NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, July 23, 2021 (Friday)
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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
** Yvette Richard was another who found
a small yellow streak on the crown of the FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER in
Memramcook on Monday July 18th while reviewing her pictures, similar
to that of Clifford Twist’s photos featured in yesterday’s edition. A photo is attached as it was doing a yoga
pose.
** Grant Ramsay and Magda Kuhn have had
a family of BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES in a nest box under the eaves of
their Richibucto cottage, and they are now fledging nestlings. This is apt to be a second brood. Black-capped Chickadees surely can be
adaptive to close human contact. We as
well had a pair nest under the eaves two feet from a picture window. I’m now permitted to clean the window as all
have fledged!
Grant and Magda also took some close-up photos of PITCHER PLANT
and REINDEER MOSS on a Kouchibouguac National Park bog walk. They also looked over the huge COMMON TERN
colony at the park and enjoyed watching the birds roosting and soaring for
their next bite.
** We were in the Saint Andrews area on
Thursday and quite taken with the amazing number of WHITE-TAILED DEER
roaming the town, and quite at peace with urban life, acting like urban
goats. A few candid photos are
attached. It’s obviously a challenge to
keep a garden and they surely do not observe “No Trespassing” signs. I suspect many towns folk may not be as
impressed, especially the keepers of the famed Kingsbrae Garden.
On the route home, I took note of the plant DEPTFORD
PINK at a stop. I see this plant
every year, but it is often alone or with a few plants, but the bright pink
flowers really make it stand out. The
white flecking on the flower petals is an identity clue, and the grass-like
leaves that do not show too well in the photo.
** It’s Friday and time to review what
the next week’s sky has in store for us, courtesy of sky-guru Curt Nason.
This
Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2021 July 24 – July 31
Stargazers prefer meridian observing because that is when we should have our
best views of objects in a telescope or binoculars. The meridian is the
imaginary line running from north to south, separating the sky into eastern and
western hemispheres. When stars and planets cross the meridian they are at
their highest, 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, so minimal atmosphere means 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 this week we have several prominent constellations near the
meridian. 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
several globular clusters itself. Ophiuchus stands on Scorpius, keeping the
scorpion underfoot so that it cannot fatally sting Orion again. Scorpius at the
meridian is the best time to observe globular clusters M4 and M80, and open
clusters M6 and M7.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:52 am and sunset will occur at 8:58 pm,
giving 15 hours, 6 minutes of daylight (6:00 am and 9:00 pm in Saint
John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:00 am and set at 8:49 pm,
giving 14 hours, 49 minutes of daylight (6:07 am and 5:52 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is one day past full this Saturday evening and it is at third quarter
next Saturday. Around 11:30 Sunday evening the Moon rises four degrees below
Jupiter. Venus moves eastward below the belly of Leo, setting before 10:30 pm.
Mars passes to the upper right of Regulus over the week, being closest on
Thursday, but binoculars are recommended to pick them out of the twilight as
they set before 10 pm. Saturn rises in the east-southeast as Mars is setting,
followed by Jupiter 50 minutes later. Telescope users can catch Jupiter’s Red
Spot around midnight Wednesday evening. This weekend Mercury rises 50 minutes
before sunrise, heading toward superior conjunction on August 1. Look for a few
extra meteors rising up from the south on Wednesday evening and overnight as
the South Delta Aquariid meteor shower peaks.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
