Tag Archives: Ontario Science Centre

Astronomical Events for February 2015

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Hello everybody,

Here are the astronomical events occurring in the month of April: (All times are given in UTC format)

       Astronomical Events

  • February 1: Venus passes 0.8 degrees of Neptune. This occurs at approximately 17:00.
  • February 5: Earth crosses Jupiter’s equatorial plane, which means we are in the second half of occulation and eclipse season of Jupiter’s Moons.
  • February 6: Earth reaches opposition with Jupiter at approximately 18:00.
  • February 6: The Moon reaches its apogee of 406,200 km at 18:25.
  • February 18: The Moon is new. This Moon is also a Black Moon, where this will be the third New Moon in a season where four New Moons are normal.
  • February 20: The Moon, Venus, and Mars are in conjunction with each other. This meeting occurs at Dusk.
  • February 21: Venus passes 0.4 degrees south of Mars at Dusk. Moon will have moved away by then.
  • February 24: Mercury reaches greatest morning elongation at 26.7 degrees west of the sun. This will take place at 19:00.
  • February 25: The Moon will occult Aldebaran at 23:26 in Northern Europe.
  • February 25: Neptune is at conjunction with the Sun. Will not be visible until it comes out from the other side.

 Here is a look at Comet Lovejoy’s Path (Obtained from Bob Moler’s Ephemeris Blog)

Comet Lovejoy

Comet Lovejoy reached it Perihelion two days ago, and will now move away from the Sun, and the Earth. It will lose its tail, and start to dim. This image was obtained from Bob Moler’s Ephemeris Blog.

 

 

Announcement: On April 22, 2015, I will be delivering a presentation at the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s Recreational Meetup, talking about my journey as an amateur astrophotographer. I hope you can all come to this event.

 

WORK CITED

http://www.universetoday.com/116461/the-top-101-astronomical-events-to-watch-for-in-2015/

https://bobmoler.wordpress.com/

Sky News Magazine – January/February Issue

 

WORK CONSULTED

http://astroguyz.com/2012/08/27/astro-event-whats-in-a-name-black-blue-moons-through-2020/

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Astronomical Events for December 2014

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Hello everybody,

Here are the astronomical events occurring in the month of December: (All times are given in UTC format)

       Astronomical Events

  • December 9: A double shadow transit of Jupiter’s moons will occur. It will take place from 4:18 to 4:27. It’ll be best seen in Eastern North America. Don’t miss it!
  • December 12: Another double shadow transit of Jupiter’s moons will occur from 16:19 to 16:44. It favours North-Western North America.
  • December 13: Geminid Meteor Shower will peak at approximately 1:00. Unfortunately, a waning gibbous moon will obstruct our view.
  • December 18: Asteroid 702 Alauda will occult a star that shines at +6.2 magnitude. It will be best seen at eastern Australia at 14:12.
  • December 21: The Winter Solstice occurs at 23:03. The Northern hemisphere will experience the shortest day of the year, and the Southern hemisphere will experience the longest day of the year.
  • December 21: The International Space Station will experience a period of full illumination with many views of the ISS, best seen at the southern hemisphere.
  • December 21: ANOTHER double shadow transit of Jupiter’s moons will occur. It will take place from 14:17 to 15:55. It will be best seen in Asia and Australia.

Thank You.

Keep Looking Up!

 

WORK CITED

http://www.universetoday.com/107259/101-astronomical-events-for-2014/

Astronomical Events for October 2014

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Hello everybody,

Here are the astronomical events occurring in the month of October: (All times are given in UTC format)

       Astronomical Events

  • October 4: 1 Ceres passes 30′ north of Saturn.
  • October 6: Draconid Meteor shower, which is hard to predict due to a high variability of rates and timing, is not likely to be seen due to a Full moon.
  • October 8: A total lunar eclipse will occur at 10:56 UTC. It will be visible from the Pacific Rim. Here is an image that shows where the eclipse will be visible from. Anything east of the intense red shading, means that the Moon will set during the eclipse. Anything west of the intense red shading, means that the Moon will rise during the eclipse.
    path720

    Where the Eclipse will be visible from.

    In addition, Uranus will be a degree away from the eclipsed Moon. Check it out!

  • October 13: The Moon reaches its shallowest northern declination at +18.5 degrees.
  • October 14: Comet C/2012 K1 PanSTARRS may reach magnitude 5.0 for southern hemisphere observers.
  • October 19: Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring passes just 7′ from the planet Mars. The Globular cluster NGC 6401 also lies nearby. The comet’s periareion (Periapsis on Mars) will be from 138,000 – 141,000 km from the surface of Mars. It will reach periareion at 18:28 UTC. To compare the distance, Mars’ outer moon, Deimos orbits at 24,000 km from the planet. It’ll be pretty far away, but on the surface of Mars, it will have a brightness of magnitude -6. That means it will appear to look as bright as Venus from Earth.  Check it out!

    Path of Mars and Comet Siding Spring

    Path of Mars and Comet Siding Spring

  • October 22: The Orionid meteor shower will peak at approximately 5:00 UTC. It will be best viewed in the Americas. It will be good, since the Moon is at a waning crescent phase.
  • October 22: The Moon will occult Mercury in Australia 24 hrs prior to New Moon.
  • October 23: A partial solar eclipse will take place. It will be visible in North America. It’s greatest eclipse will take place North of Nunavut, at 21:46 UTC. Make sure you get proper eye protection to see the solar eclipse. Don’t miss it!!

    599px-SE2014Oct23P-580x580

    Path and Visibility of the Eclipse.

  • October 25: The Moon will occult Saturn for the Northern Atlantic at approximately 15:43 UTC.
  • October 25: The Moon will reach its shallowest southern point for 2014, at a declination of -18.6 degrees.

 

 

WORK CITED

http://www.universetoday.com/107259/101-astronomical-events-for-2014/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2013_A1

http://mars.nasa.gov/comets/sidingspring/

 

WORKS CONSULTED

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apsis

Astronomical Events for September 2014

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Hello everybody,

Here are the astronomical events occurring in the month of September: (All times are given in UTC format)

       Astronomical Events

  • September 5: Venus passes 0.7 degrees from Regulus.
  • September 9: The last supermoon of the year will occur that day at 1:39 UTC, 22 hours after passing its perigee.
  • September 15: Comet C/2013 V5 Oukaimeden might reach 5.5 magnitude for observers in the southern hemisphere.
  • September 20: Mercury will pass 0.5 degrees south of Spica at 21:00 UTC.
  • September 21: Mercury will reach its greatest elongation, being 26.4 degrees east of the Sun. It will shine at Magnitude 0, in the dawn sky. The best view of this will be for southern hemisphere observers.
  • September 23: The Autumnal Equinox will occur at 2:29 UTC. At this point, the Northern and Southern hemispheres will have exactly 12 hours in their day. Here is a video that shows the Earth through one year. http://youtu.be/FmCJqykN2J0
  • September 23: GEO Satellites eclipse seasons occur. This is when the Geosynchronous Satellites will enter the Earth’s shadow and, just like a lunar eclipse, becomes darkened for a few minutes.
  • September 28: The Moon will occult Saturn at approximately 4:25 UTC. The Moon will also occult minor planets 1 Ceres and 4 Vesta at the same day.

Enjoy and Happy Observing!

 

WORK CITED

http://www.universetoday.com/107259/101-astronomical-events-for-2014/

 

Astronomical Events for July 2014

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Hello everybody,

Here are the astronomical events occurring in the month of July: (All times are given in UTC format)

       Astronomical Events

  • July 4: Earth reaches Aphelion, which is when the Earth is farthest from the sun along its orbit. It will take place at 2:00 with a distance of 152,098,232 km.
  • July 4: At 3:00, Pluto reaches opposition.
  • July 5: 1 Ceres and 4 Vesta are 10 arcseconds apart, which means they appear to be REALLY CLOSE to each other! Check it out. It will be at the constellation Virgo.
  • July 6: The Moon will occult Mars at ~1:21. It is best viewed in South America.
  • July 8: The Moon will occult Saturn at ~2:25. It is best viewed in Argentina and Chile.
  • July 12: Mercury reaches maximum elongation at 20.9 degrees west of the Sun. It will be shining at a magnitude of +0.4.
  • July 12: The Full Proxigean Supermoon will occur in 2014 at 11:27. It reaches the Full phase 21 hrs before reaching its perigee. This is the first of three supermoons this year.
  • July 20: Asteroid 451 Patientia will occult a +7.1 magnitude star at approximately 17:15. It is best viewed in South Africa.’
  • July 28: The moon reaches its farthest apogee for 2014 at 3:28. The moon will be 406,568 km from Earth at that time.
  • July 30: Asteroid 103 Hera occults a +6.1 magnitude star at approximately 1:11. It is best viewed in west Africa or central South America.
  • July 30: The Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor shower will peak at this time. The timing is variable, but there is a waxing Moon, which means it will set early for the meteor shower. The Moon will be four days from its New phase.

 

To all my readers, from now on, to keep these monthly updates international, I will no longer be advertising RASC Toronto Centre Events. I’m sorry if this has inconvenienced anyone.

 

WORK CITED

http://www.universetoday.com/107259/101-astronomical-events-for-2014/

rascto.ca

 

Astronomical Events for May 2014

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Hello everybody,

Here are the astronomical events occurring in the month of May: (All times are given in UTC format)

       Astronomical Events

  • May 3: For viewers in North-West Brazil and Peru, at approximately 9:17 am, asteroid 105 Artemis will occult a +7.7 magnitude star.
  • May 4: For viewers in Peru and Ecuador, at approximately ~10:12, asteroid 34 Circe will occult a +7.4 Magnitude star.
  • May 6: The closest lunar apogee will occur at 10:23 with the moon being 404,318 km distant from Earth.
  • May 5-7: The Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak. This meteor shower started at April 19, and end on May 28, but the most meteorites you will see will be on May 5-7. This meteor shower is made up of the remains of Halley’s comet. The first quarter moon will be present at the beginning of the night, but after 12 pm, it will set and the sky will become dark enough to view the meteor shower. While, they can come from anywhere, their origin will usually be from one point, and in this case, it is from the Aquarius constellation. Comets will leave gas behind when it ejects gas. That dust is scattered about its orbit, and when the Earth intersects with the comet’s orbit, then more of the comet dust will enter the atmosphere, and form a meteor shower. Since they are orbiting the same direction, it appears to all come from one point in the sky. That is called the radiant. This dust is how meteor showers occur.
  • May 7: For Australia and Indonesia, asteroid 206 Hersilia occults a +7.5 magnitude star at approximately 17:49.
  • May 10: Saturn reaches opposition. It is shining with a magnitude of +0.1. It’s rings are tipped over a maximum of 23 degrees into our line of sight on February 11th, and will widen overall in 2014.
  • May 13: A double transit event will take place on Jupiter from 9:20 – 9:32 visible from North-west North America.
  • May 14: The moon will occult Saturn on approximately 12:18. This will be visible in Australia and New Zealand.
  • May 24: A meteor shower may occur here thanks to Comet 209P LINEAR.
  • May 24: For South America, Asteroid 33 Polyhymnia occults a +5.5 magnitude at approximately 8:30.
  • May 25: Mercury reaches maximum dusk elongation, 22.7 degrees east of the sun. This is Mercury’s best evening apparition for 2014 for northern hemisphere viewers.

         RASC Toronto Centre Events (These times will be written as EST or EDT)

  • May 3-4: the AstroCATS will take place. It is a trade show that features seminars, guest lecturers, exhibitions, and many other events. There is also a special hotel accomodation for the guests. It’s going to be fun.
  • May 5 – 8: RASC will be hosting a city star party at either Bayview Village Park or at High Park. These parties are dependent on the weather, and a window is set for the party. If a night is clear, RASC gives the GO call and the party will take place that day. If a NO GO call is given, the party is postponed until the next day when another GO/NO GO Call is given. If all the days in the window were given a NO GO call, then the party is cancelled for the month, and will try again next month. If a GO call is given, guests start setting up their telescope at around 7:30 pm. Go to rascto.ca for more information and for the GO/NO GO call. It’s free to attend for the whole public.
  • Wednesday, May 7: Marshall L. McCall, who works at York University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy will talk about the arrangement of galaxies all around us and how that affects us. It will take place at the Ontario Science Centre. It is free to attend, and everyone can attend.
  • May 21: It is RASC’s Recreational Astronomy Night. It will take place at the Ontario Science Centre from 7-10 pm. Parking is free after 6 pm. There will be four speakers: Francois van Heerden will discuss the sky this month. Jason Toliopoulos will discuss Astronomy for dummies… by dummies. Francois van Heerden will give an update by the RASC board of directors. Lastly, Paul Mortfield will give tips to help us bring astronomy to people at star parties. It is free to attend, and anyone can attend.
  • May 24-25: Members have the opportunity to work at the E.C. Carr Observatory. This is the Carr Observatory Spring Work Party. It’ll allow you to get hands on experience in working at an observatory. There is room for everyone there. It is for members only, but members can attend for free. It is at Blue Mountain. Go to rascto.ca for more details.
  • On May 26-29: RASC will be hosting a Dark Sky Party at the Sault Lake Conservation Area. At this party, it will be dark enough to view the faintest objects in the sky, such as M51, Andromeda Galaxy, and many other Deep Sky Objects (DSO’s). This event is weather dependent, therefore go to rascto.ca for the GO/NO GO call. It is free to attend, and everyone can attend. Telescopes not mandatory.
  • Go to http://www.rascto.ca for more information. Thank You!

 

 

WORK CITED

http://www.universetoday.com/107259/101-astronomical-events-for-2014/

Coursera lecture 5.12

http://www.iflscience.com/space/skywatching-events-not-miss-2014

rascto.ca

Astronomical Events for April 2014

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Hello everybody,

Here are the astronomical events occurring in the month of April: (All times are given in UTC format)

       Astronomical Events

  • April 8: Mars reaches opposition with a magnitude of -1.5.
  • April 12: Venus and Neptune come to a close conjunction with both planets being 0.7 degrees apart at 2:00 UTC.
  • April 15: A total lunar eclipse will occur at 7:47. It will be visible in the Americas.
  • April 17: The Moon will occult Saturn at ~7:19. It will be visible in South America.
  • April 29: An Annular Solar Eclipse will occur at 6:05. It will be visible from Australia, and from the South Indian Ocean. It will also be a unique, non-central eclipse.

         RASC Toronto Centre Events (These times will be written as EST or EDT)

  • April 2: Dr. Amy Shaw, from York University, will speak about the OSIRIS-REx mission and its target asteroid Bennu. It will take place at the Ontario Science Centre. Parking is free after 6 pm, and it is free for the public.
  • April 5: There will be a Solar Observation Event at the Ontario Science Centre. It is free for the public. Go to http://www.rascto.ca for the GO/NO GO call.
  • Monday April 7 – 10: There will be a City Star Party, where people can look at the stars and planets without going outside of Toronto. A telescope is not necessary to attend. This event is free for the public. It will be located at either Bayview Village Park or at High Park. Go to http://www.rascto.ca for the GO/NO GO call.
  • On April 11-13, developers, engineers, and many others will take on 25 NASA-designed challenges and solve them using a variety of solutions with the help of a mentor. Anyone can attend, but registration is required. To register, go to: http://spaceappstoronto.com/ It will take place at the Ontario Science Centre.
  •  April 12: Yuri’s night will take place. It is a global celebration of humanity’s journey into space. This night takes place every April 12th. This celebrates the the first human spaceflight, and the first space shuttle launch. The party features space-related activities, such as a mix of “techno and technology at a NASA Center”, to a gathering at a bar. To find a party, or to plan your own event, go to: http://yurisnight.net/#/starter
  • On April 22: Joseph Ivor Silk will speak about his work in cosmology. It is organized by the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics. It will take place from 7:30 – 9:30 and will be located at the Koffler Building at 569 Spadina Avenue, Room 108.
  • April 23: The RASC monthly Recrational Astronomy night will take place at the Ontario Science Centre. There will be four lectures by Chris Vaughan, Guy Nason, and Ed Treijs. This event is free and open to the public. Parking after 6 pm is free. It will take place at the Ontario Science Centre.
  • April 26: The RASC Member’s night will take place. This month’s theme is “Catch a Falling Star – A New Meteor Shower”. Members can only attend, but we can sign you up there. It is free to attend. It will take place at the David Dunlap Observatory starting at 5:30 pm.
  • April 28 – May 1: This is the window for RASC’s Dark Sky Party that will take place at the Long Sault Conservation Area. It will start at 8 pm. This event is free and open to the public. Telescope are not necessary to attend. Go to http://www.rascto.ca for the GO/NO GO calls.
  • Go to http://www.rascto.ca for more information. Thank You!

 

 

 

 

 

WORK CITED

http://www.universetoday.com/107259/101-astronomical-events-for-2014/

rascto.ca

 

WORKS CONSULTED

http://www.cita.utoronto.ca/