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!

2019 Week 27: (June 30-July 6)

As we kick off the second half of 2019 there will be a Total Solar Eclipse for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere.  The eclipse totality will progress through Chile and into Argentina.

Date	Event
July 2	New Moon
July 2	Total Solar Eclipse
July 4	Mars 0.1°S of Moon
July 4	Mercury 3°S of Moon
July 4	Moon in Beehive (M44)

If you live in the city of Buenos Aires head south on the 2nd of July to witness the total solar eclipse.  This may be a once in a lifetime opportunity for many people and should not be missed.  As you can see in the image below the Southern Pacific Ocean chews up most of the totality but it will still hit some fairly high population areas towards the winter sunset.

July 2, 2019 Total Solar Eclipse

It has been almost two years since we had a total solar eclipse in North America that delighted people from Pacific to Atlantic.

Solar Eclipse from Calgary, August 21 2017.

Clearly the total solar eclipse coincides with the New Moon which kicks off another lunar cycle.  A few days later the slim waxing crescent Moon will be in conjunction with both Mars and Mercury.  This will make for a great binocular sight for those willing to risk the wrath of the mosquitoes along a trail with a great view of the western horizon.

Next week we can look forward to Saturn's opposition placing it at its closest and largest in the night sky.

There are two rocket launches scheduled for next week.  A Soyuz Rocket will be taking a polar-orbiting weather satellite into space from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia.  The next day a Vega rocket will take a high-resolution Earth imaging satellite into orbit for the UAE's military.

Date	Event
July 4	Soyuz - Meteor M2-2 (23:41)
July 5	Vega - Falcon Eye 1 (19:53)

What is exciting is that the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and the Calgary Public Library are teaming up to bring Calgary an amazing Astronomy Program.  We will be visiting every branch around the city for a one hour program all about the night sky.

We will talk about some famous constellations that can be seen during the Summer, the Moon, the Solar System and we will have a hydrogen-alpha telescope on hand to showcase our amazing home star-the Sun.  Details can be found at the following webpage:

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

Date	Event
July 4	Quarry Park Library (18:30-19:30)
July 6	Giuffre Family Library (14:30-15:30)

Do not miss this opportunity to freely educate yourselves or your family and friends.  We hope to see you out at one of the branches this Summer!

2019 Week 26: (June 23-June 29)

This week in the sky our innermost planet will be at its greatest elongation in the easterly direction.  Also, at 21°N declination it is well placed for Northern Hemisphere observers.

Date	Event
June 23	Mercury Greatest Elongation East (25°)
June 25	Last Quarter
June 27	Uranus 5°N of Moon

The Sun will set at 9:54pm this week and Mercury will follow more than an hour an a half later at 11:25pm. 

Mercury

This will provide ample time to glimpse the diminutive planet in the twilight sky.  At magnitude 0.6 it may be naked eye to the keen observer.  If you pack a set of binoculars you will see both Mercury and Mars within the same field of view.  The interesting non-intuitive thing will be that Mars is currently 3 times dimmer than Mercury.  The reason for this is Mars currently resides on the opposite side of the Sun to us; Mercury is much closer.  This is depicted in the image below.

Planetary Positions, June 23, 2019

The Moon will reach its Last Quarter phase this Tuesday and will be positioned in the early morning sky as it will rise around 02:00.  Three nights later the Moon will be in conjunction with Uranus which is currently sitting in Aries after spending several years in Pisces.

There are three rocket launches scheduled for this week.  Watch them live online.  In the afternoon of Monday June 24, a Chinese Long March 3B rocket will add a satellite to their navigation network.  Later in the evening a Falcon Heavy will be taking a bunch of military and scientific satellites into orbit.  This is a great one to watch as it is currently the largest rocket in operation.

Several evenings later an Electron rocket will take several payloads into orbit from New Zealand.

Date	Event
June 24	Long March 3B - Beidou (12:00)
June 24	Falcon Heavy - STP-2 (21:30)
June 27	Electron - Make it Rain (10:30)

This Summer we will have a special program that will be coming to every branch of the Calgary Public Library.  A detailed scheduled can be found at the link below.

https://calgary.rasc.ca/libraries2019.htm

This program is geared toward all members of the public and is generally recommended for those age 10 and above.  We will spend 20 minutes discussing what you can see in the Summer night sky and how to use a basic telescope.  The next part of the program will give participants a hands-on demonstration of the variety of telescopes in use today.  At the end we will take everyone outside with a special solar telescope to see the features on the Sun.  Hopefully we will have sunspots or prominences!  If it is cloudy we will instead spend more time inside watching educational astronomy videos.  Don't worry if you miss your chance with the solar scope, come to another branch on a sunny day!

Solar Telescope

We hope to see you out at one of the branches this Summer.  There will also be an observing contest for the youth with great prizes, so don't miss out!

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!