Sky Wise

Venus, Saturn and Holiday Stargazing

Sky Chart by Starry Night Pro, copyright IMAGINOVA

Take a look in the west as the sun sets on July 1st.  Chances are, the first heavenly object you will see is the planet Venus.  Canada Day brings a bonus.  Keep watching and as the sky gets darker, Saturn will be revealed just a little above and to the right.  Of course, this close proximity is an optical illusion.  Saturn is over eighteen times further away.  Photographers take note -The beautiful pairing of Saturn and Venus is an opportunity for some great images.

Do you have a telescope?  Even small scopes can pick out Saturn's rings and some of its many moons.  Now is the time to visit because Saturn is slowly sinking in the sky and will be visible only a little while longer this summer.  Take the opportunity while you have the chance.

The Moon meets the Lion

Take a look at the constellation Leo.  To me it's one of the few that really suggests what you are looking at.  You can see the head of the lion represented by that backward question mark formed in stars.  The body is easy to imagine also.  On June 19th, our moon passes very close to Regulus, the star that marks the leg of the mighty lion.  Take a pair of binoculars and visit this close alignment.  The two will be so close you would be hard pressed to fit another moon in between them!
Clear Skies!

Sky Charts produced by Starry Night Software copyright IMAGINOVA

Sidewalk Astronomy Around the World

Setting up in Whitby

Photo Credit:  Steve Bevan

On May 19th, astronomers all over the world got their telescopes out and shared their views with the public.  My friends Arnold and Pedro joined me in Whitby Ontario where we were joined by many curious people.  Venus, the Moon and Saturn were easily visible and many people were blown away by what they saw.

This event happened again and again all over the globe.  You can see the results in the photo gallery available on-line at www.astroshorts.com which collected and displayed the photos on behalf of the International Sidewalk Astronomers .  Take a look.  Some of these events were HUGE!