NATURE MONCTON'S NATURE LINE, December 2, 2016 (Friday)
Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca. if any errors
are noted in wording or photo labelling.
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Edited by : Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca
Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
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** Marlene Hickman reports that she has had a NORTHERN FLICKER [Pic
flamboyant] coming to her Dorchester suet feeder for the past two weeks. Just
before the recent snowfall, there was a flock of about 50 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS
[Jaseur boréal] traveling about her neighbourhood, cleaning up the many fruit
trees and filling the air with their distinct chatter and frenzied activity.
They enjoyed Hawthorne, Mountain Ash and Flowering Crab fruit very much.
** Anna Tucker enjoyed the BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES [Mésange à tête noire]
and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES [Sittelle à poitrine rousse] coming for hand-fed
seeds at Amherst Point Bird Sanctuary on Tuesday. Anna also came along High
Marsh Rd. to enjoy the many raptors there.
** The New Brunswick Winter Bird list can be viewed at www.nbwinter.gbnature.com, including
a tally from other years as well.
** Bob Blake has compiled his weather stats to compare November of 2016 to
November of 2015 and these are attached below.
** Bob Blake maintains a record of daily morning low
temperatures, daily highs, and monthly precipitation from his Second North River
home. He compares November 2015 and November 2016 .
2015.....
2016.....
+6-2days +9-1
+5-1 +8-1
+4-3
+7-2
+2-2
+6-2
+1-4
+5-4
0-4 +3-1
-1-1
+2-2
-2-5
+1-2
-3-1
0-4
-4-2
-1-5
-5-1
-2-3
-8-1 -4-1
-9-1 Hi.....
-10-1 +16-1
-12-1 +15-1
+13-1
Hi..... +12-1
+17-1 +11-1
+16-1 +10-1
+15-2 +9-3
+12-2
+11-2
53mms.
rain
+10-1
37cms. snow.
+9-2
187 mms. rain
3cms. snow
** This week's Sky-at-a-Glance is added to this edition, courtesy of Curt
Nason.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, December 3 – December
10
With the Great Square of Pegasus at its peak in the early evening it is a good time to visit the autumn constellations with binoculars. The flying horse soars upside down, and if you regard the two lines of stars in Andromeda as its hind legs it looks like a rocking horse. Well, to me it does. The horse’s neck stretches off the southwest corner of the square, then angles of to its snout. Extending a line from the head to the snout about half that distance is the globular cluster M15, looking like a fat star in binoculars.
The opposite star of the square is Alpheratz at the head of Andromeda. The second star from there, along the brighter line of her body, is Mirach, which looks orange in binoculars. Moving to the star above it in the second line of Andromeda, and beyond to another star, puts you near M31, the Andromeda Galaxy. In a dark sky you can see it as a faint smudge with the naked eye and it is spectacular in binoculars. Going the opposite direction from Mirach, about halfway to the tip of Triangulum and a tad to the right, is M33. This face-on spiral galaxy is much tougher to see; you will need a transparent sky.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:44 am and sunset will occur at 4:34 pm, giving 8 hours, 50 minutes of daylight (7:46 am and 4:42 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:51 am and set at 4:33 pm, giving 8 hours, 42 minutes of daylight (7:53 am and 4:42 pm in Saint John). We are at that time of year when sunset occurs around the same time for a few weeks.
The Moon is near Mars on Sunday and at first quarter on Wednesday, but Tuesday is its day of importance. Around 5:30 pm it will pass in front of, or occult, planet Neptune for about 75 minutes. Unfortunately, the disappearance of Neptune occurs in nautical twilight so it could be difficult to see in a backyard telescope. It will be darker when Neptune reappears but that occurs on the sunlit limb of the Moon, again making observations more difficult. Neptune will look like a star in a spotting scope; a larger telescope at high power is needed to see it as a disc.
Mercury is getting easier to see, setting more than an hour after the Sun during the week. I watched it setting with binoculars on November 28, and for a second it was perched atop a distant evergreen like a star on a Christmas tree. Brilliant Venus continues its march toward Mars, setting about two hours after Mercury and two hours before Mars. Jupiter dominates the morning sky in the southeast, standing above the bright star Spica and to the right of Arcturus. Saturn passes behind the Sun on December 10, if you are wondering why you can’t see it.
The Saint John Astronomy Club meets at the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre on December 3 at 7 pm. All are welcome and it is free.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
With the Great Square of Pegasus at its peak in the early evening it is a good time to visit the autumn constellations with binoculars. The flying horse soars upside down, and if you regard the two lines of stars in Andromeda as its hind legs it looks like a rocking horse. Well, to me it does. The horse’s neck stretches off the southwest corner of the square, then angles of to its snout. Extending a line from the head to the snout about half that distance is the globular cluster M15, looking like a fat star in binoculars.
The opposite star of the square is Alpheratz at the head of Andromeda. The second star from there, along the brighter line of her body, is Mirach, which looks orange in binoculars. Moving to the star above it in the second line of Andromeda, and beyond to another star, puts you near M31, the Andromeda Galaxy. In a dark sky you can see it as a faint smudge with the naked eye and it is spectacular in binoculars. Going the opposite direction from Mirach, about halfway to the tip of Triangulum and a tad to the right, is M33. This face-on spiral galaxy is much tougher to see; you will need a transparent sky.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:44 am and sunset will occur at 4:34 pm, giving 8 hours, 50 minutes of daylight (7:46 am and 4:42 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:51 am and set at 4:33 pm, giving 8 hours, 42 minutes of daylight (7:53 am and 4:42 pm in Saint John). We are at that time of year when sunset occurs around the same time for a few weeks.
The Moon is near Mars on Sunday and at first quarter on Wednesday, but Tuesday is its day of importance. Around 5:30 pm it will pass in front of, or occult, planet Neptune for about 75 minutes. Unfortunately, the disappearance of Neptune occurs in nautical twilight so it could be difficult to see in a backyard telescope. It will be darker when Neptune reappears but that occurs on the sunlit limb of the Moon, again making observations more difficult. Neptune will look like a star in a spotting scope; a larger telescope at high power is needed to see it as a disc.
Mercury is getting easier to see, setting more than an hour after the Sun during the week. I watched it setting with binoculars on November 28, and for a second it was perched atop a distant evergreen like a star on a Christmas tree. Brilliant Venus continues its march toward Mars, setting about two hours after Mercury and two hours before Mars. Jupiter dominates the morning sky in the southeast, standing above the bright star Spica and to the right of Arcturus. Saturn passes behind the Sun on December 10, if you are wondering why you can’t see it.
The Saint John Astronomy Club meets at the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre on December 3 at 7 pm. All are welcome and it is free.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE HAND FEEDING.NOV 29 2016. ANNA TUCKER
BOHEMIAN WAXWING.NOV 28, 2016 2016 MARLENE HICKMAN
BOHEMIAN WAXWING. NOV 28, 2016 MARLENE HICKMAN
Pegasus square
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH HAND FEEDING.NOV 29 2016. ANNA TUCKER.
RED-TAILED HAWK (IMMATURE).NOV 29 2016. ANNA TUCKER
