Skylights

Science Outreach Specialists

Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of February 18th, 2024

As shown above, on Monday, February 19, 2024 from 6:17 to 6:23 am EST, the International Space Station will be visible flying over the GTA in an extremely bright pass, exiting Earth’s shadow above the west-southwestern horizon and flying through both dippers before setting below the northeastern horizon. (courtesy: Heavens-above.com) Artificial satellites are visible because…
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Romantic Night Sights While the Waxing Moon Dances with Jupiter, Shows Some L-O-V-E, and Finds the Football!

Adrien Klamerius took this image of the Heart (upper left) and Soul (lower right) nebulas in Cassiopeia, also known as IC 1805 and IC 1848, respectively. The Double Cluster as at top centre. The area of sky covers about 10 degrees, or a fist diameter. NASA APOD for Sep 24, 2016 Hello, Night Sky Lovers!…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of February 11th, 2024

As shown above, on Saturday, February 17, 2024 from 6:17 to 6:23 am EST, the International Space Station will be visible flying high overhead of the GTA in an extremely bright pass, exiting Earth’s shadow above the southwestern horizon and passing through the Summer Triangle stars before setting in the east-northeastern sky. (courtesy: Heavens-above.com) Artificial…
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Moonless Evenings Launch Lunar New Year while Jupiter and Venus Bookend the Night!

The beautiful Rosette Nebula in Monoceros consists of a circular patch of glowing hydrogen gas and an internal star cluster, created as the hydrogen gas collapsed. Stan Noble tool this image, which was featured as the SkyNews picture of the week for November 3, 2017, in Aneroid, Saskatchewan. The image spans about two finger widths…
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The Moon Leaves Evening so We Eye Orion, Planets Persist, and Will Willie See His Shadow?

This terrific image of the Orion’s sword was taken on January 7, 2019 by Rick Foster of Markham, Ontario. Even binoculars will reveal that the central patch of light is the splendid Orion Nebula, also known as Messier 42. The grouping of bright stars at bottom right are “the Lost Jewel of Orion’s Sword”, particularly…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of January 28th, 2024

As shown above, on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 from 6:16 to 6:22 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, climbing through the Summer Triangle stars and then through the winter constellations before entering Earth’s shadow low in…
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Good Views of the Full Moon after Yule, Double Stars Don’t Mind Moonlight, and Planets Will Dance at Dawn and Dusk!

This image taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the fascinating Aristarchus Plateau. The crater Aristarchus at lower right is very prominent, and can be seen even with unaided eyes as a very bright patch. To its left is the similar-sized, but darker crater Herodotus. Vallis Schröteri, the largest sinuous rille on the moon, starts…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of January 21st, 2024

As shown above, on Sunday, January 21, 2024 from 6:15 to 6:20 pm EST, the International Space Station will be visible flying past the GTA in a bright pass, rising from the western horizon, climbing through the Summer Triangle stars and then flying past Polaris before entering Earth’s shadow low in the northeastern sky. (courtesy:…
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The Evening Moon Earns a Look, Planets Parade at Dawn and Dusk, and Moonlit Nights Brightest Lights!

On Tuesday evening, January 16, the lunar terminator will fall to the west of three prominent craters Theophilus, Cyrillus, and Catharina and throw into stark relief many other craters in the lunar highlands. The features will be visible in quality binoculars and through any telescope. (from 2024 NASA Lunar Visualization tool) Hello, Mid-January Stargazers! Here…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of January 14th, 2024

As shown above, on Friday, January 19, 2024 from 6:13 to 6:18 pm EST, the International Space Station will be visible flying high over the GTA in an extremely bright pass, rising from the west-southwestern horizon and then flying between Polaris and Cassiopeia before entering Earth’s shadow low in the northeastern horizon. (courtesy: Heavens-above.com) Artificial…
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