Author: AstroGeo

Science Outreach Specialists

Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of January 26th, 2020

On Monday, January 27 from 5:51 to 5:58 pm EST, the International Space Station will fly over the GTA in a bright pass, rising from the western horizon, passing Vega, and then disappearing into Earth’s shadow over the northeastern horizon. Artificial satellites are visible because they are high enough to be bathed in sunlight while…
Read more

A Mostly Morning Moon, Venus nears Neptune as Mercury Moves up, and Touring Awesome Orion!

This spectacular astrophotograph of Orion’s Sword by Michael Watson of Toronto has been annotated to highlight the many and varied deep sky objects in this part of the sky. The colourful Messier 42 nebula is glowing by the light of young stars formed within it. The area shown here covers about 2 finger widths of…
Read more

Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of January 19th, 2020

On Saturday, January 25 from 5:47 to 5:54 pm EST, the International Space Station will fly high overhead of the GTA in a very bright pass, rising from the west-southwestern horizon and then disappearing into Earth’s shadow over the east-northeastern horizon. Artificial satellites are visible because they are high enough to be bathed in sunlight…
Read more

The Moon Covers the Maiden’s Eyes, Mars Meets its Rival, and a Missing Moon Flatters Taurus’ Treats!

Alan Dyer of Calgary captured this spectacular image of a comet named Wirtanen passing the Pleiades star cluster on December 15, 2018. His gallery of incredible images can be found here and at AmazingSky.com. Hello, January Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of January 12th, 2020 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to…
Read more

Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of January 12th, 2020

This long exposure image by Bill Longo of Toronto shows the trail produced by the International Space Station when Expedition 41 flew over the David Dunlap Observatory in 2014. Bill’s gallery of beautiful images can be explored at https://interceptedphotons.com/ Artificial satellites are visible because they are high enough to be bathed in sunlight while the…
Read more

The Bright Moon Touches Taurus’ Horn’s Tip, then Dips a Toe into Earth’s Shadow, while Venus and Mars Shine at Dusk and Dawn!

This wide field image of Orion was captured on January 2, 2020 by Alan Dyer of Alberta, Canada. Orange-tinted Betelgeuse, which marks Orion’s shoulder (top centre), normally shines as bright as Orion’s opposite foot – the bright, blue star Rigel. In the last few weeks, Betelgeuse has diminished noticeably in apparent brightness – a possible…
Read more

Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of January 5th, 2020

On Monday, January 6 from 6:37 to 6:42 am EST, the International Space Station will fly high overhead of the GTA in a very bright pass, exiting from Earth’s shadow near the bright star Capella in the lower northwestern sky, passing the Big Dipper, and then setting at the east-southeastern horizon. Artificial satellites are visible…
Read more

More Meteors Briefly, Merry Perihelion, a Paucity of Planets, and the Stunning Stars of January!

This wide field photograph of the sky shows Orion at left and Taurus to the upper right. The stars have been slightly overexposed to emphasize their colours and relative brightnesses. Normally, reddish Betelgeuse at Orion’s shoulder (left above centre) is the same brightness as blue Rigel at Orion’s opposite foot. But recent images shows Betelgeuse…
Read more

Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of December 29th, 2019

On Friday, January 4 from 6:36 to 6:41 am EST, the International Space Station will fly over the GTA in a bright pass, exiting from Earth’s shadow near the bright star Capella in the lower northwestern sky, and then setting at the eastern horizon. Artificial satellites are visible because they are high enough to be…
Read more

An Ancient Yule, a Comet in the Camel Leopard, the Sun Surrounds the New Moon, and a Flight through Pegasus!

This image of the beautiful Superman Galaxy, more formally known as NGC7479 and Caldwell 44, was captured by Goran Nilsson using the 2-metre Liverpool Telescope on the Canary Islands. The galaxy is 105 million light-years away from the sun, in the constellation of Pegasus. It’s also considered by astronomers to be “peculiar”. Hello, December Stargazers!…
Read more