NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
October 6,
2023
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Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
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**Most
moths, although in huge numbers in New Brunswick, often go unnoticed as most of
them work the night shift, being very nocturnal. They are very important
pollinators even though their efforts go unnoticed as they do their work when most of
us are sound asleep.
Shannon
Inman got a nice daytime photo of one of these common and abundant species we
may not often see. Shannon photographed a Common Looper Moth (Autographa precationis)
that decided to break its usual routine and appear during the day, attracted to
her actively blooming Anise Hyssop plants.
**The beautiful new bridge that has replaced the
Petitcodiac River Causeway has officially been given a name. Read all about it
at the attached link.
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2023.10.0507.html
(Editor’s note: it just may get a nickname!) **Friday has arrived, and it is time to check in with sky guru Curt Nason to see what next week’s night sky may have in store for us, even though Mother Nature may interrupt that viewing this weekend!
With moose season and the Moon out of the way, this weekend might be a good time for some good old-fashioned giraffe hunting. No guns allowed; just find a place where the sky is not tainted by light pollution and bring binoculars for an added treat.
The large constellation Camelopardalis is somewhat easier to pronounce than it is to locate in the sky. Look below Cassiopeia and between Perseus and Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper, which has the North Star at the end of the handle). Any stars you can see in this area compose the not-so-stellar giraffe. The constellation was imagined and charted on a globe by Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius in 1612 and later adopted by other prominent makers of star charts. The name derives from how the Greeks regarded giraffes as camel leopards, with their long neck and spots.
An interesting binocular object called Kemble’s Cascade is an observing highlight within Camelopardalis. This asterism, forming a line of about 20 stars, was noticed by Canadian amateur astronomer Father Lucien Kemble, who reported it to a columnist at Sky and Telescope magazine. One method of finding your way there is to imagine a line across the top stars of Cassiopeia’s W shape, right to left, and extend it an equal distance. Another is to extend an equal length line from Algol to Mirfak, the two brightest stars in Perseus. Near one end of this asterism a telescope will reveal the open star cluster NGC 1502, which is nicknamed the Jolly Roger Cluster.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:25 am and sunset will occur at 6:48 pm, giving 11 hours, 23 minutes of daylight (7:29 am and 6:53 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:34 am and set at 6:35 pm, giving 11 hours, 1 minute of daylight (7:38 am and 6:41 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday afternoon, on October 14, the Sun will be partially eclipsed by the New Moon between 1:30 and 3:30.
The Moon is at third quarter and near Pollux on Friday, October 6, and on Tuesday morning the waning crescent has a tight line-up with Regulus and Venus. Mercury rises 40 minutes before sunrise midweek, becoming a difficult binocular target as it approaches superior conjunction next week. Saturn is at its best for observing in late evening, still giving good views of its rings in a telescope. Jupiter rises around 8 pm this weekend, and at 11 pm Thursday telescope users might see the shadow of Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, starting to cross its cloud top.
The Saint John Astronomy Club meets at the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre at 7 pm this Saturday, and the Fredericton Astronomy Club meets at the UNB Forestry & Earth Sciences Building at 7 pm on Tuesday. There will be public observing of the partial solar eclipse on October 14 at the Irving Nature Park in Saint John.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
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