** The basic recording unit that starts the daily Nature Information line
is suffering from electronic gremlins and is acting up a bit. Help is en route,
so hopefully it will be able to ward off its challenges for another 10
days.
** BROWN CREEPERS [Grimpereau brun] always give special moments to spot as
they work their seemingly always busy days. Anne Marsch spotted two working up
and down a yard tree on Wednesday in her lower Coverdale yard.
** This week's Sky-at-a-Glance is added to this transcription, courtesy of
Curt Nason. Lots to watch for and a special event at New Brunswick's Mount
Carlton Park next weekend.
** Last week the plant QUEEN-OF-THE-MEADOW [Reine-des-prés] was mentioned,
an introduced escapee that has become naturalized in New Brunswick. I recently
noted a related QUEEN-OF-THE-PRAIRIE in bloom among a large FIREWEED [Épilobe en
épi] stand in New Horton. The plants I saw were not in groups like the
Queen-of-the-meadow, but maybe that will happen in the future. It has a hot
pink inflorescence while Queen-of-the-meadow has white bloom masses. Some
photos are attached.
** A CADDISFLY [Trichoptère] egg mass kept in a jar of pond water for six
days has developed somewhat, swelling in size. This was taken from a pond by
Louise Nichols. Alyre Chiasson identified it, pointing out that the green
around the developing eggs is a symbiotic relationship with an algae that
provides the eggs with oxygen as they develop.
** I kept four BLACK SWALLOWTAIL [Papillon du celery] chrysalises for Jane
Aikman while she was away. These were from caterpillars that had foraged on the
garden plant Lovage. All four have emerged into lively adults to be released
and went from chrysalis to adult in 11 to 12 days.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August 8 –August 15
courtesy of Curt Nason
The main event in the sky this week is an annual highlight: the Perseid meteor shower. On any clear night this week you will have a better chance of seeing meteors, especially in the wee hours before morning twilight, but the peak time will be early on Thursday, August 13. You can see a few meteors per hour any night in a clear, dark sky, but the number increases greatly when Earth passes through a trail of pebbles and dust left by a comet that makes frequent orbits around the Sun. The pebbles left by comet Temple-Tuttle in its 133-year orbit are quite large at a few centimetres and enter our atmosphere at a high relative velocity near 60 km/s (Earth travels at 30 km/s). Therefore, they can be very bright.
Meteors, also called shooting stars or falling stars, are the streaks of light created when particles enter the atmosphere at an altitude of about 100 kilometres, and those from comets disintegrate before they reach an altitude of 50 kilometres. Many meteors are faint and easily made invisible by moonlight and light pollution. This year the Perseid shower occurs near the new Moon phase so we can expect to see more than usual. They will seem to be coming from a point within the constellation Perseus, which is at its highest in the sky in early morning. You will see fewer in the evening but they tend to be long and bright.
Although a dark sky is preferred for watching meteors, many can still be enjoyed from an urban or suburban area. Get comfortable in a chair, have extra clothes or blankets if you plan to stay long as it can get very chilly, and select a patch of sky that is free of clouds and light. It is better to keep Perseus to your side rather than look in that direction because the meteors will look more spectacular, covering a longer distance. Be very happy if you see about 20 per hour on the peak night, or half that a day before or after. Anything more is a bonus, and this could be a bonus year.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:09 am and sunset will occur at 8:39 pm, giving 14 hours, 30 minutes of daylight (6:17 am and 8:42 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:18 am and set at 8:28 pm, giving 14 hours, 10 minutes of daylight (6:28 am and 8:32 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is new on Friday, August 14, making next weekend the perfect time to go stargazing in the country, far from any urban skyglow; like at Mount Carleton Provincial Park.
Mercury sets about 45 minutes after the Sun this week and will require binoculars and a good western horizon to be seen.
Venus passes south of the Sun, at inferior conjunction, on August 15. It will dominate the morning sky before month’s end.
Mars rises an hour and a half before the Sun by midweek.
Jupiter passes closely above Regulus on August 12 but it will be difficult to see because it sets just half an hour after the Sun.
Saturn is in the southwest at dark and sets around 12:30 am this week. Its rings are at their best viewing in a decade so give them a try with your spotting scope, and look for its brightest moon Titan nearby.
If you want the ultimate in dark sky New Brunswick stargazing, join members of RASC NB, the provincial astronomy group, at Armstrong Brook campground for the annual Mount Carleton Star Party next weekend, August 14-16.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
CADDISFLY EGG MASS DEVELOPING.AUG 7, 2015.NELSON POIRIER
QUEEN-OF-THE-PRAIRIE.AUG 3, 2015.NELSON POIRIER (2)
QUEEN-OF-THE-PRAIRIE.AUG 3, 2015.NELSON POIRIER (2)
QUEEN-OF-THE-PRAIRIE.AUG 3, 2015.NELSON POIRIER (2)
