in the morning several hours before the Sun rises.

Uranus

There are three rocket launches scheduled for this week.  The Electron rocket launch scheduled last week from New Zealand has been moved to this Monday.  The same day, a Long March 3B rocket will takeoff from Xichang, China with another communications satellite.  The last of the launches will be a Soyuz rocket taking a Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft to the International Space Station.  This is a demonstration for approval of this configuration for future manned missions.

Date	Event
August 19	Electron - "Look Ma, No Hands" (06:12)
August 19	Long March 3B - Chinasat 18
August 21	Soyuz - ISS 60S (21:38)

This week will offer many public astronomy events that are worth the time to check out.  The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will be at two local public library branches presenting their Astronomical Sights of Summer program.  Come to Saddletowne or Seton to attend one of these free offerings.  The week ends with a three-night Milky Way Nights at the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory.  Come out late at night to enjoy the night sky and catch a glimpse of the Milky Way with your own eyes.  This is a wonderful opportunity as most of us live under the terrible light pollution of Calgary and are unable to see more than a handful of bright stars.

Date	Event
August 18	Astronomical Sights of Summer - Saddletowne Library (15:30-16:30)
August 21	Astronomical Sights of Summer - Seton Library (18:00-19:00)
August 22	Milky Way Nights - RAO (22:00-02:00)
August 23	Milky Way Nights - RAO (22:00-02:00)
August 24	Milky Way Nights - RAO (22:00-02:00)

We hope to see you out at one of these events so we can share our love of the night sky with you.  The weather looks like it will be perfect for observing and will not be too cold or cloudy.

2019 Week 33: (August 11-August 17)

There is quite a lot happening in the sky this week and some of it observable from your backyard!  Saturn will be in close conjunction with the Moon and, perhaps, the most famous meteor shower peaks this week.

	Event
August 11	Jupiter Stationary
August 12	Uranus Stationary
August 12	Saturn 0.04°N of Moon
August 13	Perseid Meteors Peak
August 14	Venus in Superior Conjunction
August 15	Full Moon

The week Jupiter will finish its retrograde motion and once again start to appear to move eastward relative to the background stars.  Several hours later Uranus will start its retrograde motion until January of next year.  I'm sure astrologers are having fun this week with their 'science'.

Saturn will be in close conjunction with the Moon and, when it sets in Calgary, they will be only a degree and a half away from each other.  For those in Australia, you may actually see the Moon go in front of Saturn in what is known as an 'occultation'.

The big news, although I am not really excited about it, is the Perseid Meteor Shower will peak early in the morning on Tuesday, August 13.  Why am I not excited?  The weather forecast seems to indicate thick clouds and possible rain AND there will a be a large waxing gibbous Moon to contend with.  If the sky is clear it will be difficult to catch these meteors as the bright Moon will pollute the sky with light.  I've never really been much of a Perseid fan.  A great number of mosquitoes, muggy Summer air, overabundance of media exuberance and boring northeastern skies have driven me to the meteor showers of Fall and Winter.

If you are interested, the map below shows where the radiant will be in the northeast sky.

Perseid Radiant Map

The basic idea is to find the well known 'W' asterism in the constellation Cassiopeia in the northeast.  Look just below this region toward the constellation Perseus.  You should be able to find an assortment of meteors falling to Earth that seem to radiate from this area.  The estimate of hourly rates is provided below.  As you can see, the further you get away from the city the more meteors you will expect to see.

City	Suburbs	Rural	Optimal
10	20	50	100

The next evening, Venus will be in superior conjunction and will basically be in conjunction with the far side of the Sun.  It will then slowly make its way into the evening skies for a great showing late in the year.

To finish off the week, the annoying, meteor killing Moon will be full on the 15th.

There is one rocket launch scheduled for this week as it will take-off from New Zealand with an assortment of satellites.  It is nicknamed "Look Ma, No Hands".

Date	Event
August 16	Electron - "Look Ma, No Hands" (06:57)

This week has a couple of public events that are worth taking the time to attend.  If you haven't attended one of our "Astronomical Sights of Summer" programs at the Calgary Public Library, you are missing out.  Explore the wonders of the Summer sky and get a hands-on experience with actual telescopes.  Join us at either the Signal Hill or Central Library this week.

Date	Event
August 12	Astronomical Sights of Summer - Signal Hill Library (18:00-19:00)
August 15	Astronomical Sights of Summer - Central Library (11:30-12:30)

The weather looks to improve by the end of the week and will provide ample opportunity to get outside and enjoy the Summer night sky.  Get your heads up from your devices and enjoy the stars and planets above!

2019 Week 32: (August 4-August 10)

This week in the sky we have a waxing Moon that will reach its first quarter phase on Wednesday.  The past week has been good for deep sky astronomy with clear skies and a Moon completely out of the way.

	Event
August 7	First Quarter
August 9	Jupiter 2°S of Moon
August 9	Mercury Greatest Elongation West

A few nights after the first quarter the Moon will be in conjunction with Jupiter in the south sky.  If you have not had the chance to peek at Jupiter this Summer it is worth finding someone with a telescope who can show you our largest planet.

Jupiter

The morning sky is perfect for viewing Mercury.  It will reach its greatest elongation from the Sun on the 9th and will appear bright in the twilight sky.  Many people do not realize that this diminutive planet is quite the naked eye object.

There are several rocket launches scheduled for this week.  A couple of them are rescheduled launches from the previous week.  On Monday a Proton rocket rocket will be taking off from Kazakhstan with a communications satellite.  More communications satellites will be launched in the following days.  The launch schedule is shown below and you can watch all of these online.

Date	Event
August 5	Proton - Blagovest No. 14L (15:56)
August 6	Ariane 5 - Intelsat 39 & EDRS-C (13:30)
August 6	Falcon 9 - Amos 17 (16:53)
August 8	Atlas 5 - AEHF 5 (03:44)

There are a few public events happening around the city this week.  Join us at the Louise Riley and Forest Lawn branches of the Calgary Public Library to learn more about the sky during the Summer.

Date	Event
August 8	Astronomical Sights of Summer - Louise Riley (18:30-19:30)
August 10	Astronomical Sights of Summer - Forest Lawn (13:00-14:00)

Don't miss out on the amazing sights of the Summer sky.  It is getting darker earlier and the Sun is further below the horizon during the peak of night.  This is a great time to enjoy the Summer evenings with the stars above.  Get outside and enjoy the sky!

2019 Week 31: (July 28-August 3)

This week in the sky the δ-Aquariid meteor show peaks during a time when the Moon is almost invisible.  This will allow for more meteors to be caught by the eye.

	Event
July 28	South δ-Aquariid Meteors Peak
July 31	New Moon

This Sunday night the Southern δ-Aquariid Meteors peak.  This is an annual shower that occurs at the end of July each year.  The maximum estimated rate is usually around 20 per hour under perfect conditions.  Expect to be lucky to catch 5 an hour under suburban skies.  The radiant point is located just east of δ-Aquarii in the constellation Aquarius.  A nearly New Moon will allow for darker skies this year!

δ-Aquariid Radiant

There are three rocket launches scheduled for this week.  A Russian Soyuz rocket will be taking off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome providing cargo to the International Space Station.  Last Friday I saw the ISS fly overhead just after midnight.  Following closely behind was the Dragon Capsule launched the night before.  Both objects were clearly visible to the unaided eye.

An Ariane 5 rocket will takeoff on August 2nd taking a couple communications satellites into orbit.  The last launch will be a Falcon 9 with a communications satellite that will be used for services over Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Date	Event
July 31	Soyuz - Progress 73P
August 2	Ariane 5 - Intelsat 39 & EDRS-C
August 3	Falcon 9 - Amos 17

There are two public events happening this week for you to check out!  We are hosting two Astronomical Sights of Summer programs at local library branches throughout Calgary.

Date	Event
July 28	Crowfoot Library (15:30-16:30)
July 31	Judith Umbach Library (17:30-18:30)

If you haven't had the opportunity to come to one of these events it is well worth the time.

2019 Week 30: (July 21-July 27)

This week in the sky the Moon will be at its last quarter phase and will also be in conjunction with the 7th planet in our Solar System: Uranus.

	Event
July 21	Mercury in Inferior Conjunction
July 24	Last Quarter
July 25	Uranus 5°N of Moon

On July 21, Mercury will be at inferior conjunction with the Sun.  This means it is positioned between the Earth and the Sun and we will be unable to see it for a few weeks.

Last Quarter Moon

Look south after the Sun has gone down and catch the two largest planets, Jupiter and Saturn.  They will be hanging around with us until the end of Summer.  If you have a pair of binoculars hanging around the house stick them on Jupiter and check out the 4 Galilean Moons orbiting the big giant.

Jupiter

There are three rocket launches scheduled for this week.  India will once again attempt to launch their lunar mission, Chandrayaan 2, after many delays.  A couple days later a scheduled Falcon 9 launch will take supplies up to the International Space Station.  The week ends with a Chinese commercial space company sending multiple payloads into orbit.  You can catch these launches live online.

Date	Event
July 22	GSLV Mk.3 - Chandrayaan 2
July 24	Falcon 9 - SpaceX CRS 18
July 25	Hyperbola 1 - Multi-payload

There is quite an assortment of public events happening around Calgary this week.  Join us at three branches of the Calgary Public Library as we present our Astronomical Sights of Summer program!  We will be at Shawnessy, Village Square and the Nicholls Family Library at the dates and times listed below!

Also, come out to the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory for its annual Milky Way Nights!  This is a great opportunity to escape the light pollution of Calgary and catch a glimpse of the Milky Way as it crosses overhead!  A link to this event can be found below.

https://science.ucalgary.ca/rothney-observatory/public-events/all#!view/event/event_id/2102

Date	Event
July 22	Shawnessy Library (14:30-15:30)
July 25	Village Square Library (17:30-18:30)
July 25	Milky Way Nights - Rothney Astrophysical Observatory (22:00-02:00)
July 26	Milky Way Nights - Rothney Astrophysical Observatory (22:00-02:00)
July 27	Nicholls Family Library
July 27	Milky Way Nights - Rothney Astrophysical Observatory (22:00-02:00)

This week is looking to be warm and clear, a change from the weather we have been having for the last few months.  Take the opportunity to spend time outside at night cooling down and watching the Summer stars above.

2019 Week 29: (July 14-July 20)

What an exciting week we have for space news and astronomy!  This upcoming Saturday will mark 50 years since the Apollo 11 mission landed on the Moon!  There will be two public events in Calgary worth checking out!  Keep reading for more information!

Date	Event
July 16	Saturn 0.2°N of Moon
July 16	Full Moon

On Tuesday the Moon will be in conjunction with our large ringed friend, Saturn.  That same evening the Moon will reach its full phase and pollute the sky with its incredible brightness.

This Saturday will mark 50 years since people first stepped onto the surface of the Moon.  When you look at the Moon this week remember all of the work and effort that went into such an endeavour.  A link to the entire flight journal can be found below.

https://history.nasa.gov/afj/ap11fj/index.html

Lunar Module

As we continue to push out into space there are two rocket launches scheduled for this week.  India will be sending their second mission to the Moon with an orbiter, lander and a rover.  We'll see how this goes and hope for its success.  On the morning of the lunar anniversary a Soyuz rocket will take the next crew members to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.  You can always catch live rocket launches online and they are certainly fun to watch!

Date	Event
July 14	GSLV Mk.3 - Chandrayaan 2 (15:21)
July 20	Soyuz - ISS 59S (10:25)

There are two incredible public events happening around Calgary for the 50th Anniversary of the lunar landing.  The Rothney Astrophysical Observatory is hosting a great program at their facility in the afternoon.  After that event, cruise over to the Telus Spark for an Adults Only Night event that will take you to midnight!

Links to these events can be found below:

https://events.ucalgary.ca/science/rothney-observatory/#!view/event/event_id/2099

https://sparkscience.ca/experience-telus-spark/events/moon-landing-party

Date	Event
July 20	Rothney Astrophysical Observatory Lunar Landing Anniversary (12:00-15:00)
July 20	Telus Spark Adults Only Night Lunar Landing Anniversary (19:00-0:00)

Members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will be on local television this upcoming Friday, July 19 (Global-7:20am) to discuss the historical significance of this event and let you know about what is happening around town!

2019 Week 28: (July 7-July 13)

This week in the sky we have some amazing sights.  The big news is that Saturn will reach opposition and be at its brightest and largest for 2019!

Date	Event
July 7	Mercury 4°S of Mars
July 9	First Quarter
July 9	Saturn at Opposition
July 13	Jupiter 2°S of Moon
July 13	Pluto at Opposition

Mercury is once again descending into the Sun's brilliant light and will align nicely with Mars on the 7th of July.  I saw this conjunction a few weeks ago when Mercury was lifting into the sky.  A set of binoculars are required to pull in their light from the evening dusk.  Just don't use your binoculars with the Sun still up even if you are experienced; it is not worth the risk.

The Moon will reach its first quarter phase two nights later.  You can pull in some great sights on the lunar surface at this time.  Check out the Sea of Tranquility where the Apollo 11 mission landing nearly 50 years ago.

As mentioned above, the greatest observing news is Saturn.  The great ringed planet will reach opposition on July 9.  Have an astronomer showcase this sight through a telescope.  You will be amazed when you first set your eyes upon it.  This is what you will see:

Saturn (near opposition)

This is not to mean you should miss out on Jupiter.  At opposition last month, Jupiter still reigns supreme in our night sky.  You can see the different belts on our giant friend and may be lucky enough to catch the giant red spot or one of the moons casting a shadow.

Jupiter

There is one rocket launch schedule for this week.  The Spektr-RG which was scheduled on June 21 but scrubbed is again scheduled.  If it goes according to plan it will launch on a Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome around 6:17 MDT.

Date	Event
July 12	Proton - Spektr-RG (06:17)

We will continue our series of public lectures at the Calgary Public Library when we meet at the Bowness branch on July 10 at 6pm.  The weather is looking good for some solar observing!  If you are tired from stampeding spend some time with us as we bring the sky down to Earth for you!

Date	Event
July 10	Bowness Library (18:00-19:00)

We look forward to seeing you this week and don't forget to look up and enjoy the wonders of the sky!