Nature Moncton Nature News: November 17 2023

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

November 17, 2023

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**Elaine Gallant spotted a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on Parlee Beach Road on Thursday and was able to get some documentary photos.

(Editor’s note: there seems to be a lot of Blue-grey Gnatcatchers around this season. Is there really more than usual or more people watching?)

**Gordon Rattray had woodpecker activity at his home in Weldon on Thursday. The highlight was a visit from a Red-bellied Woodpecker. It has been several years since Gordon had a visit from this woodpecker. Also in his yard was a male Hairy Woodpecker and a female Downy Woodpecker. They were joined by a Dark-eyed Junco.

(Editor’s note: it is very pleasant to have this uncommon but regular winter visiting woodpecker, the Red-bellied Woodpecker, starting to appear. A very special patron!)

**Friday has arrived, and the day we peruse what next week’s night sky may hold for us courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.

The shortening days make for more observing time.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2023 November 18 – November 25
Stock market-minded astronomers could be inspired by looking to the northeast after twilight. On evenings in mid-May, Ursa Major the Great Bear is high overhead, dominating the sky. Taurus the Bull, meanwhile, sets early, and then we have several months of a bear market for stargazing. Later sunsets and extended twilight, with the compounded interest of daylight time, means sparse hours for viewing the summer night sky. Now that we are well beyond the autumnal equinox and have returned to standard time, early darkness reveals the Great Bear has reached bottom to the north after sunset, and the Celestial Bull is rising in the east. We are entering the bull market phase of stargazing.

Although we lose the globular clusters and nebulae that abound within the Milky Way areas of Scorpius, Ophiuchus and Sagittarius, we can still observe the summer treasures near Lyra and Cygnus before they set. The autumn constellations of Cassiopeia, Andromeda and Perseus are peaking in mid-evening, ceding their reign to the bright stars and open clusters of winter’s Taurus, Orion and his dogs, Auriga and Gemini by midnight. Early risers can start on the springtime galaxies in Leo and Virgo before morning twilight. For stargazers, as the carol goes, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Invest some time in observing the night sky.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:23 and sunset will occur at 4:44, giving 9 hours, 21 minutes of daylight (7:26 and 4:51 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:33 and set at 4:38, giving 9 hours, 5 minutes of daylight (7:35 and 4:46 in Saint John).

The Moon is at first quarter on Monday, passing below Saturn this weekend and appearing near Jupiter next Friday. On that Friday evening telescope users might see the shadow of Jupiter’s giant moon Ganymede cross its clouds between 10:06 and 11:47 pm, with the bonus of a Red Spot transit during that time. By next weekend Mercury will be setting 50 minutes after sunset, but December will bring better opportunities to spot it. Morning people can watch Venus move slowly eastward through Virgo this week, approaching the bright star Spica. The Leonid meteor shower peaks this weekend, providing a few extra shooting stars for our viewing pleasure. In another decade there should be a notable increase in Leonids activity for a few years, after its parent comet rounds the Sun.

The Sunday Night Astronomy Show from Saint John and Hampton airs at 8 pm Sunday on the Facebook page and YouTube channel of Astronomy by the Bay.

Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.