Fredericton Astronomy
2 Bailey Drive Fredericton, NB, Canada

Zoom astro meeting Feb 9 7pm

We had a couple of zoom meetings the last month... see you on the 2nd Tuesday of the month... Watch the distribution list for meeting invite details. Take care and stay safe out there!... thanks chris

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2020 October 17 October 24 With the Square of Pegasus appearing higher in the east after twilight, look under it (or outside the first base line of the diamond) for a circle of fainter stars. This asterism is the Circlet of Pisces and forms the head of one if the two fish that make up this zodiac constellation. Below left of the circle is the Vernal Equinox, the point where the Sun crosses the equator to mark the beginning of our spring season. ...It is still at times called the First Point of Aries despite having moved well to the west of the zodiacal ram. The fishes represent Aphrodite and her son Eros, who tied their ankles together with a cord before leaping into the sea and changing into fish to escape the fearsome monster Typhon. The star where the fishes’ tails meet is called Alrescha, which means the cord. This autumn Pisces is hosting a prominent visitor: the planet Mars. This Week in the Solar System Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:39 am and sunset will occur at 6:28 pm, giving 10 hours, 49 minutes of daylight (7:43 am and 6:34 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:49 am and set at 6:16 pm, giving 10 hours, 27 minutes of daylight (7:52 am and 6:23 pm in Saint John). With the new Moon at perigee on October 16, we can expect extreme tides this weekend. The Moon passes below Jupiter and Saturn on Thursday, and at the first quarter phase on Friday a telescope will reveal the Lunar X just inside the shadow line around 8 pm. Mars is now in the eastern sky at sunset, attracting attention throughout the night. Jupiter continues to edge toward Saturn, and this Saturday telescope users might catch the shadows of Jupiter’s moons Callisto and Io on the planet’s cloud tops until 8:42 pm. Venus dominates the morning sky and rural stargazers might see it within the zodiacal light 90 minutes before sunrise. The Orionid meteor shower peaks on Tuesday night, best seen Wednesday morning when Orion is highest. With astronomy meetings and outreach activities on hold, you can watch the local Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm, and view archived shows, on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAEHfOWyL-kNH7dBVHK8spg Questions? Contact Curt Nason at [email protected]

Really frustrating trying to keep folks aware of light pollution and the impact on the environment including flora/fauna (plants and animals) as well as the impact on us as a person as well as a society. We do NOT need lights blazing all night when folks are in the livingroom or rec room or man cave or lady cave etc... you are just lighting the way for someone to see what you have and to not step in any dog droppings along the way.... motion sensor lights work better vs stree...Continue reading

https://earthsky.org//star-spaghettified-by-black-hole-at2

free astro software - great quality http://stellarium.org/

Mars reaches opposition today Mars comes to opposition today in Earth's sky for the first time since July of 2018. Mars is now brighter than it will be again until the year 2035. In its smaller orbit around the sun, Earth will pass more or less between the sun and Mars today at around 23:00 UTC (7 p.m. EDT, 6 p.m. CDT, 5 p.m. MDT and 4 p.m. PDT); translate UTC to your time. The sun and Mars are now on opposite sides of Earth's sky. Mars rises in the east at sunset, is at its highest at midnight, and sets in the west at sunrise. At this year's opposition, in particular, Mars is a fiery red - brighter than all the stars - a wonderful sight all night long. Read more.