Nature Moncton Nature
News
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** The Nature Moncton
activities committee has an event planned for this coming Saturday, October 17,
with all details below:
Autumn
Colours Outing: Discover Highland Park in Salisbury 🍂
Looking to
enjoy the best of fall in Greater Moncton? Join Nature Moncton for a peaceful
and scenic autumn walk through Salisbury's Highland Park on Saturday,
October 17, 2026.
Highland
Park features vibrant fall foliage, rich wetland habitat, and fantastic
opportunities for birding and mushroom spotting. We’ll take a relaxed, 1.5-hour
loop (approx. 3 km.) over easy, flat, and well-groomed terrain, complete with water views
and cozy benches along the way.
Event
Details
📍 Where: Meet at the unpaved parking area at the bottom of MacDonald
Road, Salisbury. (From Route 112/Main St, turn left onto MacDonald Road just past the Pizza Mill).
⏰ When: Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10:00 AM
🎒 Tip: Wear comfortable footwear and bring bug spray for the wetland
trail.
All are
welcome. Whether you're a long-time Nature Moncton member or joining us for the
first time, we'd love to see you there! Don't forget your Nature Moncton name
tag if you have one.
**This Week’s Sky at a
Glance, 2026 October 17 – October 24
The western side of the Square of Pegasus points southward to the solitary
bright star Fomalhaut in the mouth of Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish.
Fomalhaut is the 17th brightest star in our night sky, and astronomers have
known it is surrounded by discs of debris for many years. In 2008 an exoplanet
was imaged near the inner edge of a disc but more recent images have shown it be
an expanding disc of debris from a collision between two planetesimals. The
eastern side of Pegasus points down to Diphda, the brightest star in the tail
of Cetus the Whale. A circlet of stars well to the east forms the head of the
whale.
Between Piscis Austrinus and Cetus is the dim constellation Sculptor, which is
a shortened version of its original name, Apparatus Sculptoris (the sculptor’s
studio), given by Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century. By 11 pm it is low in
the south but it does have a prominent marker. Use binoculars to seek out a
long triangle of dim stars stretching eastward from Fomalhaut, but don’t be
discouraged if your attempt to locate Sculptor is a bust.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:39 and sunset will occur at 6:29, giving
10 hours, 50 minutes of daylight (7:42 and 6:35 in Saint John). Next Saturday
the Sun will rise at 7:48 and set at 6:17, giving 10 hours, 29 minutes of
daylight (7:52 and 6:23 in Saint John).
The Moon is at first quarter on Sunday and near Saturn next Saturday.
Mercury begins edging toward the Sun this week, very low in the southeast after
sunset. Mars continues to edge toward Jupiter over the week while both have
eyes on Regulus, the heart of Leo the Lion. The three will make a scenic
triangle in binoculars late in November. Venus is at inferior conjunction next
Friday, moving to the morning sky in early November. Early risers on
Wednesday and Thursday might catch a few extra shooting stars from the Orionid
meteor shower.
Weather permitting there will be public observing at the Irving Nature Park in
Saint John this Saturday from 7 to 10 pm. Tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy
Show at 8 pm on the Facebook page or YouTube site of Astronomy by the
Bay.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Piscis Austrinus
**The Canadian Sea Turtle
Network is once again looking for volunteers for their annual Sea Turtle Patrol
program. In Atlantic Canada, four species of sea turtles enter our waters each
year during the warmer months. When the ocean temperatures drop to 12 degrees
and below, juvenile Loggerhead, Green, and Kemp's Ridley sea turtles can become cold-stunned.
Cold stunning is when their body temperature drops too low for their muscles to
function, resulting in these turtles being unable to swim. Instead, cold-stunned
turtles float at the surface and are at the mercy of our tides, currents and winds. Naturalist society members are some of
our favourite people because you are already nature- focused and probably
walking the coastline looking for other animals, plants and minerals. While you
are out looking, would you mind also looking down for sea turtles? Cold-stunned
sea turtles are often found on seaweed near the high waterline. If you find a
sea turtle, do not put it back in the water; call the Canadian Sea Turtle
Network immediately (1-888-727-4667).
We will arrange for someone to pick up the turtle.
To become an official Sea Turtle Patrol volunteer, please visit our website www.seaturtle.ca/sea-turtle-patrol/ and complete our registration and consent forms.
If you or anyone has any questions, please send me a message (april@seaturtle.ca) at your earliest convenience.
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Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
