Living in the North has many advantages. We have crystal clear skies, no air pollution and many hours of darkness in the winter season. This adds up to excellent opportunities for viewing and taking pictures of the Northern Lights. Another great advantage of living in the North is the extremely dry air. In humid parts …
Keep warm, stay watching: Winter star gazing is fun, but you have to know how Read More »
I have always found that the hobby of astronomy is filled with unexpected surprises. Some are good and some are bad. Take for example the last full lunar eclipse. A quick setup is all-important because the moon will be rising in eclipse mode. The evening sky is full of cloud and there are little or …
April is the month of great change in the Yukon night sky. It is a time when the constellation of Orion is no longer high in the sky all evening and Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, sets on the horizon early after dusk. As for what else is happening in the sky this …
Spring is on the way and that means it is time once again for the Messier Marathon. What is the Messier Marathon you ask? The Messier Marathon is named after Charles Messier, a French astronomer in the middle 1700s, who preferred to hunt comets. While hunting for these elusive icy snowballs, Charles kept bumping into …
Is the Yukon the best place for amateur astronomers? And how can I experience and discover the vast night sky? Let’s take these questions and sort them out for our distinguished visitors to the Conference of Science Writers. First of all, astronomy in the Yukon is unique. Most people that I chat with across the …
Distinguished Guests & Distinguished Night Skies Read More »
The month of April is at a close and, as May begins, great changes are taking place high overhead in the amazing Yukon Night Skies. It is a time of discovery and exploration with an endless supply of cosmic jewels that can be easily seen with a little bit of careful planning and preparation. For …
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 »
With the middle of winter upon us, the Yukon Night Sky is alive with amazing sights for the cosmic tourist. Dark skies and stable air makes for excellent opportunities to explore and discover this vast universe around us. From galaxies and nebulas, to star clusters and planets, there is an abundance of deep sky treasures …
As March begins, there is excitement in the Yukon Night Sky. It is time for the Messier Marathon. This is an event that most amateur astronomers anxiously await, and the time is just about upon us. So what is a Messier Marathon and what is all this curious excitement about? you ask. Here is a …
The constellation of Leo the Lion definitely seems to be where all the Yukon Night Sky action is. Starting with Ceres, the smallest dwarf planet (formerly called the largest asteroid), will be making a close pass to Earth, a mere 250 million kilometres. This is as close as this little dwarf planet will be for …
Sometimes, night-time excursions do not always go the way one envisions them. Case in point, the other evening the Moon and Venus were supposed to be a mere 5 degrees apart from each other. Considering that 10 x 50 binoculars will give you a 5-degree field of view, this event should make for an impressive …
It is Friday evening, the sky is crystal clear and the temperature is a balmy –23 degrees. Add to that a 30-kilometre wind from the south, and you have a wind chill of –39 degrees. For most people this is a good time to stay indoors and sip a nice warm cup of hot chocolate. …
Finally, the weekend has arrived; hopefully, the weather will be clear. All the weather-information sources, including Whitehorse Clear Sky Clock and others, seem to agree that Saturday night should be great. Quickly, we send an astro-alert e-mail to let everyone know we are heading up to Grey Mountain Lookout point after 9 p.m. It is …
While we were waiting for Comet PanSTARRS to arrive in our skies, we had a chance to get up to the Grey Mountain lookout point. We have not been out to this observation site yet this year, so I was a little apprehensive about the road. But the road is reasonably well ploughed, and was …
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 the International Space Station (ISS) approaches completion, it is so bright that some observers have glimpsed it during daylight hours. To do this, the sun must be low in the sky. To find out where to look in the sky, go the website www.heavens-above.com and dial in your location. They have an excellent chart …
As December begins, we reflect on the “High Lights” of November. Unsettled weather, with cloudy nights, high winds and snow flurries, offered few good opportunities for observing. From the observer’s log … After being “closed down” for five Saturdays in a row, due to nasty weather, I headed out. The temperature was a balmy minus-eight …
The next time you are outside at night, take a moment and look up at those dark Yukon Night Skies. High overhead you will see the constellation of Perseus, the Hero. This is the home of the infamous Double Cluster. People are always talking about the Double Cluster and looking at it. Why? Simply put, …
The weather is returning to a more normal routine, and although I do love the warmer weather, it does make for cloudy nights, offering few opportunities for deep-sky observing. It is Saturday night, the temperature is minus 18 and the wind is light. All my astronomical viewing forecasters (The Weather Network, Clear Sky Clock and …
October is an amazing month for amateur astronomers. Summer constellations like Cygnus, Lyra, Hercules are slowly sinking into the horizon, and winter constellations like Andromeda, Taurus, and Orion are making their way onto the stage of the Yukon night skies. So what are the three best objects to observe in those amazing Yukon night skies? …
The largest planet, the closest galaxy, and Comet Hartley 2 Read More »
With all this wonderful warm weather, there is a price to pay for amateur astronomers in the Yukon. As a springtime rule, warm weather brings cloudy and unstable skies. Every once in a while though, we get a break, and the next thing you know you are observing in clear skies with nice warm weather. …
Welcome to nightlife in the Yukon night skies. For starters, let’s get acquainted with the night sky as we see it: directly overhead we find the familiar constellation of Auriga and Perseus. Auriga is the home to a triple shot of open star clusters that are easily seen in binoculars. Looking high overhead, we locate …
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 Yukon Night Skies are coming alive with winter constellations like Orion, Taurus, and Gemini. Using a pair of humble binoculars, star clusters, galaxies, and nebula can all be easily seen. The Yukon Night Skies also holds an easily-seen comet, and several planets. So what did I see on my last observing session up on …
The biggest problems experienced by amateur astronomers, who live in the Yukon and the northern limits of civilization, is the cold. The cold is brutal on the human element, and is capable of wreaking all kinds of havoc on astronomy gear — from poorly made eyepieces and telescope mounts, to laptop computers. One would think …
Astronomy, the Yukon night skies, and non-stop springtime action go hand in hand. After having cloudy skies and the odd snowstorm dropping by to visit, we are finally getting a long deserved break. It all started on a frosty Tuesday evening, with the temperature hovering around -30 degrees Celsius, and a brisk north wind at …
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 …
We are in for a rare astronomical treat this month. On December 10, early in the morning hours, we are going to experience a total lunar eclipse. This eclipse favours western and northern Canada for a change, and we will be able to see all 51 minutes of totality. To view this eclipse you will …
Winter has arrived and the weather is starting to stabilize. With clear skies and reasonably warm temperatures, it is time to grab your parka and head outside to explore those amazing Yukon night skies. So what is there to see, you ask? Let’s start with the planets. Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, will …
Wondrous views await the cosmic tourist in the month of April. The end of March and the first two weeks of April are sometimes referred to as, the Changing of the Guard. This means the winter constellations are slowly sinking lower into the horizon, while springtime constellations are rising higher each evening into the night …
Valentine’s Day has arrived and according to my online weather forecast, it might actually be clear this evening. A quick check on the aurora forecasts, and they all seem to basically agree: there will be little or no northern lights this evening. Around 9 p.m. my youngest son promptly arrives in the living room to …
April is upon us, and even though the weather is warm, and the sky is cloudy. People always ask, “What is an northern astronomer to do on a cloudy night?” The first thing to do is apply the 5-Minute Astronomer Rule”. The 5-Minute Astronomer Rule is having your binoculars or small telescope on the front …
