This week is Halloween when lots of people will be outside in the dark! This is a perfect time to take in the sky candy! On Halloween we will have a Super Last Quarter Moon; that's right I'm going there. Check out the highlights in the chart below.
Date
Event
October 29
Mercury 3°S of Jupiter
October 31
Moon 1°S of Beehive (M44)
October 31
Last Quarter
The evening of the 29th we will see Mercury sitting just 3° under Jupiter. If you hold your index finger and middle finger together at arms length that will be how close they are. Can you see them in the evening twilight? Try looking in the southwest sky shortly after sunset.
If you like to stay up really late try finding the Beehive Cluster near the Moon on the night before Halloween.
With all the excitement around this time of year don't miss out on a Super Last Quarter Moon! No it's not anything special. I just know that most people like to make a big deal out of perigean Full Moons so why leave Last Quarter out? Here is the deal: The Moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical path. There are times in the 28 day cycle when the Moon is closer to the Earth (perigee) and times when the Moon is further from the Earth (apogee). When the perigee coincides with a Full Moon everyone goes crazy about what has colloquially been termed a 'Super Moon'. The Full Moon is imperceptibly larger than when it is not at perigee. On October 31, 2018 the Last Quarter phase occurs 3 hours and 20 minutes before perigee. Hence, a Super Last Quarter. A picture of Last Quarter is shown below. I am very proud of it because I took it at 04:58. I am never up at that time.
Last Quarter
To learn more about the Moon's phases follow the link below where you can see all my phase pictures at odd times throughout the evening.
There is one rocket launch happening that has a scheduled time. A Japanese H-2A will be taking a greenhouse gas observing satellite for the Japanese Ministry of Environment. Also on board will be a UAE imaging satellite. The date and time can be found below.
Date
Event
October 29
H-2A - GOSAT & KhalifaSat (22:08)
There are no public events happening in Calgary this week. Stay tuned to this space as we will be planning a community stargazing night soon!
We have an action packed week in the sky coming up! With a great forecast it may be worth it to get out under the stars. Just don't let the Full Moon light pollution get you down!
Date
Event
October 21
Orionid Meteors Peak
October 23
Uranus at Opposition
October 24
Full Moon
October 26
Venus at Inferior Conjunction
October 27
Aldebaran 1.6°S of Moon
The Orionid Meteor Shower will peak Sunday evening/Monday Morning. This can usually produce up to 10 meteors per hour from suburban skies. It may be a few less than this due to the light pollution of a large waxing gibbous Moon nearby.
Uranus will be at opposition and at its biggest and brightest all year. It still resides in the constellation of Pisces which I hope to log at some point this year. I'll probably check it out closer to the New Moon.
The astronomers nightmare Full Moon occurs one day later brightening up the sky to the point of being unable to see much else. In news this week China is determined to create spacecraft to simulate this light. They are completely unaware of the damage this artificial light will have on local ecosystems and astronomical observations. Wishing them no luck on this absurd venture.
Full Moon
Venus will be at inferior conjunction and will be basically sitting in front of Sun. Advanced telescope users may be able to see the slim crescent during the day of conjunction. Great caution must be taken to avoid the Sun. Several of us made this observation in March of 2017. Hours before conjunction we were able to see just a bare sliver of our neighbouring planet.
To end the week, the eye of Taurus the bull will be in conjunction with a waning gibbous Moon. Look at the region of space when the Moon has further progressed in its cycle and you will see the Hyades and Pleiades Clusters in all their glory.
If you would like to check out a live rocket launch, NASA will be sending a satellite to study the Earth's ionosphere. Details are found below and all launches can be viewed at the following link.
The chart below highlights the public events happening this week! Don't miss coming to the University of Calgary on Tuesday to learn more about Cassini!
Date
Event
October 23
Cassini to Saturn: The Journey and the Legacy (19:30-22:30) (U of C, ST 148)
There will be a great event held at the University of Calgary this week. Carolyn Porco, leader of Cassini's Imaging Team is coming to give a wonderful lecture about this amazing mission. The synopsis is provided below followed by a link to attend.
Twenty-eight years ago, the United States and Europe joined hands and set off together on a spectacular adventure.
It was a mission named Cassini that called for a long journey across the solar system and entry into orbit around the planet Saturn, followed by an in-depth, comprehensive look at everything in the Saturn system.
Cassini spent 13 years in residence at Saturn. In that time, it revealed a planetary system rich in scientific wonder and splendor beyond compare. Processes at work in the early solar system have been found within Saturn’s rings. The planet itself has been a lavish source of meteorological detail, permitting comparison with the Earth’s atmosphere. And environments found on and within its moons give hope of learning the mechanisms by which life has arisen on our own planet and perhaps elsewhere in the cosmos.
Cassini
In this public lecture, Carolyn Porco, the leader of Cassini’s imaging team and former imaging team member on the Voyager mission to the outer solar system, will guide us through the enchanting realm of Saturn and the mission’s most profound scientific findings, and conclude with the legacy that Cassini and six decades of planetary exploration have left behind.
Dr. Carolyn Porco, planetary scientist and leader of the NASA Cassini Imaging Team will be presenting a free-to-the-public talk on the science of Saturn, its rings and satellites, with particular focus on the moon, Enceladus.
Enceladus
In addition to her work with the Cassini mission, Dr. Porco was also involved in the 1980 Voyager mission to the outer solar system, and is an imaging scientist on the New Horizons mission that did a flyby of Pluto and is now on its way to a second target in the Kuiper Belt. Porco has co-authored over 110 scientific papers and was selected by the London Sunday Times as one of 18 scientific leaders of the 21st century, and by Industrial Week as one of "50 Stars to Watch". In 2012, she was chosen as one of Time's Top 25 Most Influential People in Space.
This week we have some above seasonal temperatures and clear skies. It is the perfect opportunity to get out and enjoy the Fall constellations. The chart below highlights what is happening in the sky this week.
Date
Event
October 14
Saturn 1.8°S of Moon
October 16
First Quarter
October 18
Mars 1.9°S of Moon
Saturn and Mars will both be in conjunction with the Moon and will be within the same view of wide field telescopes. If you have a pair of binoculars it may be worthwhile to witness these events.
Taurus is making its way into our sky later in the evening. Accompanying the great bull is the Pleiades Star Cluster which makes a great sight even with the naked eye. Following Taurus is Orion. This tends to be everyone's favourite constellation with the bright belt stars signifying the coming of Winter. I always look forward to reacquainting myself with the Orion Nebula that is beautiful through any optical instrument.
There are several rocket launches occurring this week from China, Florida and French Guiana. I am excited for the Ariane 5 rocket carrying the BepiColombo mission to Mercury. It will survey the geology, evolution and magnetic field. This will be the third mission to our innermost planet.
BepiColombo
Also on the schedule for this week will be an Atlas 5 launching the 'Advanced Extremely High Frequency' satellite. It will be used for highly secured communication for the US military. China will be launching two satellites for its navigation network on the 14th. All launches can be watched live at the following webpage.
The chart below provides the date and times for all these events.
Date
Event
October 14
Long March 3B - Beidou (22:15)
October 16
Atlas 5 - AEHF (22:15)
October 19
Ariane 5 - BepiColombo (19:45)
There is one public astronomy event in Calgary this week. A public lecture will be held at the Kerby Centre Thursday evening at 7:30pm. I will be giving a talk on Lacaille and his great work in the southern hemisphere. My blog highlighted his work late last year. A link is provided below.
Saturn and Mars are still prominent in the sky this week and are worth checking out before they get hidden in near the Sun. At the Ralph Klein Park Public Star Night last Saturday these two planets put on a great show. Mars was still quite large and bright while trusty Saturn showcased its beautiful rings. Other things happening this week are shown in the chart below.
Date
Event
October 8
Draconid Meteors Peak
October 8
New Moon
October 11
Jupiter 4°S of Moon
October 13
Zodiacal Light Visible
The Draconid Meteor Shower will peak on Monday, October 8. If the sky is clear and you can catch a good view of Draco you may just get lucky and see some meteors. Early reports from the UK indicate that this year is stronger than previous. More information on how to find them can be found at the link below.
Jupiter can still be seen in the dusk sky just after the Sun sets. It will certainly have bad seeing due to the amount of atmosphere its light must pass through. If you can catch it on the 11th you will see it in conjunction with the Moon. This will be a great binocular sight for those out on an evening stroll.
Further East of Jupiter you will catch Saturn and Mars.
Saturn
If you can get out to a dark sight during the next few weeks try to catch the Zodiacal Light. I have not seen it yet but hope to very soon. More information about this phenomenon can be found on a previous blog posting below.
There will be one notable rocket launch this week on October 11. A Soyuz spacecraft will be taking a crew to the International Space Station. Information and live updated can be found at the link below.
The Rothney Astrophysical Observatory will be hosting another Open House and it is the annual Science-Fiction night! There will be a lecture on exploring the ocean moons of the outer solar system and many telescopes setup to observe the sky. More information can be found at the link below.
We are beginning the 40th week of 2018 and it looks to be a cold one. There is a layer of snow sitting outside my house right now. The weather is forecast to have temperatures well below average. Hopefully the snow won't stick around too long and the sky clears out. The chart below highlights the events occurring throughout this upcoming week.
Date
Event
October 2
Last Quarter
October 4
Moon 1.2°S of Beehive Cluster (M44)
October 5
Mercury 2°N of Spica
October 5
Regulus 1.9°S of Moon
The Moon will reach its last quarter phase on the second of the month and be visible in the southeastern sky in the early hours of the morning. Two days later the Moon will be sitting next to the Beehive Cluster which rises mere hours before the Sun.
M44 - Beehive Cluster
Mercury is currently residing in Virgo this week but the Sun is as well. Unfortunately we will not be able to see the conjunction with Spica.
As the Moon hangs around the early morning sky it will be in conjunction with the bright star Regulus in Leo on October 5.
Mars and Saturn are still worth a look in the southern sky. You will be able to discern Mars by its beautiful red colour.
Mars
There is one rocket launch scheduled for this week and it takes place on Saturday. The time is still to be determined so stay tuned to https://spaceflightnow.com/ for further information and the live launch.
Date
Event
October 6
Falcon 9 - SAOCOM 1A
There will be an amazing stargazing event happening at Ralph Klein Park this Saturday. Many astronomers will be out with their telescopes pointing at the wonders in the sky. Inside there will be many presentations and things to see. I will be speaking on this evening about 'What's up in the Sky'. I will cover the many constellations that reside in our Autumn sky and about the deep-sky secrets they hold. This event is being held from 7pm-10pm and it is completely FREE to everyone.
The weather this week looks horrible. The many weeks of below average temperatures will continue until at least October. However, there is not too much happening in the sky.
Date
Event
September 24
Full Moon
The Moon will be full on Tuesday and that is it!
Full Moon
It is now Fall and some of the favourite cold weather astronomical wonders are beginning to rise. The Pleiades Star Cluster will appear in the eastern sky around 10pm. Aquarius and Pisces will be cruising across the southern sky following Mars which resides in Capricornus. Aquarius and Pisces offer the home to Neptune and Uranus respectively. These are great targets for beginner-intermediate observers who wish to try their skills searching for our outer planets.
The Sun sets around 7:30pm giving astronomers lots of time to view the night sky. The main observing season has already kicked off and there will be many public events continuing throughout the upcoming months. Stay tuned for a public star night at Ralph Klein Park on October 6!
There is one scheduled rocket launch occurring this week happening in French Guiana. An Ariane 5 rocket will launch some communications satellites into orbit.
Date
Event
September 25
Ariane 5 - Horizons 3e & Azerspace 2/Intelsat 38 (15:53)
As always you can watch live launches at the following webpage:
This week marks the first day of Fall which is not surprising as it has been on and off snowing for a week. There are several great things to see in the sky this week highlighted in the chart below.
Date
Event
September 16
First Quarter
September 17
Saturn 2°S of Moon
September 20
Mars 5°S of Moon
September 20
Mercury in Superior Conjunction
September 21
Venus Greatest Illuminated
September 22
Equinox
The Sun will cruise over the equator to spend more time with our Southern Hemisphere friends until the beginning of Spring in March. Nights will seem longer than days. On warm evenings this will provide ample opportunity for great observing! We will have more than 8 hours of official 'Night' status amongst several hours of twilight. Compare this to two months ago when we were still in unending daylight and twilight.
The Moon continues to make its way through the planets on the southern horizon. Upon reaching its first quarter phase it will snuggle in next to the great ringed planet Saturn on Monday evening. Following this close encounter it will be near Mars on Thursday night.
That same evening Mercury will be at superior conjunction and will tuck in behind our Sun to emerge in the evening sky once again at the beginning of October.
Venus will be at its greatest illumination at -4.8 magnitude. However the angles for Northern Hemisphere observers make it a tough observation. You will need a clear cut view of the southwestern horizon and look for a bright object soon after the Sun goes down. A keen observer may be able to find it before the Sun sets. If you are using optical aid be sure to not accidentally point your optics at the Sun.
There are a few astronomy related activities happening around town this week. Come check out a General Meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada - Calgary Centre. There will be a free lecture entitled "At the Roots of Modern Astronomy: Messier, the Herschels and Fraunhofer", by Dr. Nic David. I have been to lectures of his before and they are absolutely amazing. Join us at the Kerby Centre downtown (free parking!) Thursday evening!
Also head out to the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory Friday evening for an Open House! There will be telescopes setup and many hands on activities for the whole family. Entrance is $30 per vehicle so pack everyone in tight!
Date
Event
September 20
RASC General Meeting (19:30 - Kerby Centre)
September 21
RAO Open House (19:30-22:30)
Stay tuned for more events around town and in your community!
