Month: December 2022

Science Outreach Specialists

Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of January 1st, 2023

As shown above, on Monday, January 2, 2023 from 6:53 to 6:59 am EST, the International Space Station will be visible flying high overhead of the GTA in an extremely bright pass, exiting Earth’s shadow low in the west-northwestern sky, then flying past the Big Dipper and the very bright star Arcturus before setting below…
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An Evening Moon for Viewing, a Christmas Constellation and Asterism, and All Planets After Sunset!

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! This wonderful object, known as the Christmas Tree Cluster or NGC 2264, is located in the constellation of Monoceros (the Unicorn), which occupies the winter sky between Orion and Gemini. The red glows are hydrogen gas being energized by the clump of hot, young stars recently born in the…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of December 25th, 2022

As shown above, on Saturday, December 31, 2022 from 6:48 to 6:53 am EST, the International Space Station will be visible flying over the GTA in a very pass, exiting Earth’s shadow above the northwestern horizon, then flying closely past Polaris and the very bright star Vega before setting below the eastern horizon. (courtesy: Heavens-above.com)…
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Max Mercury and Plenty of Planets, an Absent Moon Allows More Meteors and a Perseus Perusal, and Splaining the Solstice!

When the very bright “dog star” star Sirius (aka Alpha Canis Majoris) climbs high enough to clear the treetops around 10 pm local time on Christmas, its intense light and flashes of festive colour are bound to catch your eye, and just might fill you with Holiday spirit! Happy Hanukkah and Winter Solstice, Stargazers! Here…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of December 18th, 2022

As shown above, on Monday, December 19, 2022 from 6:48 to 6:54 pm EST, the International Space Station will be visible flying high overhead of the GTA in an extremely pass, rising from the southwestern horizon, then flying through the stars of Leo and closely past the very bright star Vega before setting below the…
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The Waning Moon Leaves Evening, Gemini Ejects Meteors, Bright PM Planets, and Cassiopeia’s Best!

Geminids Meteors viewed from Chile, a four-hour composite imaged by Yuri Beletsky at Las Campanas Observatory in 2013. Orion is upside-down at left and the twin stars Castor and Pollux sit near bright Jupiter at centre. NASA APOD for December 8, 2019. Hello, mid-December, Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of December…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of December 11th, 2022

As shown above, on Tuesday, December 6, 2022 from 5:17 to 5:23 pm EST, the International Space Station will be visible flying past the GTA in a bright pass, rising from the south-southwestern horizon, then flying below the moon before setting below the east-northeastern horizon. (courtesy: Heavens-above.com) Artificial satellites are visible because they are high…
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Complete Planets in Evening, the Full Oak Moon Moves Across Opposition Mars, and Jupiter Shows Spots!

This labelled map of Mars shows which features will be facing Earth-based telescopes around midnight EST on December 7-8, the night of Mars’ opposition. Mars’ northern polar cap will appear as a bright spot that the darge wedge of Syrtis Major points toward. Your telescope will probably mirror image and/or invert this view. (Starry Night…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of December 4th, 2022

As shown above, on Tuesday, December 6, 2022 from 5:17 to 5:23 pm EST, the International Space Station will be visible flying high overhead of the GTA in an extremely bright pass, rising from the west-northwestern horizon, flying through the zenith past Deneb and then past Jupiter before sinking below the east-southeastern horizon. (courtesy: Heavens-above.com)…
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