NATURE
MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, November 1, 2019 (Friday)
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Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
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** I’m sure we’re all wondering how our
Tropical Kingbird [Tyran mélancolique] visitor made it on Thursday as
possibly no birders were out checking.
Yvette Richard got another awesome photo of it on Wednesday, flashing
its buttercup yellow-breasted chest, its large bill, and the base-of-the-bill
hairs of flycatchers show up nicely in Yvette’s photo.
Aldo Dorio sends a photo of
a juvenile Double-crested that was present at Hay Island on Thursday to remind
of the pale upper breast and neck of the juvenile of this species, quite
different from the darker adult bird.
** This week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is included in this
edition, courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.
To put a positive spin on the not-so-popular time change coming up this
weekend, sky sleuthing can begin one hour earlier, and we can start looking for
the three planets – Saturn, Jupiter and Venus – as Curt points out.
This
Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2019 November 2 – November 9
Around sunset now the Pleiades star cluster is rising. Also known as M45 or the Seven Sisters, and sometimes mistaken to be the Little Dipper, this compact eye-catcher represents the shoulder of Taurus the Bull. Over the next two hours the rest of the constellation clears the eastern horizon; in particular, the V-shaped Hyades star cluster anchored by orange Aldebaran, and the two stars marking the horn-tips.
In mythology, Zeus changed himself into a beautiful white bull to attract the attention of Europa, a princess of Sidon. She was taken by its gentleness and made the mistake of climbing on its back. Bully Zeus took off to the nearby seashore and swam all the way to Crete, where he changed back into his godly form and completed his conquest. The result was a baby boy who was named Minos, and he grew up to become the first King of Crete.
One of the horn stars of Taurus had been shared with the constellation Auriga. This star, Alnath, was officially assigned to Taurus when the constellation boundaries were set by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in the late 1920s. Taurus is one of the zodiac constellations; the ecliptic passes between the Pleiades and Hyades and also between the horn-tips. A few millennia ago this occurred during late April and May. With the precession of the equinox due to Earth’s 25,800 year wobble, and the IAU’s reshaping of constellation boundaries, the Sun now is “in” Taurus from May 14 to June 21.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 8:00 am and sunset will occur at 6:03 pm, giving 10 hours, 3 minutes of daylight (8:04 am and 6:10 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:11 am and set at 4:54 pm, giving 9 hours, 43 minutes of daylight (7:14 am and 5:01 pm in Saint John). Note that we turn our timepieces back to AST (Atlantic Stargazing Time) at 2 am this Sunday.
The Moon approaches Saturn this Saturday evening and it is at first quarter on Monday. Mercury ends its month long dance with Venus and begins to plummet toward the Sun, while Venus heads toward a new dance partner in Jupiter. Saturn, meanwhile, is content to shine its rings in anticipation of an early December date with the goddess of love. In the morning sky, Mars can be seen low in the east above the bright star Spica. Over the next two weeks you might catch a meteor shooting away from Taurus, as the minor South Taurid and North Taurid meteor showers peak this Tuesday and next Tuesday, respectively.
The Saint John Astronomy Club meets this Saturday in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre at 7 pm. All are welcome.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Around sunset now the Pleiades star cluster is rising. Also known as M45 or the Seven Sisters, and sometimes mistaken to be the Little Dipper, this compact eye-catcher represents the shoulder of Taurus the Bull. Over the next two hours the rest of the constellation clears the eastern horizon; in particular, the V-shaped Hyades star cluster anchored by orange Aldebaran, and the two stars marking the horn-tips.
In mythology, Zeus changed himself into a beautiful white bull to attract the attention of Europa, a princess of Sidon. She was taken by its gentleness and made the mistake of climbing on its back. Bully Zeus took off to the nearby seashore and swam all the way to Crete, where he changed back into his godly form and completed his conquest. The result was a baby boy who was named Minos, and he grew up to become the first King of Crete.
One of the horn stars of Taurus had been shared with the constellation Auriga. This star, Alnath, was officially assigned to Taurus when the constellation boundaries were set by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in the late 1920s. Taurus is one of the zodiac constellations; the ecliptic passes between the Pleiades and Hyades and also between the horn-tips. A few millennia ago this occurred during late April and May. With the precession of the equinox due to Earth’s 25,800 year wobble, and the IAU’s reshaping of constellation boundaries, the Sun now is “in” Taurus from May 14 to June 21.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 8:00 am and sunset will occur at 6:03 pm, giving 10 hours, 3 minutes of daylight (8:04 am and 6:10 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:11 am and set at 4:54 pm, giving 9 hours, 43 minutes of daylight (7:14 am and 5:01 pm in Saint John). Note that we turn our timepieces back to AST (Atlantic Stargazing Time) at 2 am this Sunday.
The Moon approaches Saturn this Saturday evening and it is at first quarter on Monday. Mercury ends its month long dance with Venus and begins to plummet toward the Sun, while Venus heads toward a new dance partner in Jupiter. Saturn, meanwhile, is content to shine its rings in anticipation of an early December date with the goddess of love. In the morning sky, Mars can be seen low in the east above the bright star Spica. Over the next two weeks you might catch a meteor shooting away from Taurus, as the minor South Taurid and North Taurid meteor showers peak this Tuesday and next Tuesday, respectively.
The Saint John Astronomy Club meets this Saturday in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre at 7 pm. All are welcome.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
TROPICAL KINGBIRD. OCT 30, 2019. YVETTE RICHARD
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT (JUVENILE). OCT 31, 2019. ALDO DORIO
Taurus 2019
