[NatureNS] FWD: from NatureNB - Week's Night Sky Highlights

Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:41:56 -0400
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
From: Blake Maybank <maybank@ns.sympatico.ca>
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Sorry for the delay -- Christmas Bird Counts in the way.

Also, lack of clear skies doesn't help motivate.

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Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2010

**This week's Sky at a glance

*On Monday night, December 20 start thinking of 
the spectacular t**otal eclipse of the Moon*. The 
partial phase begins 2:33 a.m. Tuesday morning; 
total eclipse runs from 3:41 to 4:53 a.m., 
partial eclipse ends at 6:01 a.m. The Moon will be very high in the sky.

? The Moon will enter its full phase at the same 
time so we will continue to see it all night for 
the nights following. Also expect lower low tides and higher high tides.

*Tuesday, December 21* will be the longest night 
of the year in the Northern Hemisphere; winter 
begins at the solstice, 7:38 p.m. In the Southern 
Hemisphere it's the /shortest/ night of the year and the start of summer.

*On Friday, December 24* the Christmas star: 
Brilliant Sirius, the brightest star in the night 
sky, rises around 9 p.m.. When Sirius is low it 
often twinkles in vivid, flashing colors, an 
effect that binoculars reveal especially clearly.


*This Week's Planet Roundup*


*Mercury* is hidden in the glare of the Sun.

*Venus* (magnitude --4.8) blazes in the southeast 
before and during dawn, at its greatest height as 
the "Morning Star." In fact Venus rises some two 
hours before the first glimmer of dawn. Look for 
the fainter star Spica well to Venus's upper 
right, and for Saturn above or upper right of Spica..

*Mars* is lost deep in the glow of sunset.

*Jupiter* (magnitude --2.4,) shines in the south 
at dusk and southwest later in the evening. It's 
the brightest starlike point in the evening sky.

*Saturn* (magnitude +0.8,) rises around 2 a.m. 
and is high in the south-southeast before and 
during dawn, far upper right of brilliant Venus. 
Don't confuse it with Spica below it. Saturn's 
rings have widened to 10° from edge-on.

Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blake Maybank
White's Lake, Nova Scotia
mailto:maybank@ns.sympatico.ca 

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