NATURE
MONCTON NATURE INFORMATION LINE, Oct. 22, 2021 (Friday)
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**Possibly many of us have been noting the small white morsels of white
fluff floating around recently resembling small snowflakes. This is the winged
adult stage of the Woolly Alder Aphid. Brian Stone took some very
enlarged photos to show it as a blue insect with attached waxy hair like fluff.
They were in the larval stage as white woolly masses on Alder branches earlier
in the season and are now in the adult stage moving to their winter host tree
which is Silver Maple and others.
Brian also made a brief visit to Centennial Park to notice Orange Jelly
Fungus in masses on a conifer stump. The similar more yellow Witches Butter
Fungus is found on hardwood trees.
He also got an excellent photo of a Western Conifer Seed Bug in
the park. These introduced insects from the west of us will be seen occasionally around homes looking for sheltered wintering spots this time of year. They are
harmless to humans. The swellings on the tibia is a good ID clue (arrowed).
**Ewan Dobson in Millville, NB has been able to attract 25 species of
birds to his hand to feed. Ewan has made a four-minute video of the species he
has attracted and got on video. Check out Ewan’s efforts at the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqEOT5Jcevk
**The Chipping Sparrow is a sparrow that leaves us for the winter
with the odd one staying at a feeding station for the winter. I have several Chipping Sparrows
coming to the feeder area at the moment in winter non-breeding plumage that we
can be on the lookout for in the winter should the odd one appear. Note the
deep rusty crown has disappeared and the bill has become pale from black with
only the upper mandible being dark grey. The one thing that stays constant as a
constant ID clue for the Chipping Sparrow is the dark eyeline extends right to
bill (arrowed) which in some look-alike winter sparrows does not go past the eye.
I have also noticed that the several Red-winged Blackbirds coming
as patrons are all female. Am attaching a photo of one. They seem to really
favour white proso millet as their food choice.
**It’s Friday and time to review what to expect in next week’s night sky
courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.
This
Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2021 October 23 – October 30
Mid-autumn is a time for late-evening whale watching while the large
constellation of Cetus the Whale is approaching the southern sky. Many of its
stars are not particularly bright so it can be elusive, but you can piece it
together in a fairly dark sky. The eastern side of the square of Pegasus is a
handy arrow that points down toward Diphda, the brightest star in Cetus. Also
called Deneb Kaitos, “the tail of the whale,” it anchors a pentagram of stars
forming the rear half of Cetus below dim Pisces. A circlet of stars to the
upper left, west of Taurus, is the whale’s head.
A famous star in Cetus is Mira, perhaps the first star to be recognized as a
variable or one that changes its brightness regularly. The name Mira translates
as “wonderful.” It is a red giant star that expands and contracts, while
brightening as it expands. At minimum brightness it cannot be seen with
binoculars but every 11 months it brightens to easy naked eye visibility, which
was reached in August. Midway on the western side of the circlet of the whale’s
head is a star which anchors an asterism that resembles a question mark. Don’t
ask why, just try it with binoculars. A scope or binoculars could reveal the
galaxy M77 approximately midway between Mira and Menkar, the star at the bottom
of the circlet.
In mythology Cetus represents the sea monster created by Poseidon to ravage the
coastal area of Ethiopia as punishment for Queen Cassiopeia’s bragging. Her
daughter Andromeda was chained to a rock at the seashore as a sacrifice to make
the monster go away. Perseus was homeward bound on the back of Pegasus after
slaying the Gorgon Medusa when he chanced upon Andromeda’s plight. He rescued
the princess by using Medusa’s head to turn the monster to stone, winning the day
and the hand of Andromeda.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:47 am and sunset will occur at 6:18 pm,
giving 10 hours, 31 minutes of daylight (7:51 am and 6:25 pm in Saint John).
Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:57 am and set at 6:07 pm, giving 10 hours,
10 minutes of daylight (8:00 am and 6:14 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is at third quarter on Thursday, rising at midnight and setting at
3:10 pm. Mercury reaches its greatest elongation from the morning Sun on Monday,
while Venus reaches greatest elongation from the setting Sun on Friday. Saturn
and Jupiter are well placed for observing throughout the early evening.
Jupiter’s moons put on a show for telescope users Friday evening, with Callisto
entering the planet’s shadow at 6:27 and reappearing from the shadow at 10:47.
Meanwhile, Io and its shadow can be seen crossing Jupiter, with the moon
exiting at 7:05 and the shadow at 8:22. Finally, Ganymede emerges from
Jupiter’s shadow at 9:31.
On Sunday evening at 8 pm, tune in to the 100th episode of the Sunday Night
Astronomy Show via the Facebook page or YouTube channel of Astronomy by the
Bay.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
