Northern Skies

The Big “W”

In astronomical and mythological terms, the Queen of the night belongs to Cassiopeia. Locating the Queen is as simple as looking up on these cool November nights and finding the five suns that form the distinctive letter ‘W’. These stars range in brightness from magnitude 2.5 to 3.4 and are circumpolar, meaning the constellation can be found all year round from our location as it circles some thirty degrees from the North Star – Polaris. Cassiopeia is ranked twenty-fifth in area.

Brightest Comet in Human History?

The Water Bearer

Draco The Dragon

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.