Malcolm Park captured this terrific widefield image of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks on March 4 2024. The Andromeda Galaxy is prominent at the upper right, and the triangulum galaxy is fuzzy at top left. This week the comet will travel between the two widely separated bright stars Mirach (above centre) and bluish Alpheratz (below centre). Enjoy more…
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This fantastic image of the Heart and Soul Nebulae in Cassiopeia was captured by my friend Steve Mallia at Starfest in Ayton, Ontario on September 15, 2023. The pinks are produced by ionized hydrogen gas and the blues by starlight scattering from interstellar dust. The entire scene spans about a palm’s width the sky. Despite…
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Wayne Parker captured this terrific image of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31) and its small, bright elliptical companions Messier 32 (to the left of the main core) and Messier 110 (to the lower right of the main core) during the annual Starfest Star Party near Mt. forest, Ontario in August, 2022. The image covers about…
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The southeastern sky, shown here at 6 am local time at the latitude of Toronto, hosts the bright planets Venus and Mars, with Saturn to the east (lower left). Before the sky brightens too much, observers can try to spot fainter main belt asteroid Vesta near Venus and Mars. Hello, March Stargazers! Here are your…
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This image of the waxing crescent moon was taken by Michael Watson of Toronto on March 2, 2014. It nicely shows the Earthshine phenomenon, and the way the position of the lit crescent on the young moon at this time of year resembles the Cheshire Cat’s smile. Michael’s gallery of images are hosted on his…
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This simulated view of Venus shows the shape it will appear when viewed through a backyard telescope this month. Galileo was the first to note that Venus changed in apparent size and shape. Hello, April Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of April 12th, 2020 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to send…
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