With May here it is a good reminder that we only have, at best, five weeks of celestial observation left. Recently, I have dedicated much of my time to Comet PanSTARRS and its travels through the Yukon’s skies. It has been an amazing journey, viewing this little cosmic snowball. Looking forward, the next great cosmic …
Charles Messier and the Four Planets in the Evening Sky Read More »
Welcome to the Yukon Winter Night Sky and all the cosmic treasures that are just waiting for you to discover and photograph them. The weather has been unstable, with storm fronts continually moving in, bringing lots of clouds and very uncertain night skies. These are trying times for amateur astronomers and completely frustrating times for …
Four hundred years ago (actually in 1609), Galileo gazed up into the night sky with a new invention called the telescope. He was the first person do this and to record his observations. Now, by today’s standards, it really was not much of a telescope. All the same, he observed and recorded an amazing amount …
The month of May is a time of furious activity for Northern amateur astronomers. We are closing in on the time when the night sky will soon disappear only to be replaced by our local star, the sun. The exciting part of this time of the year is that the temperature is warm and our …
This year it appears that we are going to have comets and asteroids aplenty for our viewing and photographic enjoyment. The first visitor was called a near earth asteroid, named, 2012 DA14. About 45 metres wide and probably made of rock, it passed over Indonesia only 27,500 kilometres from the surface of our planet on …
The dominant planet in the evening sky is fascinating Jupiter. Located in the early-evening southern sky, it is easily recognizable because it is simply the brightest object in the sky. This giant of the solar system always has something for everyone to see. Even with binoculars you can see four of her orbiting moons. In …
As winter sets in, the planets are making a spectacular showing. In the morning hours, the planet Venus is clearly visible even at 7 a.m. While waiting to take the bus to work in the morning, I happen to look to the eastern horizon and, much to my surprise, resting high above the horizon, brilliant …
It is Friday night, and everyone is waiting for a great northern light show. The night skies are clear, and we are ready. After several hours, we are left disappointed; we have not seen even a single green spear of light, let alone a full display of aurora. Heading down the hallway, my wife looks …
Here comes the Yuletide observing season, so get ready to tilt your neck up. There are plenty of cosmic events happening in those amazing Yukon night skies throughout the entire month of December. The month starts off with Jupiter rising at sunset and setting at sunrise. This means that Jupiter is in the sky all …
The month of December promises to be an action-packed month of celestial events for every amateur astronomer and nighttime photographer. As long as the weather holds, we will be in for a very busy month. The month starts out with Mercury, the closest planet to the sun. This little planet is always elusive to find …
Welcome to an exciting new year in astronomy that promises to be filled with fabulous cosmic events and happenings. The weather of late has been uncooperative at best, and just plain downright annoying the rest of the time. In Whitehorse we were washed out by clouds for the total lunar eclipse and a meteor shower. …
It’s going to be a busy season in those amazing Yukon night skies, with the possibility of three more meteor showers taking place in November. My attempt at observing the Orionid meteor shower in October was a wash due to the fact that is was snowing heavily, but there will be more chances to see …
After a rather busy weekend down at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Center for the Erik’s Main Event consumer electronics show, [what day are we on here?] we were unloading a large truck and as we looked up, there were the northern lights. While there are many avid aurora-watchers in the Yukon, I still find it …
Astronomy and all its wonders are fascinating regardless of where you are or how much equipment you have. Every year we do the family holiday down in southern British Columbia visiting family and friends. This is a prime opportunity to see a very different night sky, especially when looking towards the southern horizon. Even as …
