What’s Up in the Night Sky? March 2022
Spring is coming! As I write this, a blustery, gusty snow squall is blasting outside my windows. But take heart, it will come as long as the Earth keeps orbiting the Sun. The Earth has a 23.5 axial tilt and it is that tilt that changes how directly the Sun… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? February 2022
A fabulous first gift was opened this Christmas with the successful early morning lift off of the James Webb Space Telescope. It was launched on top of an Ariane rocket from Europe’s spaceport in French Guyana in South America. Even my 4 year old granddaughter was jumping up and down… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? January 2022
The crisp clear nights of January and February are perfect for exploring the constellation Orion. Binoculars are very suitable for this adventure. You can find the easily recognizable hour glass figure of Orion the Hunter in the south in the early evening. No need to stay up late for the… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? December 2021
We have 2 meteor showers this month. Sadly, one of them, the Ursids, will be blotted out by the Moon all night. It’s a good shower so if you want to give it a try, the Ursids run from the 17th to the 26th and peak on the 22nd. The… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? November 2021 by Fred Barrett
In the early morning of November 19th at 3:19 am, we have a Full Moon – but with a special treat. Between 2am and 5am, a total penumbral eclipse takes place. Remember that an eclipse of the Moon can only occur at full moon when the Earth comes between the… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? October 2021 by Fred Barrett
What’s a sunspot? We’ve often heard about these blemishes on the Sun. The Sun appears like a smooth, flawless white-hot sphere but if you took a closer look, you would find pairs or groups of dark spots on the surface. Some are large and some are small and they can… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? September 2021
Every September in the northern hemisphere, we have the autumnal equinox. This year it occurs on September 22nd. It marks the start of fall. A second equinox occurs each year in March. It is called the vernal equinox and signals the start of spring. After the autumnal equinox, the days… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? August 2021
The longer summer nights in August give us more time for viewing the majesty of the Milky Way but August also has one of the best meteor showers of the year. The Perseid shower is the annual big one with its radiant centered near the top portion of the constellation… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? July 2021
That time of year when the days are long and the nights are short has come again. But you can’t find better months than July and August for the sheer beauty and quantity of constellations and deep sky objects to feast your eyes upon. The only catch is that observing… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? June 2021
On June 10th, an Annular Solar Eclipse will be visible over northern Ontario. An annular eclipse happens when the Moon doesn’t quite cover the whole solar disk and the Sun can still be seen around the shadow of the Moon. It occurs when the Moon is at apogee or farthest… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? May 2021
Just about every month I give you a reminder about what meteor shower or showers to watch out for. I also point out that meteors result when Earth plows through dust and particle trails left behind by comets. That started me thinking about, well, dust! There’s dust everywhere in the… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – April 2021
My neighbours and I were walking our dogs this morning when they, as they often do, asked me if there was anything interesting going on up in the sky. I mentioned the medium size meteor shower going on later this month. It’s the annual Lyrid meteor shower. They asked me… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – March 2021
The landing on Mars of the rover Perseverance on February 18th had to be the best live action adventure I’ve watched since the last rover landing. The sophisticated technology that allows these rovers to land successfully, time after time, is simply breathtaking. Speaking of Mars, it’s in a great position… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – February 2021
It’s once again that time of the year when the Zodiacal light makes its appearance. It’s a beautiful, spectacular sight rising in a pyramid shape from the horizon. Some of this was written in a 2019 column but it bears review. It’s well worth the extra effort to find a… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – December 2020
One marvelous meteor shower and another OK shower grace our sky this December. The first is the Geminid shower and it’s one of the best of the best each year. It peaks on the evening of the 13th and it’s our luck that the waning Moon is the slimmest crescent… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – November 2020
We have a meteor shower this month that is one of my favourites. It’s the Leonid shower which has its radiant or source point, near the bright star Regulus in the constellation Leo the Lion. The meteors come from the debris trail of the Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The Earth will be… READ MORE
