Mars Meets Beehive - May 22 |
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Written by Ken From
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Thursday, 01 May 2008 |
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On the evening of May 22 watch Mars slowly pass through the Beehive Star Cluster (M44). Through a pair of binoculars or low power telescope, reddish Mars will be surrounded by a swarm of bees - the stars of this naked eye star cluster. Look for Mars in the western sky as the sky darkens. You should be able to see the star cluster and Mars travel together toward the western horizon as the night progresses.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 02 May 2008 )
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Lunar Eclipse - Feb. 20 PM |
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Written by Ken From
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Tuesday, 15 January 2008 |
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Editor's Note: The Lunar Eclipse was spectacular! See some photos here.
On the evening of Wednesday, February 20, the moon will slip into the
shadow of the earth for the second time in six months.
While the lunar eclipse of August 2007 occured in the wee hours of the
morning, this eclipse will take place in prime evening
hours. You may notice the moon beginning to change colour
around 7:00 PM MST. At about 8:00 PM the moon will be
totally within the shadow of the earth and will begin to come out of
the shadow about 50 minutes later.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 06 March 2008 )
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Venus & Jupiter Encounter Feb.1 AM |
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Written by Ken From
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Monday, 14 January 2008 |
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On the morning of February 1, Venus and Jupiter make a close encounter
in the south eastern sky. Be sure to rise early to see
these two brightest planets at their morning meeting.
Through a telescope you should be able to see Jupiter's four moons and
Venus at at 3/4 phase.
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Mars Meets Moon December 23rd |
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Written by Ken From
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Tuesday, 18 December 2007 |
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On
the evening of December 23 watch for a close pairing of the moon with
Mars. Depending on your location you may even see Mars disappear
behind the moon for a few minutes. When the moon passes in
front of a planet or star we call this an "occultation." In the
Calgary and Edmonton area of Alberta, Mars will disappear behind the
moon at about 6:50 PM. From Calgary Mars will remain hidden for
only about 10 minutes while those in Edmonton will be missing Mars from
their skies for 20 minutes and those in Vancouver, B.C. will miss Mars
for about 25 minutes.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 10 January 2008 )
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Comet Holmes |
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Written by Ken From
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Monday, 05 November 2007 |
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On October 23 Comet Holmes increased a million times in brightness within a few hours. Discovered in the 1800's, this relatively obscure comet has an orbital period of 6.9 years and travels around the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It made its closest approach to the sun in May 2007 and has been heading away from the sun and earth in recent months. Fortuneate for earth dwellers, the expanstion of the comet occured relatively close to the earth.
Why did Comet Holmes suddenly brighten? There is a lot of speculation. One theory is that something hit the comet, causing it to vent gases locked in its interior core. Another theory is that internal collapse allowed venting of gases. Stay tuned to see if one theory becomes widely accepted.
On November 1, 2007, astrophotographer Alan Dyer took this incredible photo of Comet Holmes from here in southern Alberta, Canada. He used a 105mm apochromatic refractor at f/5 with a Canon 20Da camera at ISO400. Field is about 2.5 x 1.5 degrees. Alan Dyer is co-author of BackYard Astronomer's Guide and director of the Telus World of Science (formerly the planetarium) in Calgary.
Used by permission of Alan Dyer Read more news from the Hubble site - Hubble Site
The following photo was taken on November 3 by Dalton Wilson of Didsbury Alberta.
Comet Holmes - Saturday, November 3, 2007 Photo by Dalton Wilson - Sky-Watcher 100 ED PRO on Canon Rebel XTi Photo taken at All-Star Telescope Observer Night
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Last Updated ( Monday, 19 November 2007 )
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