NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, March 24, 2017 (Friday)
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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca
Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
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** Georges Brun captured a photo of a GREAT
BLACK-BACKED GULL [Goéland marin]
wrestling with a good-sized Eel as prey with another Great Black-backed
gull and ICELAND GULL [Goéland arctique] looking on. The Great Black-backed Gulls appear to be
going out of 1st winter plumage into their next molt. On Thursday, Georges spotted a PEREGRINE FALCON [Faucon pèlerin] within the nest at the summit of
Assumption Place. Also he noted a group
of a dozen CANADA GEESE [Bernache du Canada] arrive at the bend of the Petitcodiac
River on Thursday evening to join some MALLARD DUCKS
[Canard colvert].
** There was a sudden arrival of a dozen BLUE JAYS
[Geai bleu] to our Moncton
feeder yard on Friday morning. Also
approximately 40 CEDAR WAXWINGS [Jaseur
d'Amérique] arrived. It created quite a commotion as the
overwintering female AMERICAN ROBIN [Merle
d'Amérique] wanted none of
it and spent every moment chasing the too-many-to-keep-track-of Cedar Waxwings,
but she put the Blue Jays in an uproar.
There were only a few Blue Jays during the winter, so not sure if the
Jays are overwintering birds that just moved in or are actually new
migrants. I suspect the Cedar Waxwings
are overwintering birds as it would seem very early for spring migration for
that normally late-arriving species.
** This week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is added to this edition, courtesy of Curt
Nason.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, March 25 – April
1
What is the sign of spring for you? The first robin? For stargazers, spring is here when Leo the Lion clears the eastern horizon in twilight. Not only is it a sign of spring, it is a sign of the zodiac; one of the constellations that the Sun appears to travel through as our planet makes its annual orbit. A few thousand years ago the Sun passed in front of the stars of Leo at the height of summer, when the Nile River would rise and eventually flood its banks. Lions would bask at the riverside to escape the heat, and it doesn’t require a huge leap of imagination to see a lion in the stars of this area.
The constellation is composed of two prominent star patterns. A backwards question mark forms the lion’s neck and mane, with Leo’s brightest star marking the lion’s heart as the dot under the question mark. Eastward, to the left, is a triangle of stars representing its haunches and tail. The star at its heart is called Regulus, which means Little King. The Sun passes half its diameter below Regulus on August 22, more than a month later than it did when the constellation was named. Algieba, the bright star above Regulus, is actually two colourful stars when observed through a telescope.
In mythology Leo represents the Lion of Nemea, a beast with a hide impenetrable to anything but its own claws. Hercules was sent to kill the lion as the first of his twelve labours. After strangling it, he skinned the beast with its claws and used the pelt as a shield. If you look at the constellation backwards you might see a mouse, with the triangle as a mouse’s head and the backwards question mark as its tail, but having Hercules battle a mouse would not befit his legendary status.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:12 am and sunset will occur at 7:38 pm, giving 12 hours, 26 minutes of daylight (7:17 am and 7:43 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:58 am and set at 7:48 pm, giving 12 hours, 50 minutes of daylight (7:04 am and 7:52 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is new on Monday and on Tuesday evening a very slim crescent might be seen with binoculars above the sunset point. Mercury is at its best evening viewing over the next two weeks, reaching its greatest elongation from the Sun on April 1 when it sets 1 hour 45 minutes after sunset. Mars will be 15 degrees to its upper left. Jupiter rises in twilight this week. Use binoculars or a scope to watch its moon Ganymede disappear into the planet’s shadow around 9:40 Monday evening, and at 10:14 its moon Io will slowly emerge from behind the planet. Venus is at inferior conjunction this weekend and it can be seen before sunrise in the east. Look for Saturn above the spout of the Sagittarius Teapot.
The Saint John Astronomy Club meets at 7 pm on April 1 at the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre. All are welcome.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
What is the sign of spring for you? The first robin? For stargazers, spring is here when Leo the Lion clears the eastern horizon in twilight. Not only is it a sign of spring, it is a sign of the zodiac; one of the constellations that the Sun appears to travel through as our planet makes its annual orbit. A few thousand years ago the Sun passed in front of the stars of Leo at the height of summer, when the Nile River would rise and eventually flood its banks. Lions would bask at the riverside to escape the heat, and it doesn’t require a huge leap of imagination to see a lion in the stars of this area.
The constellation is composed of two prominent star patterns. A backwards question mark forms the lion’s neck and mane, with Leo’s brightest star marking the lion’s heart as the dot under the question mark. Eastward, to the left, is a triangle of stars representing its haunches and tail. The star at its heart is called Regulus, which means Little King. The Sun passes half its diameter below Regulus on August 22, more than a month later than it did when the constellation was named. Algieba, the bright star above Regulus, is actually two colourful stars when observed through a telescope.
In mythology Leo represents the Lion of Nemea, a beast with a hide impenetrable to anything but its own claws. Hercules was sent to kill the lion as the first of his twelve labours. After strangling it, he skinned the beast with its claws and used the pelt as a shield. If you look at the constellation backwards you might see a mouse, with the triangle as a mouse’s head and the backwards question mark as its tail, but having Hercules battle a mouse would not befit his legendary status.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:12 am and sunset will occur at 7:38 pm, giving 12 hours, 26 minutes of daylight (7:17 am and 7:43 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:58 am and set at 7:48 pm, giving 12 hours, 50 minutes of daylight (7:04 am and 7:52 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is new on Monday and on Tuesday evening a very slim crescent might be seen with binoculars above the sunset point. Mercury is at its best evening viewing over the next two weeks, reaching its greatest elongation from the Sun on April 1 when it sets 1 hour 45 minutes after sunset. Mars will be 15 degrees to its upper left. Jupiter rises in twilight this week. Use binoculars or a scope to watch its moon Ganymede disappear into the planet’s shadow around 9:40 Monday evening, and at 10:14 its moon Io will slowly emerge from behind the planet. Venus is at inferior conjunction this weekend and it can be seen before sunrise in the east. Look for Saturn above the spout of the Sagittarius Teapot.
The Saint John Astronomy Club meets at 7 pm on April 1 at the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre. All are welcome.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
CANADA GEESE AND MALLARD DUCKS MAR 23 2017 GEORGES BRUN
GREAT-BLACKED BACK GULLS ( ONE WITH EEL PREY) AND ICELAND GULL. MAR 20 2017 GEORGES BRUN
Leo the Lion
PEREGRINE FALCON MAR 23 2017 GEORGES BRUN
