Month: December 2023

Science Outreach Specialists

Merry Perihelion, the Dipper Drops Meteors, Plenty of Planets, and the Waning Moon to Morning Shows the Bull Best!

This amazing composite image by Detlef Hartmann shows the continued expansion of the Crab Nebula Supernova Remnant (aka Messier 1) in Taurus over 10 years (Sept 29, 2008 through Sept 22, 2017). It spans about 0.1 degrees of the sky. In the heart of the nebula sits a rapidly rotating neutron star that emits radio…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of December 31st, 2023

As shown above, on Monday, January 1, 2024 from 6:21 to 6:25 am EST, the International Space Station will be visible flying high overhead of the GTA in an extremely bright pass, exiting Earth’s shadow high in the northwestern sky above the bright star Capella and then flying between the two dippers before setting below…
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Morning Venus Crosses Scorpius’ Claws, the Long Nights Moon for Yule, Spotty Jupiter, and a Christmas Critter!

This magical image of the sword of Orion was captured and processed by my friend John Deans when he was in Bancroft, Ontario on February of 2021. All three patches of light from top to bottom are visible to unaided eyes below Orion’s three-starred belt. Binoculars and backyard telescopes will reveal the spectacular details in…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of December 24th, 2023

As shown above, on Sunday, December 31, 2023 from 7:07 to 7:13 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 and then flying past the Big Dipper and the bright star Arcturus before setting below…
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Northern Winter Nigh, Minimal Meteors, the Evening Moon Waxes to Yule, and Christmas Lights!

My friend Alan Dyer of Alberta captured this spectacular image of a lone Geminids meteor streaking across an aurorae-filled sky on December 13, 2023. From Collingwood, Ontario I saw two terrific Geminids in one hour on December 14. Follow Alan’s @amazingskyguy account on X.com and visit his ww.amazingsky.com page for more. Hello, Start-of-Winter Stargazers! Here…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of December 17th, 2023

As shown above, on Wednesday, December 20, 2023 from 6:19 to 6:23 am EST, the International Space Station will be visible flying high over the GTA in an extremely bright pass, exiting Earth’s shadow in the west-southwestern sky near the bright star Sirius and then flying past the Big Dipper before setting below the northeastern…
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Betelgeuse Blinks, Moonless Maximum Meteors for 2023, Algol Alternates, and Pursuing Planets!

This terrific composite image of the Geminids meteor shower in 2017 was taken by Alan Dyer of Alberta. The winter Milky Way descends through the centre and the bright patch at right is Orion’s belt and sword. More of Alan’s images can be viewed at his website https://amazingsky.photoshelter.com/index Hello, Mid-December Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of December 10th, 2023

As shown above, on Sunday, December 17, 2023 from 7:07 to 7:13 am EST, the International Space Station will be visible flying directly overhead of the GTA in an extremely bright pass, rising from the southwestern horizon and then flying past the bright star Regulus and the Big Dipper before setting below the east-northeastern horizon…
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Sunset Timing, the Morning Moon Launches Hanukkah and Poses with Virgo Stars and Venus, and December Dark-Sky Delights Include Two Comets!

This is a portrait of the two groups of half-sisters related in mythology as daughters of Atlas: the Hyades, at left, and the blue Pleiades, at right, two nearby open star clusters in Taurus, imaged by Alan Dyer from Quailway Cottage in southwest Arizona, December 15, 2017. The bright, orange star at far left is…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of December 3rd, 2023

As shown above, on Monday, December 4, 2023 from 5:41 to 5:48 pm EST, the International Space Station will be visible flying overhead of the GTA in an extremely bright pass, rising from the west-northwestern horizon and then flying past the bright stars Vega and Deneb before entering Earth’s shadow low in the southeastern sky.…
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