Skylights

Science Outreach Specialists

Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of May 23rd, 2021

As shown above, on Sunday, May 30, 2021 from 9:43 to 9:49 pm EDT, the International Space Station will fly high overhead of the GTA in an extremely bright pass, rising from the northwestern horizon near Venus and then flying past the Big Dipper before disappearing into Earth’s shadow over the east-southeastern horizon. Artificial satellites…
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Waxing Moon Views Include an X, an Occultation, and a Golden Handle while the Inner Planets Dance at Dusk with Mars!

This fantastic image of the First quarter moon was taken during mid-twilight on April 22, 2018 by Michael Watson of Toronto. The Lunar X, an hour or so past its peak, is visible below centre just to the right of the terminator. Michael’s galleries of images are hosted at https://www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/albums Hello, Late Spring Stargazers! Here…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of May 16th, 2021

As shown above, on Tuesday, May 18, 2021 from 9:30 to 9:36 pm EDT, the International Space Station will fly high overhead of the GTA in an extremely bright pass, rising from the west-southwestern horizon near the bright star Procyon and then flying past the bright star Vega just before disappearing below the northeastern horizon.…
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More Dark Sky Nights before the Crescent Moon Passes Planets in Evening and Stops Some Starlight!

The prominent galaxies Messier 81 or Bode’s Nebula (left) and Messier 82 or the Cigar Galaxy (right) are located near the Big Dipper’s bowl in the northern sky. This image by AstroDoc Ron Brecher of Guelph, Ontario from February, 2017 spans about 1.5 degrees, or three full moon diameters. Messier 81 is large and bright…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of May 9th, 2021

As shown above, on Saturday, May 15, 2021 from 10:15 to 10:21 pm EDT, the International Space Station will fly high overhead of the GTA in an extremely bright pass, rising from the southwestern horizon and then flying past the bright star Vega just before disappearing below the east-northeastern horizon. Artificial satellites are visible because…
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The Mid-spring Morning Moon Joins Gas Giants, a Minor Meteor Shower, and an Inner Planets Dance Begins!

This image of the globular star cluster Messier 3 in Canes Venatici was captured by Adam Block at the Mount Lemmon sky Center, University of Arizona. The area of sky shown spans a little more than the full moon’s diameter. Hello, May Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of May 2nd, 2021…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of May 2nd, 2021

An artist’s conception of the first module of China’s new space station, TianHe, which will be visible when it flies overhead after dusk and before dawn. Artificial satellites are visible because they are high enough to be bathed in sunlight while the sun is below the horizon for earthbound observers. When the geometry is just…
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The Sun Starts to Sport Spots, the Full Pink Moon is Sort of Super, and Planets Pair up at Dusk and Dawn!

This full disk image of the sun on April 23, 2021 was taken by Dave Hoskins. This view shows the sun through a special solar telescope that uses the Hydrogen-alpha wavelength in the red part of the visible spectrum. A large group of small sunspots sits just to the lower left of centre, surrounded by…
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Greater Toronto Area Space Station Flyovers for the week of April 25th, 2021

As shown above, on Thursday, April 29, 2021 from 5:15 to 5:21 am EDT, the International Space Station will fly high over the GTA in an extremely bright pass, exiting Earth’s shadow over the west-southwestern horizon near the very bright star Arcturus, flying past the Little Dipper, and then disappearing below the northeastern horizon.  Artificial…
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Bright Planets Bracket Night, Luna Limits the Lyrids, but There’s Much Moon to Appreciate!

This annotated image of the Lyrids Meteor Shower was captured by Petr Horalek when the Lyrids streaked over Seč Lake in the Czech Republic in April, 2020. The meteors appear to radiate from a point in the sky in Hercules near the very bright blue star Vega of Lyra (the Harp). Don’t watch the radiant…
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