What’s Up in the Night Sky – April 2011
By Fred Barrett I’ve been giving you a good dose of hard science lately. I thought that maybe I should give that a rest for a while and change direction by offering up a few tips and techniques on basic observing. Some of you have written or talked to me… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky – March
By Fred Barrett This month let’s have a look at where White Dwarf stars come from. We learned last month that stars under 8 times the mass of our Sun do not blow up as Supernovae. Stars with less than 8 solar masses fuse hydrogen to helium in the star’s… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky – February 2011
By Fred Barrett Supernovas, planetary nebulas, white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes. What are they all anyway? It was all over the news recently that 10-year-old Kathryn Gray of Fredericton, New Brunswick, became the youngest person ever to discover an exploding star called a supernova. She spotted it on… READ MORE
What’s up in the sky – Christmas 2010
By Fred Barrett Photo left: Fred Barrett, courtesy Fred Barrett Normally in the last column of the year I would write about what to expect in January of next year. But January is quite a few days away, so I thought instead to give you a few reminders of the… READ MORE
What’s up in the sky – November 26/10
By Fred Barrett November’s column marks the start of my second year as your friendly, local astronomy scribbler. I hope that I have tempted more than a few of you to go out and look up at the beauty of our dark country skies. It’s something that city dwellers rarely… READ MORE
What's Up in the Sky - October 2010
By Fred Barrett Nights are cooling off now and darkness is falling much earlier. Speaking of fall, I have written before that it is the best time of the whole year for astronomy. You don’t have to wait up late for a dark sky and there are few or no… READ MORE
What’s up in the sky – September 2010
By Fred Barrett The nights are getting longer and the sun is setting earlier. Thank goodness we don’t have to stay up quite so late to tour the heavens and there are fewer squadrons of bugs orbiting about our heads. With its crisp clear and steady air, fall is my… READ MORE
What’s up in the sky – August 2010
By Fred Barrett The Summer Triangle - note that straight up is North East. This month we’re off to rummage around the asterism known as the Summer Triangle. It’s made up of three bright stars Vega, Deneb and Altair in three constellations, Lyra, Cygnus and Aquila. Prominent high above at… READ MORE
What’s up in the sky – July 2010
By Fred Barrett This month and next provide a feast of stellar targets for binoculars and wide field telescopes. There are enough nebulae, galaxies, globular and open clusters to satisfy the greediest of stargazers and most are quite easy to find! There’s a catch though. Isn’t there always? In mid-summer,… READ MORE
What’s up in the sky – June 2010
By Fred Barrett There’s a special treat this month for those of you willing to put in a little extra effort. About an hour before the first glimmer of dawn in the East, you will be able to see Comet McNaught (Comet C/2009 R1). Robert McNaught of Australia’s Siding Spring… READ MORE
What’s Up In the Sky - May 2010
By Fred Barrett The constellation Virgo is prominent in the South at mid-evening this month. In many cultures she is identified with purity, maidens and fertility. In ancient times she was a goddess who represented the harvest and growing crops. It is especially suitable then that Virgo can be easily… READ MORE
What’s Up In the Sky - April 2010
By Fred Barrett We still have the winter constellations gathered around Orion in the South and Southwest during the evening. Fifteen degrees left of the sullen red eye of Betelgeuse on the right shoulder of Orion, you encounter the bright star Procyon in the constellation Canis Minor. Procyon is less… READ MORE
What’s Up In the Sky - March 2010
By Fred Barrett We still have the winter constellations gathered around Orion in the South and Southwest during the evening. Fifteen degrees left of the sullen red eye of Betelgeuse on the right shoulder of Orion, you encounter the bright star Procyon in the constellation Canis Minor. Procyon is less… READ MORE
What's Up in the Sky - February 2010
By Fred Barrett Orion is high in the South during February and at its glorious Winter peak for observing. Though there’s still plenty to explore in that territory, this month I’m going to point out a few objects to watch for in nearby Taurus. The most prominent object contained in… READ MORE
What's Up in the Sky - December, 2009
\My highlight constellation for December is Cassiopeia and the area surrounding her. I say “her” because in Greek mythology Cassiopeia was the beautiful wife of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia and mother of Andromeda. The Queen in her vanity bragged that she and Andromeda were more beautiful than the sea-nymphs, the… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Sky – November 2009
Looking up at the stars to the South around 8PM in early November, you see Pegasus near the zenith, one of the most prominent constellations in the night sky. It’s usually described as the Great Square of Pegasus and it appears as a great square with legs and a head… READ MORE
