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Posts Tagged ‘astronomy’

Father Solstice

Posted in Holidays, tagged , , , , , , on June 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Happy Father’s Day, fathers! And happy June Solstice, everyone!

The sun is at its northernmost position today, hovering over the Tropic of Cancer like a thrown ball at its apex. It’s the longest day of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere and is commonly treated as the first day of summer. As a child, my father painstakingly laid out the night sky with glow-in-the-dark stars on his bedroom ceiling. He passed that curiosity and joy in the world’s magic on to us.

Here’s to happy summer days and family.

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Photo by Amber Faust on Unsplash

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A Cosmic Dance

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , on June 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

This week, Venus and Jupiter are in planetary conjunction, and unlike some astronomical events this one should be easy to see. 

Conjunction from Avebury

To see Venus and Jupiter together this month, you won’t need binoculars or even a telescope. Just look up after sunset and you’ll find them emerging as the sky grows dark near the western horizon.

Venus-Jupiter conjunction: Sky’s 2 brightest planets meet (includes a helpful video for orientation)

Venus and Jupiter – the sky’s 2 brightest planets – are shining together in the west after sunset. They were closest on June 8 and 9. But June overall offers your best opportunity to see them together.

Even more photos to pique your interest: 

Jupiter and Venus dazzle in planetary conjunction photos. Here are our favorites | Space

Enjoy the dance!

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Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash

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Another Thing About the Moon

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on May 31, 2026| Leave a Comment »

If you missed yesterday’s blue moon, don’t worry, it will still look full tonight too. And as I should also have mentioned, it’s a micromoon (the opposite of a supermoon). The moon is at apogee, or as far from us as it can get. Right now, that’s about 251,000 miles away. 

Here’s a NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day showing the difference between a supermoon and a micromoon. It’s not nothing! 

If you have a chance to see the (almost) full moon tonight, count yourself lucky. The next blue micromoon won’t happen until 2053.

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Photo by Federico Di Dio photography on Unsplash

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Blue Moon, Quite Soon

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , on May 29, 2026| 1 Comment »

Tomorrow night is the second full moon of May, which makes it a blue moon. They are rare but not very, as they happen every two or three years. The next one won’t happen until December 2028.

And this month, there’s a bonus!

Blue Moon, 4 planets to shine during the final weekend of May

People who step outside at the end of the month to catch a glimpse of the rare lunar event should also be able to spot Venus and Jupiter in the western sky about an hour after sunset. Meanwhile, early risers should be able to see Mars and Saturn in the eastern sky about an hour before daybreak.

I wanted to let you know a day ahead of time in case you, like me, like to have these things on your calendar!

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Photo by Eileen Rollin on Unsplash

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Comet C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , on April 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »

NASA reminded me that we have a new, if transitory, neighbor in the skies overhead. The comet PanSTARRS is making a quick visit and tonight is the closest it will come to the sun.

APOD- 2026 April 18 – PanSTARRS and Planets

This is a good weekend for northern hemisphere comet watchers to try to catch PanSTARRS an hour or so before sunrise, as the comet grows brighter approaching its perihelion on April 19. On April 26 the comet makes its closest approach to our fair planet but by then will be difficult to see in the solar glare. Good views of this comet PanSTARRS in late April and early May will be from the southern hemisphere.

If your skies are clear and dark, check it out!

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Photo by Justin Wolff on Unsplash

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Snowy Equinox

Posted in Holidays, tagged , , , , , , on March 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Happy Spring Equinox, everyone! (I say with some amusement, as a plow removes the latest storm’s worth of snow out front!)

This is a great image of the celestial equator, from NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day. (And just for fun, here it is as an online jigsaw puzzle🙂

And here’s a quick article and video with the essentials on the vernal equinox: March equinox 2026: Here’s all you need to know

The March equinox – aka the vernal equinox – marks the sun’s crossing above Earth’s equator, moving from south to north. Earth’s tilt on its axis is what causes this northward shift of the sun’s path across our sky at this time of year. Earth’s tilt is now bringing spring and summer to the Northern Hemisphere. At the same time, the March equinox marks the beginning of autumn – and a shift toward winter – in the Southern Hemisphere.

I did spot a lovely V of Canada Geese a couple of days ago, and hopefully we’ll see more signs of spring soon!

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Photo by Aaron Diaz on Unsplash

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Worm Moon, Eclipsed

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , on March 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Tomorrow morning very early, the last full moon of the winter season will coincide with a total lunar eclipse. When? Check the links below for precise times, but as an example, maximum eclipse in Ottawa will be at 6:33am ET.

The result? A blood moon.

We’ve talked about this phenomenon before, but this will be the last one for a couple of years.

Check here for timing and more info on the eclipse and how to view it: Total Lunar Eclipse on March 2–3, 2026 – Where and When to See

Visible from Asia, Australia, and North America, this is the last total lunar eclipse until the December 31, 2028–January 1, 2029 New Year’s Blood Moon Eclipse.

If your view is obstructed you can watch this livestream from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.

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Photo by Joseph Corl on Unsplash

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Sad but Happy

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , on February 26, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Sadly, the Artemis II moon mission has been pushed back again, and the new launch window now won’t happen until April at the earliest. Pesky helium flow issues!

Happily, this week we can entertain ourselves with a planetary conjunction!

APOD: 2026 February 24 – Planet Parade over Sydney Opera House

Look up this week and see a whole bunch of planets. Just after sunset, looking west (mostly), planets Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter will all be visible to the unaided eye simultaneously. 

Mercury Completes the Planetary Parade at Dusk

Seeing all the naked eye planets at once is set to become a rarity in coming years.

Here’s hoping the skies are clear where you are! 

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Photo by Brian McGowan on Unsplash

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Brighter Days Ahead

Posted in Other, Science!, tagged , , , , , on December 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »

It’s that time again! 

Winter solstice is nearly upon the Northern Hemisphere. Here’s what to know about the shortest day of the year

Yes, the darkest day of the year is here, but that means brighter days are ahead.

Sunday is the shortest day of the year north of the equator, where the solstice marks the start of astronomical winter.

That’s right, if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, today is the shortest day of the year. (And if you’d like a quick reminder of the astronomy of it all, this one’s helpful: December Solstice 2025.)

So light a candle (physical or metaphorical, your choice!), and look ahead to a brighter future.

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Photo by Eugene T on Unsplash

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Say Hello!

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , on November 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »

We Earthlings are in the middle of the Leonid meteor shower. It takes place this year from November 6th through the 30th, but will peak overnight tonight. Even better, the moon is only 9% full, so the only competition will be from human light sources. 

Leonid meteor shower: All you need to know in 2025

The Leonid meteor shower is back! Leonid meteors are already flying. The peak is on the morning of November 17.

Love this animation!

Meteor Showers 2025 – 2026 – American Meteor Society

So tonight, if you find yourself in a place with clear skies, look up. 

The Universe is saying hello.

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Photo by Paul on Unsplash

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