Did you know that the Moon is slowly moving away from the Earth? Planetary scientists are pretty sure that the Moon is the result of a glancing collision with another huge planetary body some 4.5 billion years ago. The debris from that glancing blow coalesced over a few million years into the Moon that we know now. At that time the Moon orbited Earth at a distance of about 80,000 kilometers (50,000 miles). When Apollo astronauts landed on the Moon, they left reflectors on its surface and then measured the time it took for a laser pulse to travel there and back. Since the speed of light is constant and you know the time it took the pulse to go to and from the moon, the distance can be calculated with high accuracy. When you take measurements over a few years, you can then see the rate at which the Moon is moving away. That movement away is about 3.8 centimeters (1.5 inches) per year. The moon is now at a distance, on average, of about 380,000 Kilometers (237,000 miles). It’s moved pretty far in 4.5 billion years! It’s a fortunate coincidence that we have total solar eclipses because at its current distance, the Moon appears the same size as the Sun as it passes between us and the Sun and therefore covers it perfectly. This allows scientists to study the Sun’s atmosphere - the corona. It provides the rest of us, lucky enough to be in the right place, a beautiful natural wonder. Of course, the egghead scientists likely find it beautiful too! The question is: why is happening? Well, the Earth and the Moon pull on each other due to their mutual gravity and this causes the ocean tide that occurs twice every day. Because the Earth rotates, the bulges (high tide) that form in the ocean due to gravitational attraction, actually occur slightly ahead of the Moon and not directly beneath it. The Moon, as a result, is attracted by the increased mass of water in front of it and this very, very slightly increases the speed of its orbit. The faster the Moon moves, the larger its orbit around Earth becomes. Thus it continues to move a miniscule distance away.

Another consideration enters the mix. The Moon also attracts the Earth. The tide it causes creates friction and this slowly reduces the rotation rate of the Earth. Way back, not only was the Moon much closer to our planet, but the Earth was rotating much faster. The rotation rate will continue to slow as the Moon moves slowly away. Eventually the time it takes the Moon to orbit the Earth will be the same as the Earth takes to make one rotation and at that time, it will be about 47 of our current days. This will happen in roughly 50 billion years. But not to worry, the Sun’s life span will end in about 5 billion years and we’ll have been long swallowed up by a Red Giant Sun. I don’t suppose we should be overly worried about that distant fate.

Venus still dominates with its brilliance in the western sky for about 3 hours after sunset. Here’s a chance to attempt an easier observation of distant Uranus. Pull out your binoculars and look about 2 degrees southeast of Venus on March 7th and 8th. Uranus is roughly 1.9 billion miles away and that’s 24 times the distance to Venus. Looking west on March 24th the sky will present a stunning view of the constellation Orion and down to the right, the Hyades star cluster, the Pleiades and the constellation Perseus. Star looking about an hour after sunset. If you have a telescope, keep track of Venus. Its disk increases in size as the month progresses, it goes from19 second width to 26 seconds; a large increase. Before dawn (about 5 am) in early March, you can observe Mars, Jupiter and Saturn along the elliptic in the southeast. If you check every few days, you will note that Mars moves past both during the month. On the 24th Mars sits about half a degree south of Jupiter. The 3 planets are clustered together March 25th and 26th and this hasn’t happened in 20 years. Also note that Mars will be right between Jupiter and Saturn. There’s eye candy for during all in the evenings and early pre dawn mornings. Don’t forget to watch for the cone shaped Zodiacal light above the western horizon during March. Since the Full Moon this month is on March 9th, the best time to view the light is after March 14th or so and before the Moon rises.

Monthly highlights:

March 2nd: First quarter Moon.

March 7th and 8th: Uranus is 2 degrees southeast of Venus.

March 8th: Daylight Savings time begins at 2 am.

March 9th: Full Moon. This is the Full Worm Moon. As spring springs, hopefully early this year, watch out for worms underfoot. Robin Redbreast shows up too. It’s also called the Full Sap Moon. No, I’m not referring to anyone in particular. It’s the time to get your sproules and buckets out and ready yourself for the Maple tree sap to flow.

March 10th: The Moon is at perigee – 355,000 Kilometers.

March 16th: Last Quarter Moon.

March 17th: Saint Patrick’s Day. Some people will be seeing stars the next day!

March 18th: Moon is 0.7 degrees south of Mars - 4 am. Moon is 1.5 degrees south of Jupiter – 6 am. Moon is 2 degrees south of Saturn – 8 pm.

March 19th: Spring or Vernal equinox.

March 20th: Mars is 0.7 degrees south of Jupiter.

March 21st: Moon is 4 degrees south of Mercury; an observing challenge.

March 24th: New Moon. Moon is at apogee – 404,300 Kilometers. Mars sits about half a degree south of Jupiter.

March 26th: Observing challenge: Moon passes 4 degrees south of Uranus at 5 pm EDT.

March 28th: Earth Hour – 8:30 to 9:30 pm. www.earthhour.org . Moon passes 7 degrees south of Venus – 7 am EDT.

March 31st: Mars is 0.9 degrees south of Saturn – 7 am EDT.

That’s a wrap. Keep looking up! Jupiter and her dancing moons – Callisto, Io, Europa and Ganymede are a treat in the early morning!

“The Beginner’s Observing Guide by Leo Enright is an invaluable companion for adventures in the sky. It also contains useful star charts. It can be ordered from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada at www.rasc.ca/publications. A subscription to our very own excellent Canadian astronomy magazine “SkyNews” can be arranged at the RASC website as well.

Let me know how your observing has gone this month, especially anything unusual. I enjoy the feedback. If you have any questions or suggestions you can contact me through this paper or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Clear Skies! Fred.

I’ve always wondered how a galaxy could be more than 27 billion light years from Earth when the universe is roughly only 13.7 billion years old. A light year is considered a unit of distance and indicates how far you can go in one year at the speed of light (about 9 trillion kilometers). It doesn’t seem right that something 27 million light years away can be that distance when it has had only 13.7 billion years to go that far. Actually there are 2 reasons that explain this seeming inconsistency. One reason is that the universe is not fixed in size in space. The universe is expanding and, as I mentioned in a previous column, it is increasing its rate of expansion as time passes. Over time, the galaxies are moving away from each other as space expands. Yes, galaxies collide but these are localized phenomena that occur when they are near enough for their respective gravitational fields to interact and attract each other. The second reason is that a galaxy 27 light years away is not being directly measured. We are seeing light from that galaxy that is ancient. Its light has been traveling for billions of years through the universe. When the universe was younger, the universe was smaller and that light had a shorter path to travel. It only took a few billion years to reach us. In the mean time, the universe has expanded. The distance between that galaxy and us is much more. So much so that if that light were to make the trip today, it would take 27 billion years to reach us and would not be observable. Astronomers, with the understanding of the changing nature of the universe, can predict that that 27 billion light year distance is based on light that set out long, long ago.

It’s that time of year for the Zodiacal light! Its cone shaped glow will be best viewable above the western horizon from mid February through early March after twilight has faded. The triangular shape of the light, with its apex pointed towards the zenith, is caused by the debris disk of our solar system. Its radiance is light glinting off of that cloud of particles. The disk of dust ranges through the inner solar system and extends out from the Sun to the orbit of Jupiter. The debris originates from comets and material thrown off by asteroid collisions. The dust particles have a size range from about a few micrometers to a few centimeters. The debris mainly orbits in the ecliptic plane – the plane in which the planets travel around the solar system. Therefore the best time to observe its glow is when the axis of the Earth’s rotation is tilted at a maximum to the ecliptic plane. This occurs around the time of the spring and autumnal equinoxes. At the spring equinox (February-March), it will appear about an hour after sunset on the western horizon. At the time of the autumnal equinox (September-October), it will present itself before dawn on the eastern horizon. Ancient astronomers called it the ‘wings of the morning’ because when it appeared in the fall at sunrise, it signaled the dawn. The best time to view the Zodiacal light is an hour or 2 after the Sun has gone down. Find yourself a nice dark site when the Moon isn’t around. Dress warmly (need I say), let your eyes get dark adjusted and look to the west.

In the evening sky this month Mercury can be seen in the west and bright Venus is hard to miss in the west as well. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can be made out in the southwest in the early morning. They are an exceptionally fine sight about an hour before sunrise on February 29th about 10 to 15 degrees above the horizon. Just before dawn on the 18th, a thin crescent Moon passes in front of Mars.

Monthly Highlights:

All Month: Zodiacal Light.

Feb. 9th: Full Moon. This one is called the Full Snow Moon. It’s the snowiest month of winter and I would hazard a guess that the name suits. It’s also called the Full Hunger Moon when game was very hard to find.

Feb. 10th: The Moon is at perigee (closest to Earth) – 358,360 kilometers.

Feb. 15th: Last quarter Moon.

Feb. 18th: The Moon passes about a degree north of the Mars.

Feb. 19th: The Moon passes about a degree south of Jupiter.

Feb. 20th: The Moon passes about 2 degrees south of Saturn.

Feb. 23rd: New Moon.

Feb. 26th: The Moon is at apogee (farthest from the Earth) – 403,920 kilometers.

Feb. 27th: The Moon passes 6 degrees south of Venus.

Feb. 29th: Mars, Jupiter and Saturn make a beautiful display above the southwestern horizon about an hour before sunrise.

That’s a wrap. Keep looking up! And don’t forget Jupiter and her dancing moons – Callisto, Io, Europa and Ganymede in the early morning!

“The Beginner’s Observing Guide by Leo Enright is an invaluable companion for adventures in the sky. It also contains useful star charts. It can be ordered from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada at www.rasc.ca/publications. A subscription to our very own excellent Canadian astronomy magazine “SkyNews” can be arranged at the RASC website as well.

Let me know how your observing has gone this month, especially anything unusual. I enjoy the feedback. If you have any questions or suggestions you can contact me through this paper or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Clear Skies! Fred.

We have 2 special highlights this month. The Geminids , arguably the best annual meteor shower, makes its annual appearance on the night of December 13/14. It is a truly spectacular shower that is viewable from December 4th to about the 17th. It peaks in the very early morning of the 14th.There may be as many as 120 meteors per hour. Unfortunately the Full Moon occurs just 2 days earlier and that waning gibbous Moon lies in Gemini, the constellation that contains the radiant. The radiant is high in the south just above the star Castor. Luckily it’s best not to view the Geminid meteors by looking directly at the radiant since the meteors are coming at you head on. This means that their trails will be very short. Shield yourself from the moonlight and look about 30 to 60 degrees away from the radiant. You will be rewarded with nice long trails and some protection from the Moon’s brightness. This will increase the number of meteors you can observe. The second shower is the Ursids. The radiant is above the dipper portion the asterism called the Big Dipper that is part of the Ursid or Bear constellation. The Ursids peak on the night of December 22/23. Fortunately the Moon is a thin crescent and its light will not be a hindrance. Although the Ursids are considered a smallish shower, this year a surge in its numbers is expected that might push its hourly rate to as much as 30.

Venus, Jupiter and Saturn are low in the southwest with Venus being quite bright as usual. Mars is small in the southeast in the morning. A crescent Moon sits 9 and 6 degrees above Mars on December 22nd and 23rd respectively. On the early evening of December 10th Venus slips 2 degrees south of Saturn. A visual treat occurs about an hour after sunset in the southwest on December 28th when a thin earthlight bathed crescent Moon rises up below bright Venus.

Winter solstice occurs at 11:19 pm EST on December 21st. It’s all downhill to spring now but keep your long johns close. There’s still January, February (brrrr) to get through.

December 10th: Venus passes 2 degrees south of Saturn about midnight.

December 12th: Full Moon. This Moon is known as the Full Cold Moon or the Full Long Nights Moon. December brings long cold nights. Hauling in wood to my fireplace leaves me pretty muscle bound by the end of March! Well, sort of…

December 14th: Geminid meteor shower peaks.

December 18th: The Moon is at perigee – 368,115 Kms.

December 21st: Winter solstice. Yahoo, the days start getting longer!

December 22nd: The Moon slides 4 degrees north of Mars at 9 pm EST. The Ursid meteor shower peaks.

December 26th: New Moon.

December 28th: The Moon passes 1 degree south of Venus at 9 pm EST.

That’s a wrap. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Keep looking up!

“The Beginner’s Observing Guide by Leo Enright is an invaluable companion for adventures in the sky. It also contains useful star charts. It can be ordered from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada at www.rasc.ca/publications. A subscription to our very own excellent Canadian astronomy magazine “SkyNews” can be arranged at the RASC website as well.

Let me know how your observing has gone this month, especially anything unusual. I enjoy the feedback. If you have any questions or suggestions you can contact me through this paper or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Clear Skies! Fred.

Jupiter and Saturn were the ‘stars’ of the show Saturday and Sunday nights at the Dark Skies Preserve observation pad in Fernleigh.

Guy Nason, one of the Sky Pad’s astronomers-in-residence, said that at 700 million kilometres away right now, Jupiter is almost as close as it gets (it was 640,962,549 on June 12 but is usually almost 800 million kilometers away).

“Jupiter and Saturn are the fifth and sixth planets in the solar system and the two largest,” he said.

Along with Jupiter, its four Galilean moons (Ganymede, Europa, Io and Callisto) are also visible, as is Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, which is believed to be a giant storm.

“The Red Spot is shrinking,” Nason said. “When I got into this, you could fit three Earths into it.

“Now it’s only one.”

He said both planets have been known since antiquity, hence their names (after Roman gods)

“Saturn is easily the most impressive (as seen through a telescope) in the night sky (because of its rings),” he said. “It’s roughly twice as far away as Jupiter.

“You can see the A, B & C rings.”

Other items of interest on the menu last weekend were a flyby of the International Space Station and the presence of globular cluster NGC 6235 near Jupiter.

About 30 people were there at Saturday night’s peak, including visitors from Ottawa and Toronto.

The sky pad is open to the public most nights for observation. The next organized event is Aug. 31/Sept. 1 when the theme will be Star Names and Meanings. Jupiter’s Red Spot should be visible all evening on the 31st.

Happy Perseid Meteor shower! Every amateur stargazer worth their love of the heavens looks upwards every August for the spectacular sky shower centered in the constellation Perseus. It’s the annual big one and this year it should be no different. Earth has entered the debris ring of the comet Swift-Tuttle. The material cast off by this comet is particularly large and there’s plenty of it. Although the Moon will be full around its peak on the evening of August 12-13 and some of its smaller streaks will be lost in the moon glow, the Perseids have an unusual abundance of larger debris particles which in turn produce a more abundant number of fireballs – more than any other meteor shower! Most comets that provide debris for meteor showers are rather small with diameters of about 2 or 3 kilometers but Swift-Tuttle is a giant at 26 kilometers in diameter and casts off many more particles of debris. It’s estimated to be 3 times larger than the giant that created the mass extinction event that wiped out a huge swath of life 60 million years ago and ended the dinosaur’s rule on Earth. The shower is a longer than usual one and lasts for weeks. There will be eye candy well before the peak and it will continue for a few weeks afterwards. Start looking a few days before the peak when the Moon is less bright and especially a few days after. I remember one Persid shower a few years ago when I had meteors streaking from the sky all around me. I didn’t even go to bed that night. I just watched and watched until the Sun came up. The best time to look to the sky is 2 am until sunrise when Perseus and the radiant is higher in the sky. Of course the meteor trails can appear in all parts of the sky so start observing as soon as the Sun sets. There will be plenty of action!

Jupiter and Saturn will be high in south as the Sun sets through August. I always remind you that the dance of Jupiter’s 4 most prominent moons is always a joy to follow each night. They are easily observed in binoculars. Mercury will be very prominent in the east below Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini just before sunrise. Have a look if you’re out enjoying the Perseids.

August 7th: First quarter Moon.

August 9th: The Moon passes 2 degrees north of Jupiter.

August 13th: Perseid meteor shower peaks.

August 15th: Full Moon. This full Moon is known by first nations people around the great lakes as the Full Sturgeon Moon. These large fish were abundant to catch during August as their breeding and feeding needs brought them within easier reach. It’s also known as the Full Red Moon. Who hasn’t heard of the hazy lazy days of summer? Particles in the air filter the light of the Moon to a red colour. Corn is ripening and another name is the Full Green Corn Moon. Great! Red skies, fish fries and corn on the cob! Yum!

August 17th: The Moon is at apogee (furthest) – 403,560 kilometers.

August 23rd: Last quarter Moon.

August 30th: New Moon and it’s at perigee (closest) – 355,100 kilometers.

It’s a great month for astronomy so ‘Keep looking up’!

“The Beginner’s Observing Guide by Leo Enright is an invaluable companion for Skies! Fred.adventures in the sky. It also contains useful star charts. It can be ordered from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada at www.rasc.ca/publications. A subscription to our very own excellent Canadian astronomy magazine “SkyNews” can be arranged at the RASC website as well.

Let me know how your observing has gone this month, especially anything unusual. I enjoy the feedback. If you have any questions or suggestions you can contact me through this paper or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Clear skies, Fred

This month marks a truly historic anniversary of an event which is arguably one of the most historic achievements of humanity – landing human beings for the first time on another world. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon on July 20th, 1969. Their Command Module Pilot Michael Collins continued orbiting the Moon to act as base centre for the mission. I say all of humanity because this tremendous accomplishment was the result of decades, even centuries of work by many dedicated Scientists, Engineers and artistically original thinkers from all over the world who used their minds to think far ahead. The names are too many to list but they include the women, human computers basically, who derived difficult orbital solutions to guide the spacecraft to their destinations, to engineers who thought way outside the box to find ways to make the technology live up to what needed to be done, to politicians who had a vision, to those scientists who bravely fought to accomplish what our curiosity and resolve believed could be done. We take cell phones and all our electronics for granted today but the Apollo program used integrated circuits for the first time to miniaturize the first miniature computer to use as a fly by wire control system for the Apollo navigation and landing on the Moon. I still remember the thrill I felt watching the landing on my parents black and white TV. Ironically after a few more landings on the Moon, the program was terminated and we have not ventured farther than near Earth orbit since then. But there is hope. NASA is initiating an ambitious return to the Moon and eventually to Mars. Commercial companies have designed rockets that regularly supply the International Space Station. Believe me, we must become a space faring civilization. There is so much ‘stuff’ whizzing around out in space that, like the dinosaurs, our time may be limited unless we have the capability to venture beyond our planet and even beyond our Solar System.

Saturn is providing a fantastic display of its rings this month. It’s visible mostly all night. Jupiter is equally stunning. About mid month they can both be found about midnight near and slightly above the constellation Sagittarius in the south southeast. It helps to have a clear horizon in that direction. Watch for Jupiter’s dancing Moons. Mars and Mercury are lost in twilight at sunset. Venus can be seen just before dawn washes it out in the northeast. We have one meteor shower this month, the Delta Aquariid shower. Its peak is between July 28 and the 30th. This is at the time of the new Moon so moonlight won’t interfere with observing. The radiant is in the constellation Aquarius which is low in the south and this far north will obscure some of the meteors. So instead of a predicted 25/hr we may see less than that.

Don’t forget that there are many of the most beautiful constellations in the sky at this time of year. I know the bugs can be bad and daylight is long and the nights are short but get your binoculars or scopes out and take advantage of beautiful night skies. It’s worth it. I use Deet based anti insect spray but be careful because some damage can occur to the plastic or rubber parts of your equipment.

July 2nd: New Moon occurs.

July 4th: The Moon passes a bit north of Mars at 2 am and 3 degrees north of Mercury at 5 am. The Earth is at Aphelion (farthest from the Sun) – 51.2 million kilometers (94.5 million miles).

July 5th: The Moon is at perigee (closest to Earth) – 361,600 Kilometers.

July 9th: Saturn is at opposition.

July 16th: The Moon passes a fraction of a degree south of Saturn at 3 am. It will be a Full Moon. This Moon is known as the Full Buck Moon. Buck deer start growing their antlers. It’s also known as the Full Thunder Moon. Thunder storms are most common now – as past destruction of my computers and electronics will attest to. TURN OFF your stuff if you hear the slightest chance of a thunder storm forecast!

Juy 20th: The moon is at apogee (farthest from Earth) – 403,126 Kilometers.

July 30th: Delta Aquariid shower peaks.

July 31: New Moon.

It’s a great month for astronomy so ‘Keep looking up’!

“The Beginner’s Observing Guide by Leo Enright is an invaluable companion for adventures in the sky. It also contains useful star charts. It can be ordered from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada at www.rasc.ca/publications. A subscription to our very own excellent Canadian astronomy magazine “SkyNews” can be arranged at the RASC website as well.

Let me know how your observing has gone this month, especially anything unusual. I enjoy the feedback. If you have any questions or suggestions you can contact me through this paper or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Clear Skies! Fred.

This month, we will talk about nothing again, but we will take a circuitous route to reach our empty destination. Be patient! First, we have to talk about one technique that astronomers use to measure the distance to a distant point in space. I have talked of this before, but it is worth a review. The Universe was once thought to be comprised of a relatively small amount of stuff and a great deal of empty space, and all of it in equilibrium. But it’s not that simple. Astronomers discovered that the universe is expanding and that that expansion is accelerating. There are basically 5 ways to estimate how far stars are, but each method has their advantages and disadvantages. With limited space, I’m going to concentrate on one method that also measures the acceleration of the expansion of our Universe. To measure the distance and the expansion rate of the Universe, astronomers use type IIA supernovas. The physics behind a stellar explosion like this and the brightness and energy it generates is completely predictable. Most star systems aren’t like our own Sun. There are usually 2 or more stars, orbiting each other in what is called a binary or multiple stellar system. Over many, many years, the stars orbit closer and closer until they eventually collide. Using physics and mathematics, the ‘luminosity’ or amount of energy that the resulting supernova emits can be theoretically calculated very accurately. Allowing for transparency in the atmosphere and dust clouds that are between our telescopes and the supernova, its luminosity or energy emission can also be physically measured. Their brightness can be compared against a standard and an estimate of distance calculated. A few years ago, it was discovered that their luminosity was less than it should have been when compared with the theoretical theory calculation of what the distance should be! To state it another way, it meant that the type IIa supernovae were farther than was expected because they were dimmer! To explain this difference, newer theories have suggested that empty space is actually generating more empty space and causing the volume of our universe to expand! Who would have guessed? The Universe will eventually, in a number of years that is too large for us to really appreciate (several Gazillion years), expand so far that the stars and the galaxies in the sky will be too distant to see! The sky will be completely BLACK and empty – nothing!

This month, in the evening hours, you will find Mercury and Mars in the northwest. Glorious Jupiter is in the southwest. By the time midnight arrives, Jupiter is high in the south and Saturn in the southeast. By morning, you can’t miss bright Venus in the northeast. Jupiter is still up in the southwest with Saturn keeping her company. You absolutely must follow the dance of Jupiter’s 4 most prominent moons as the month progresses. They are easily observable in binoculars. On June 10, Jupiter is in opposition and at its closest and brightest.

June 7th: The Moon is at perigee – 366,365 Km.

June 10th: First quarter Moon. Jupiter is in opposition.

June 16th: At 3pm, the Moon is 2 degrees north of Jupiter. Even though it is daylight, Jupiter is so bright that you may be able to make it out.

June 17th: Full Moon. This is the month of the Full Strawberry Moon. All hail everything strawberry, especially strawberry shortcake!

June18th: Mercury passes a fraction of a degree north of Mars at evening twilight and then the Moon passes a half degree south of Saturn around midnight. You can’t miss it.

June 21st: The shortest night of the year – summer solstice. Sadly, this reminds me of winter, which is now where we’re headed.

June 23rd: The Moon is at apogee – 402,200 Km.

June 25th: Last quarter Moon.

That’s a wrap. Keep looking up! And don’t forget Jupiter and her dancing moons – Callisto, Io, Europa and Ganymede!

“The Beginner’s Observing Guide by Leo Enright is an invaluable companion for adventures in the sky. It also contains useful star charts. It can be ordered from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada at www.rasc.ca/publications. A subscription to our very own excellent Canadian astronomy magazine “SkyNews” can be arranged at the RASC website, as well.

Let me know how your observing has gone this month - especially anything unusual. I enjoy the feedback. If you have any questions or suggestions, you can contact me through this paper or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Clear Skies! Fred.

Mother Nature wasn’t very cooperative Saturday night as thick clouds covered the Star Gazing Pad on Road 506 in North Frontenac.

The moon was to be the star attraction for this opening event, but it was barely visible and what you could see was hazy at best.

This summer promises to be a busy one for star gazing organizers, as a star gazing course is in the works (tentatively scheduled for July), as are fundraisers for an observatory to house a telescope received as a gift from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

However, there are still six star parties planned for this summer.

On June 1, a trek through the Virgo/Coma galaxy cluster is planned. Jupiter should also be visible.

On July 6, summer and circumpolar constellations are scheduled to be the stars and Ganymede should dip behind Jupiter from 11pm to 11:15.

On Aug. 3 and 4, Jupiter and Saturn, along with their moons, are on tap and our own crescent moon in the evening features earthshine.

On Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, it’s star names and their meanings in conjunction with the Islamic New Year, as many stars have Islamic names. Also, Jupiter’s great red spot should be visible all evening on the 31st.

On Oct. 5, the moons of Saturn, Jupiter and Earth take centre stage.

On Oct. 28, the star clusters Pleiades and Hyades as well as the Crab Nebula are the prime attractions.

I thought that for this column, I would begin by describing a picture of nothing. “Nothing?”, you say! Well actually, I’m being a bit misleading. The first real picture of a black hole was released by scientists of the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration on April 10th. Black holes have such a strong gravitational field that light and all other forms of radiation cannot escape its pull – we can’t see it directly. Image data acquired from 8 radio telescopes spread across the world and using a technique called Very-Long-Baseline-Interferometry created a virtual telescope around the same size as the Earth. The images were stitched together using advanced image processing software and the picture shows the outline of a super massive black hole with more than 6 billion times the mass of our Sun situated in the middle of Messier 87, a galaxy about 53 million light years from Earth. A ring of light surrounds a black circle which is the black hole. The light in the image comes from radiation produced by hot matter being drawn into the black hole behind it and being bent around the hole by its tremendous gravity. It is bright on the left because the radiation light is coming towards us and dim on the right because it is moving away. The black hole is about the diameter of our Solar System. We have our very own black hole sitting in the middle our Milky Way galaxy although it’s much smaller than the one in Messier 87. Astronomers are trying to get a picture of it too. Most galaxies in the universe are believed to have black holes at their centre.

Early May has the Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaking on the 6th. It actually is viewable from April 19th to May 28th. Of course, around the peak is the best time. The meteor’s radiant is in Aquarius, which rises from the eastern horizon about 10pm, and they will appear all over the sky coming from the direction of Aquarius. The meteors are the dust and debris from Halley’s Comet that were produced by its countless passes around the Sun. Halley is currently far off in its orbit around the Sun but on May 6th, we will be plowing through this debris trail. It should be a great display because the new Moon occurs May 4th. With no Moon to speak of, a predicted peak rate of 40 meteors per hour should provide quite a show.

On May 6th, Mars is very noticeable in the west soon after sundown to the left of the base of Auriga. Also, the waxing slim crescent Moon is just above Aldebaran in the Hyades star cluster. During May, Jupiter rises in the southeast about an hour or so after sunset. It remains a bright beauty in binoculars or telescope until morning. Mercury is no slouch. It can be seen in the east in morning twilight in early May. By month’s end, it returns for evening twilight in the northwest. Saturn is rising to a high in the south by sunrise and Venus is low in the east. Another treat is on May 10th. The crescent Moon can be observed next to the naked eye Beehive cluster M44 in the constellation Cancer after sunset. Later, the Moon drifts past the front of the cluster.

May 2nd: Venus is 4 degrees above the Moon at 8 am.

May 4th: New Moon

May 6th: Eta Aquarid meteor shower peak.

May 7th: Moon passes 3 degrees south of Mars around 8pm.

May 11th: First quarter Moon

May 13th: Moon is at perigee (closest) – 366,865 Km.

May 18th: Called the Full Flower Moon for obvious reasons. It is also referred to as the Full Corn Planting Moon.

May 20th: The Moon crosses 2 degrees north of Jupiter.

May 26th: The Moon is at apogee (farthest) – 401,790 Km. Last quarter Moon.

That’s a wrap. It should be a great month. Keep looking up!

“The Beginner’s Observing Guide by Leo Enright is an invaluable companion for adventures in the sky. It also contains useful star charts. It can be ordered from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada at www.rasc.ca/publications. A subscription to our very own excellent Canadian astronomy magazine “SkyNews” can be arranged at the RASC website as well.

Let me know how your observing has gone this month, especially anything unusual. I enjoy the feedback. If you have any questions or suggestions you can contact me through this paper or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Clear Skies! Fred.

Cover your head this month. We have a major meteor shower hitting our skies. The Lyrid shower peaks this month on the night of the 22nd/23rd. As many as 20 meteors per hour are possible. Sadly, this shower peak occurs 3 days past full moon (waning gibbous) and fainter meteors will be lost in the moon’s glare. None the less, there should be enough bright ones to make observing well worth it. The active period for the shower is April 14 to 30 and any night during this time will provide meteors to view. The radiant or the source direction from which the meteors come from is just right of the constellation Lyra, but meteors can be visible all over the sky.

Prominent in the south this month is the great constellation, Leo. Pull out your star charts and go hunting just below its middle to find a cluster of galaxies. To the east of Leo is the constellation Virgo, and on its right side is another large number of Galaxies to investigate as well. At least a small telescope is required to find these objects. If you are up for the hunt, bagging as many of these as you can is quite a thrill. To the west of Leo is the constellation Cancer. Near its centre is the Beehive star cluster. Under a dark sky, you can even make it out with the naked eye.

In the evening sky, look to the west to find Mars, but all the action is in the early morning sky. Jupiter is in the south and its dancing moons always delight the eye. Saturn is up in the southeast after 3am early in the month, and after 1am by month’s end. It rises to 20 to 25 degrees before the Sun washes it out. Saturn’s rings are always a thrill and they tilt to 24 degrees in mid April. You will need at least a 4-inch scope to pick out its moons. Just before twilight brushes the horizon, Venus makes its appearance. It will rise earlier as the month progresses. Even though it is a fight with rising Sun, Venus in the east is so bright that it still manages to shine through. Here’s a difficult challenge: The planet Neptune is 0.3 degrees on the right side of Venus on the 10th. The best shot at a view is about half an hour before sunrise. It will be in the same field of view as Venus. Use low power in your telescope and good luck. Also, Mercury will be 5 degrees east of Venus/Neptune as an added bonus. A low unobstructed horizon is a must for the above challenges.

April 5: New Moon.

April 10: Venus passes 0.3 degrees south of Neptune.

April 12: First quarter Moon.

April 16: The Moon is at perigee – 362,000 Kms.

April 19: Full Moon. This Moon is called the Full Pink Moon. Native peoples named it after a pink flower that bloomed in April. It’s also known as the Full Grass Moon because, well, grass starts to grow. Get out the lawn mower and get it ready!

April 22/23: Lyrid meteor shower peaks.

April 23: Just before dawn, the Moon passes just north of Jupiter.

April 26: Last quarter Moon.

April 28: The Moon is at apogee – 402,200 Kms.

April 30: The Moon passes 3 degrees south of Neptune about 4am. This offers another chance to find Neptune.

That’s a wrap. Keep looking up!

“The Beginner’s Observing Guide by Leo Enright is an invaluable companion for adventures in the sky. It also contains useful star charts. It can be ordered from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada at www.rasc.ca/publications. A subscription to our very own excellent Canadian astronomy magazine “SkyNews” can be arranged at the RASC website as well.

Let me know how your observing has gone this month, especially anything unusual. I enjoy the feedback. If you have any questions or suggestions, you can contact me through this paper or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Clear Skies! Fred.