NATURE
MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, September 25, 2020 (Friday)
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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
** Jane Leblanc got photos of a
copulating pair of AUTUMN MEADOWHAWK DRAGONFLIES [Sympétrum tardif] and one of the male alone. This species is a late flyer with obvious
plans of propagation to continue late as well.
The brown legs and the short yellow to orange/red pseudostigma (the
elongated spot near the end of the wings) help separate this meadowhawk from
similar ones. Jane saw them in a bog
near her St. Martins home. Jane also had
a GOLDEN-CROWNED
KINGLET [Roitelet à couronne dorée] visit her yard pine tree for a photo-op.
** Aldo Dorio is continuing to see AMERICAN PIPITS [Pipit
d'Amérique] on the
shoreline at Hay Island and he sends a photo.
Aldo also got a photo of a GREEN SNAKE.
This is a small, often led-pencil-diameter sized snake that is very
gentle if picked up and, after a moment, seems to appreciate body warmth. It would be often under 12 inches in length.
** It’s Friday and time to review the
next week’s Sky-at-a-Glace, courtesy of sky-guru Curt Nason.
This
Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2020 September 26 – October 3
The expanded Major League Baseball playoff season kicks off, or rather throws
out the first pitch, on Tuesday and they always arrange to have the Great Square
of Pegasus form a diamond in the eastern sky to commemorate this event. At home
plate is Algenib, the third brightest star of the constellation. Who’s on
first? Yes, that is Markab, the brightest star of Pegasus. On second base we
have its second brightest luminary, Sheat, which is probably what he mutters
when he makes an error. On third is a star brighter than the other three,
Alpheratz, who was traded to Andromeda but still likes to whip the ball around
the horn with his former teammates.
Trailing off toward the dugout from third is a string of stars that forms the
left side of Princess Andromeda. The second in the string is no second string
player. Mirach is as bright as Alpheratz and shows a distinct orange colour in
binoculars. Raising your binoculars above the string from Mirach will bring
M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, into your view, and from a dark sky that is a view
you don’t want to miss. It might resemble a pool of champagne on the clubhouse
floor of the World Series champions. Go Expos!
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:11 am and sunset will occur at 7:07 pm,
giving 11 hours, 56 minutes of daylight (7:16 am and 7:13 pm in Saint
John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:20 am and set at 6:54 pm,
giving 11 hours, 34 minutes of daylight (7:25 am and 6:59 pm in Saint John).
The Full Harvest Moon rises around sunset on Thursday, and on the next evening
it makes a spectacular conjunction with Mars. By now Mars has exceeded Jupiter
in brightness. Saturn is stationary on Monday, beginning an eastern movement
against the stars in an eventually futile attempt to keep ahead of Jupiter.
Telescope users might catch Jupiter’s stormy Red Spot around 9:30 pm Sunday,
and then watch its moon Europa emerge from eclipse at 11:41 pm. Mercury is at
greatest eastern elongation on Thursday but remains low in the western sky
after sunset. Venus passes very close to Regulus, Leo’s brightest star, for
stargazers in the eastern hemisphere next Saturday, but we see it just above
Regulus on the morning of October 2 and just below it on October 3.
With astronomy meetings and outreach activities on hold, you can watch the
local Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm, and view archived shows, on YouTube
at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAEHfOWyL-kNH7dBVHK8spg
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
