** Mike Britton captured a SONG SPARROW [Bruant chanteur] with a beak full
of very nutritious nestling bird food at Mapleton Park on Thursday to suggest
its first brood is probably well on the way and some Song Sparrow nests may have
fledged their first brood by now. Mike also got a lucky photo of a pair of
PILEATED WOODPECKERS [Grand pic] in Mapleton Park on Thursday.
** One of the advantages of summer bird feeding is seeing the adults bring
their fledged young. Peggy Bohus got a photo of a young WOODPECKER [Pic] being
fed morsels of peanut butter in her yard on Wednesday.
** Aldo Dorio shares another nice photo of the EASTERN BLUEBIRD [Merlebleu
de l'Est] pair that have chosen to nest in his Neguac yard. Aldo also submits a
photo of a RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD [Carouge à épaulettes] female to remind us of
the very different plumage from her mate. We may not see as much of her as she
is down in the cattails on her nest; however, there will be just as many of her
as the loud, territorial differently-plumaged male.
** My small brood of BLACK SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLIES [Papillon du céleri]
gave a surprise scenario. Pat felt that they should be released a few days ago
which was done as requested by leaving the screen cage open. They are now back
where they are comfortable in the dill in the cage and laying eggs. A photo of a
female is attached. She is showing signs of wear now, but still depositing eggs,
as one photo shows a recently deposited egg.
** This week's Sky-at-a-Glance is added to this transcription courtesy of
Curt Nason. It's a must read this week as from all reports, we are going to have
some great warm nights to look up to a clear sky over the next week.
This Week’s
Sky at a Glance, June 18 – June 25
Globular clusters are among the oldest and largest objects associated
with our galaxy, being about 12 billion years old and containing tens to
hundreds of thousands of stars packed into a compact sphere. There are
more than 150 globulars orbiting in the halo of the Milky Way galaxy,
and many more are known to be orbiting larger galaxies like M31 in
Andromeda. Some of ours are thought to have been scavenged from small
galaxies that were later absorbed by the Milky Way, and at least one
could be the core of such a cannibalized galaxy. Many can be seen in
binoculars as a fuzzy patch of light, perhaps resembling those little
white patches you see below bird feeders. A good size telescope is able
to resolve some of their stars. The larger ones seen from a dark
location have been described as granules of sugar against black velvet.
Summer is the season for observing globular clusters. I have recently
mentioned M4 beside Antares in the constellation Scorpius and M13 in the
Keystone of Hercules. M4 is one of the closest to us at 8000 light
years, and M13 is relatively close at 25,000 light years. One that would
outshine M13 if it were higher in our sky is M22, just left of the lid
of the Teapot in Sagittarius. Another easy target is M3, located halfway
between Arcturus and Cor Caroli, the brightest star in the small
constellation Canes Venatici below the handle of the Big Dipper. From a
dark sky, many dimmer globulars can be picked out in the region of
Sagittarius and Ophiuchus.
The concentration of globular clusters in this region of sky is not by
accident, and it played a role in another lesson of humility for
humanity. Harvard’s Harlow Shapley studied globular clusters a century
ago and noticed that most were located around Sagittarius. If they were
evenly distributed around the core of our galaxy, as believed, then the
centre of the galaxy must lie in that direction. Just as Copernicus and
Galileo demoted Earth from the centre of the solar system, Shapley
showed that the Sun was not at the centre of the Milky Way.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:28 am and sunset will occur at
9:13 pm, giving 15 hours, 45 minutes of daylight (5:36 am and 9:15 pm in
Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:29 am and set at 9:14
pm, giving 15 hours, 45 minutes of daylight (5:38 am and 9:16 pm in
Saint John). Summer solstice occurs at 7:34 pm on Monday, June 20, with
the Sun rising and setting at its most northerly points.
The Moon is full on Monday, less than 12 hours before the solstice. The
full Moon at this time of year is called the Strawberry Moon or the
Honey Moon, among other names. Jupiter dominates the southwest after
twilight, setting around 1:00 am this week. Mars and Saturn are in good
position for observing when darkness settles in. Saturn’s rings are
accessible in a small scope but Mars can be stingy about revealing its
features. You might catch a glimpse of its northern ice cap under steady
skies.
RASC NB, the provincial astronomy club, meets at Moncton High School on
Saturday, June 18, at 1pm. All are welcome to attend.
Questions? Contact me at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Globular clusters are among the oldest and largest objects associated
with our galaxy, being about 12 billion years old and containing tens to
hundreds of thousands of stars packed into a compact sphere. There are
more than 150 globulars orbiting in the halo of the Milky Way galaxy,
and many more are known to be orbiting larger galaxies like M31 in
Andromeda. Some of ours are thought to have been scavenged from small
galaxies that were later absorbed by the Milky Way, and at least one
could be the core of such a cannibalized galaxy. Many can be seen in
binoculars as a fuzzy patch of light, perhaps resembling those little
white patches you see below bird feeders. A good size telescope is able
to resolve some of their stars. The larger ones seen from a dark
location have been described as granules of sugar against black velvet.
Summer is the season for observing globular clusters. I have recently
mentioned M4 beside Antares in the constellation Scorpius and M13 in the
Keystone of Hercules. M4 is one of the closest to us at 8000 light
years, and M13 is relatively close at 25,000 light years. One that would
outshine M13 if it were higher in our sky is M22, just left of the lid
of the Teapot in Sagittarius. Another easy target is M3, located halfway
between Arcturus and Cor Caroli, the brightest star in the small
constellation Canes Venatici below the handle of the Big Dipper. From a
dark sky, many dimmer globulars can be picked out in the region of
Sagittarius and Ophiuchus.
The concentration of globular clusters in this region of sky is not by
accident, and it played a role in another lesson of humility for
humanity. Harvard’s Harlow Shapley studied globular clusters a century
ago and noticed that most were located around Sagittarius. If they were
evenly distributed around the core of our galaxy, as believed, then the
centre of the galaxy must lie in that direction. Just as Copernicus and
Galileo demoted Earth from the centre of the solar system, Shapley
showed that the Sun was not at the centre of the Milky Way.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:28 am and sunset will occur at
9:13 pm, giving 15 hours, 45 minutes of daylight (5:36 am and 9:15 pm in
Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:29 am and set at 9:14
pm, giving 15 hours, 45 minutes of daylight (5:38 am and 9:16 pm in
Saint John). Summer solstice occurs at 7:34 pm on Monday, June 20, with
the Sun rising and setting at its most northerly points.
The Moon is full on Monday, less than 12 hours before the solstice. The
full Moon at this time of year is called the Strawberry Moon or the
Honey Moon, among other names. Jupiter dominates the southwest after
twilight, setting around 1:00 am this week. Mars and Saturn are in good
position for observing when darkness settles in. Saturn’s rings are
accessible in a small scope but Mars can be stingy about revealing its
features. You might catch a glimpse of its northern ice cap under steady
skies.
RASC NB, the provincial astronomy club, meets at Moncton High School on
Saturday, June 18, at 1pm. All are welcome to attend.
Questions? Contact me at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
BLACK SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY (FEMALE).JUNE 16, 2016.NELSON POIRIER
BLACK SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY (FEMALE SHOWING DEPOSITED EGG).JUNE 16, 2016.NELSON POIRIER
EASTERN BLUEBIRD (PAIR).JUNE 16, 2016.ALDO DORIO
Globular Zone
PILEATED WOODPECKER PAIR.JUNE 16, 2016.MIKE BRITTON
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD(FEMALE).JUNE 16, 2016.ALDO DORIO
SONG SPARROW.JUNE 16, 2016.MIKE BRITTON
WOODPECKER FEEDING FLEDGLING PEANUT BUTTER.JUNE 15, 2016.PEGGY BOHUS
