Month: August 2021

Science Outreach Specialists

A Spotty Sun, Morning Luna’s Silver Sliver, Dotted Jupiter and Ringed Saturn Ride the Sea-Goat, and Looking at Lyra!

August 29, 2021

This full-disk image of the sun in visible wavelengths was taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite on August 29, 2021. It shows the huge sunspot group designated AR2860 that is currently visible by anyone using safely filtered telescopes, pinhole projectors, and eclipse viewers. That active region is emitting strong M-class flares. Visit Spaceweather.com and…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of August 29th, 2021

August 28, 2021

As shown above, on Monday, August 30, 2021 from 4:43 am to 4:46 am EDT, the International Space Station will fly overhead of the GTA, exciting Earth’s shadow high in the northwestern sky near Cassiopeia, and then setting in the northeast. Artificial satellites are visible because they are high enough to be bathed in sunlight…
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The Blue Black Cherries Moon Looks Brown, Bright Planets’ Satellites Sparkle, and the Dragon’s Bright Lights!

August 22, 2021

This photograph of the moon by Michael Watson of Toronto was taken 9 hours after its full phase. It will closely match the appearance of the moon after it rises on Sunday night, August 22 in the Americas. A thin strip along the moon’s right-hand limb will already be darkening, and the craters there will…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of August 22nd, 2021

August 21, 2021

As shown above, on Friday, August 27, 2021 from 5:25 am to 5:31 am EDT, the International Space Station will fly high overhead of the GTA, exciting Earth’s shadow above the southwestern horizon near Jupiter, flying close to the bright star Capella, and then setting in the east-northeast. Artificial satellites are visible because they are…
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A Star Surprises Us, the Full Moon Follows Max Jupiter, and Sights Despite Moonlight!

August 15, 2021

This simulated image of Jupiter shows how it will appear at opposition on Thursday night, August 19, 2021, when the Great Red Spot and Io and its shadow will be transiting the planet, as shown here at 10:30 pm EDT. (From Stellarium) Hello, August Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of August…
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The Perseids Peak Mid-week, the Moon Passes Planets in Evening, and Gas Giants Gleam Overnight!

August 8, 2021

This amazing composite image by my friend Bill Longo of Toronto was captured in 2015. The International Space Station pass was part of his imaging plan. But the Perseids Meteor shower peak also delivering an aurora borealis (greens and purple) was pure luck! Hello, Perseids Enthusiasts! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of…
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The Morning Moon Helps Meteors Mount and the Eagle’s Sights, Evening Star Venus, and Shiny Saturn at Opposition near Jupiter!

August 1, 2021

The Ghost of the Moon planetary nebula aka NGC 6781 in Aquila, photographed by the European Southern Observatory 3.6-m Telescope at the La Silla Observatory in the Atacama Desert, Chile. The image spans 4.5 arc-minutes of sky, or 15% of the full moon. The object is an expanding sphere of gas – the outer shells…
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