NATURE
MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, July 21, 2017 (Friday)
Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca if any errors are noted in wording or
photo labeling.
Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
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your message to the information line editor nelson@nb.sympatico.ca.
** Dale
Halfpenny got a few more great photos of juvenile PEREGRINE
FALCONS [Faucon pèlerin] at Fundy National Park on July 19th when they
were still around the nest site, and there was no sign of the parents while he
was there.
** Dave
Christie reports he heard a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO
[Coulicou à bec noir] calling repeatedly for 1 1/2 hour on Thursday morning in
the woods near his Mary’s Point home.
Dave comments that it has been several years since he has heard one
there where they used to be much more common.
** On
Wednesday and Thursday, Dave had a call from birdfeeder folk seeing a PURPLE FINCH [Roselin pourpré] with signs
suggestive of Trichomoniasis and took measures they felt indicated to slow any
spread of it. This is not a new
condition in Finches, but a bad year for it due to weather. The recent hot, dry weather should reduce it
somewhat. Dave and I have not seen any
at our own feeder yards.
** I came
across three butterflies of interest on Friday.
I continue to find some of the skippers and rarely take second looks to
identify and photograph unless they are caught and cooled down temporarily. One turns out to be the TAWNY-EDGED SKIPPER
[Hespérie à tache costale]
whose flight period is right now, but ending soon. The orange band on the costa (tawny edge) is
telltale and the light spots on the forewing.
The hind wing is essentially unmarked.
The second was LONG DASH SKIPPER [Hespérie mystique] that easily showed the long black dash
across the forewing and the row of spots on the hind wing that run parallel to
the outer wing margin. The third butterfly
was a PINK-EDGED SULPHUR [Coliade intérieur] which lacks the three sub-marginal spots of the much more
commonly seen CLOUDED SULPHUR [Coliade des trèfle] and ORANGE SULPHUR [Coliade de la
luzerne], and the hind wing showed the single noticeable round spot, rimmed in
pink. It was also flying near its
favourite food plant of blueberries.
** I also
came across a dragonfly that I’d never encountered before, so cooled it down in
a container in the fridge for a few hours to slow it down to get close photos
which still did not allow me to make an identification. Gilles Belliveau came to the rescue to call
it a female CLAMP-TIPPED EMERALD DRAGONFLY [Cordulie ténébreuse], pointing out the yellow
spot on S2 and the yellow thorax markings (which become obscured with age) that
are constant with Clamp-tipped Emerald.
I don’t think this is a commonly encountered dragonfly.
** This
week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is added to this edition, courtesy of Curt Nason.
This Week’s Sky at a
Glance, July 22 – July 29
Many people grew up watching Zenith televisions, which are now made by
LG Electronics. Stargazers prefer zenith observing because that is
when we should have our best views of objects in a telescope or
binoculars. The zenith is the imaginary line running from north to
south, separating the sky into eastern and western hemispheres.
Objects are at their highest when they cross the zenith, shining
through a minimal thickness of atmosphere en route to our eyes.
Unstable pockets of atmosphere will distort the light from stars and
planets, blurring the view. The less atmosphere light must pass
through, the less distortion. Astronomers use the term “seeing” to
describe the steadiness of the atmosphere; good seeing means steady
air and we can use higher magnification for observing details of the
Moon and planets.
Around 10 pm now we have several prominent constellations at the
zenith. Moving southward from the North Star we have Ursa Minor or the
Little Dipper. A small telescope with good seeing conditions will show
the close companion star of Polaris, which is actually a triple star
although only two can be seen in a telescope. Heading southward we
pass through Draco the Dragon on our way to Hercules. The faintest of
the four stars in the dragon’s head is an easy double star to resolve
in binoculars. The globular cluster M92 is about halfway between the
head and the Keystone asterism of Hercules, and don’t forget M13 along
the western side of the Keystone.
Hercules goes head-to-head with Ophiuchus to its south, which contains
a few globular clusters itself. Ophiuchus stands on Scorpius, keeping
the scorpion underfoot so that it cannot fatally sting Orion again.
Scorpius at the zenith is the best time to observe globular clusters
M4 and M80, and open clusters M6 and M7. Observing all of these
objects near their zenith is much more fun than watching a television
of any brand.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:50 am and sunset will occur at
9:00 pm, giving 15 hours, 10 minutes of daylight (5:58 am and 9:02 pm
in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:58 am and set at
8:52 pm, giving 14 hours, 54 minutes of daylight (6:05 am and 8:55 pm
in Saint John).
The Moon is new on Sunday and it passes near Jupiter on Friday
evening. Mercury is 5 degrees to the upper left of the very slim
crescent Moon on Monday, and on Tuesday it is 6 degrees to the lower
right and just below dimmer Regulus. Jupiter is best observed in the
first hour or so after sunset, before it gets too low in the west for
steady viewing. Saturn is well placed for observing all evening
between Scorpius and Sagittarius. Venus is the bright Morning Star,
rising around 3 am. If you are out past midnight later in the week,
keep an eye out for shooting stars from the South Delta Aquariid
meteor shower. Mars is in conjunction with the Sun on Wednesday,
emerging from the glare of sunrise in mid-September.
Astronomy clubs across the country are participating in a public
National Star Party on the evening of July 29. New Brunswick locations
are at Mactaquac Provincial Park, the Irving Nature Park in Saint
John, and the Moncton High School Observatory.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Many people grew up watching Zenith televisions, which are now made by
LG Electronics. Stargazers prefer zenith observing because that is
when we should have our best views of objects in a telescope or
binoculars. The zenith is the imaginary line running from north to
south, separating the sky into eastern and western hemispheres.
Objects are at their highest when they cross the zenith, shining
through a minimal thickness of atmosphere en route to our eyes.
Unstable pockets of atmosphere will distort the light from stars and
planets, blurring the view. The less atmosphere light must pass
through, the less distortion. Astronomers use the term “seeing” to
describe the steadiness of the atmosphere; good seeing means steady
air and we can use higher magnification for observing details of the
Moon and planets.
Around 10 pm now we have several prominent constellations at the
zenith. Moving southward from the North Star we have Ursa Minor or the
Little Dipper. A small telescope with good seeing conditions will show
the close companion star of Polaris, which is actually a triple star
although only two can be seen in a telescope. Heading southward we
pass through Draco the Dragon on our way to Hercules. The faintest of
the four stars in the dragon’s head is an easy double star to resolve
in binoculars. The globular cluster M92 is about halfway between the
head and the Keystone asterism of Hercules, and don’t forget M13 along
the western side of the Keystone.
Hercules goes head-to-head with Ophiuchus to its south, which contains
a few globular clusters itself. Ophiuchus stands on Scorpius, keeping
the scorpion underfoot so that it cannot fatally sting Orion again.
Scorpius at the zenith is the best time to observe globular clusters
M4 and M80, and open clusters M6 and M7. Observing all of these
objects near their zenith is much more fun than watching a television
of any brand.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:50 am and sunset will occur at
9:00 pm, giving 15 hours, 10 minutes of daylight (5:58 am and 9:02 pm
in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:58 am and set at
8:52 pm, giving 14 hours, 54 minutes of daylight (6:05 am and 8:55 pm
in Saint John).
The Moon is new on Sunday and it passes near Jupiter on Friday
evening. Mercury is 5 degrees to the upper left of the very slim
crescent Moon on Monday, and on Tuesday it is 6 degrees to the lower
right and just below dimmer Regulus. Jupiter is best observed in the
first hour or so after sunset, before it gets too low in the west for
steady viewing. Saturn is well placed for observing all evening
between Scorpius and Sagittarius. Venus is the bright Morning Star,
rising around 3 am. If you are out past midnight later in the week,
keep an eye out for shooting stars from the South Delta Aquariid
meteor shower. Mars is in conjunction with the Sun on Wednesday,
emerging from the glare of sunrise in mid-September.
Astronomy clubs across the country are participating in a public
National Star Party on the evening of July 29. New Brunswick locations
are at Mactaquac Provincial Park, the Irving Nature Park in Saint
John, and the Moncton High School Observatory.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
CLAMP-TIPPED EMERALD DRAGONFLY.JULY 20, 2017.NELSON POIRIER
CLAMP-TIPPED EMERALD DRAGONFLY.JULY 20, 2017.NELSON POIRIER
CLAMP-TIPPED EMERALD DRAGONFLY.JULY 20, 2017.NELSON POIRIER
LONG DASH SKIPPER.JULY 20, 2017.NELSON POIRIER
LONG DASH SKIPPER.JULY 20, 2017.NELSON POIRIER
PEREGRINE FALCON (JUVENILE). JULY 19, 2017.DALE HALFPENNY
PEREGRINE FALCON (JUVENILE). JULY 19, 2017.DALE HALFPENNY
PEREGRINE FALCON (JUVENILE). JULY 19, 2017.DALE HALFPENNY
PINK-EDGED SULPHUR BUTTERFLY.JULY 20, 2017.NELSON POIRIER
TAWNY-EDGED SKIPPER.JULY 20, 2017.NELSON POIRIER
Zenith
