Northern Skies

I was recently listening to some vintage country music by Glen Campbell. He was singing “Southern Nights” which is one of my favourites. This song was a big hit for him in March 1977 as the it held the number 1 position in Billboard magazine for two straight weeks. Midway through the song we hear the lyrics “Southern Skies, have you ever noticed Southern Skies. Its precious beauty, lies just beyond the eye …..” and this is so true. As we venture outdoors on these warm July nights, we cast our eyes and telescopes south to the center of our home galaxy called the Milky Way.

The Great 2012 Venus Transit

Well that magical moment is almost upon us. The anticipation of witnessing the planet Venus crossing the face of the Sun has been the buzz in the astronomical community for the past few months. It was eight short years ago on the morning of June 8, 2004 that the Sun rose in the north east, sporting a huge black spot. From Ottawa, the transit was past the halfway point with Venus ready to exit an hour later.

More Galaxies and A Daytime Planet

Teaching Tools In The Sky

It is comforting to know that some people other than backyard astronomers still take the time to look up on a clear night and ponder many questions. After all, the twinkling sky was nightly entertainment for many early civilizations. But even at this stage of technology where satellite TV with its bazillion channels, smart phones, iPads and the internet, observing those distant points of lights high above is not a thing of the past.

When Beacons Meet

Winter Wonderland

It is great to see our parent star - the Sun making the news once again. It started with an active region labeled sunspot 1402 and the M-9 solar flare that blasted off the sun’s surface on January 22^nd at 10:59 p.m. EST. From that point on, the explosion and expected grand aurora displays was talk on TV, radio and water coolers around the world. An astronomical event like this is a good catalyst on motivating people to learn more about the night sky.

Weather permitting, astronomers from different parts around the world will be broadcasting the moon, Jupiter and other celestial objects from their observatories over the internet. The WorldWide Star party 2008 will take place on Saturday September 6, 2008. I am scheduled to start broadcasting at 8 p.m. eastern time. Other time zones include a few stations across the USA as well as Australia to name a few. Looks like Sweden will be clouded out. In fact a few of the stations might suffer the same cloudy fate. Come join us in this unique event at:

http://www.deepsky.dk/WorldwideStarparty.asp

The FAQ with the list of asteroid names with Canadian connections has been updated and can be seen at http://www.rasc.ca/faq/asteroids/home.htm. There are almost 200 asteroids on the list now!

Ajai Sehgal, Robert Gagliano and Tim Puckett, report the discovery of an apparent supernova (mag 17.8) (limiting mag 19.5) on CCD images taken with a 0.50-m reflector, Osoyoos , BC. On Apr. 28.36 UT. in the course of the Puckett Observatory Supernova Search. The new object was confirmed at mag 17.8 (limiting mag 19.3) by Puckett on Apr. 29.08, Ellijay, GA. 0.60-m reflector. The object is located at R.A. = 12h41m01s.55, Decl. = +63°31'11".6 (equinox 2000.0), which is 28".36 east and 0".6 south of UGC 7848. Nothing is visible at this location on images taken by Principal Investigator Tim Puckett on Apr. 5 (limiting mag 19.5).

It's two o'clock in the morning. I'm observing under clear skies and my throat is sore. But not because of the cold! No, I'm sitting at my desk at home in London, Ontario, with a mug of hot chocolate. The telescope I'm using is southeast of Tucson, Arizona, at the Jarnac Observatory. The reason my throat is sore is that I've just spent 133min on the phone with RASC member David H. Levy (Honorary President of both Montreal Centre and Kingston Centre; 1980 Chant Medal winner), learning about David's web-based interface for remote observing.