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**Yolande LeBlanc reports
she saw two Canada geese fly from the marsh to a farmer's field in Memramcook, as
they regularly do, so these geese must be part of the "regulars"
gang. American robins have been seen, common grackles have been heard, and the fox
sparrow was singing robustly on Wednesday, as were the northern cardinals.
There are still American tree
sparrows and dark-eyed juncos present, although in lower numbers.
Yolande saw a critter in
the tallish grass near her home on Thursday that appeared to be a groundhog.
(Editor’s note: It is not
too early to see groundhogs out of hibernation. The groundhog goes into
hibernation relatively early in the fall but is early to reemerge in the
spring.
We don’t very often get to
hear the vocalization of the fox sparrow. It’s a great time to review that
vocalization in one of our bird apps, as it is the best time of year to get the
chance to hear it as it stops in New Brunswick on route to breed to the north
of us to pass through again in the fall,
but then with little vocalization.)
**On Wednesday, Brian Stone noticed a few more frozen maple sap icicles hanging from the branches of his yard maple tree. The previously noted "sapcicles" from a few days ago had melted away a few hours after they had been seen, but the temperature conditions occurred again on Wednesday, and more had formed. Brian once again collected the sapcicles and cooked them down to a one-centimeter drop of syrup on a spoon that tasted wonderful. Brian also shares a few photos of the male northern cardinal that continues to appear for photos a few times a day.
**This Week’s Sky at a
Glance, 2026 March 21 – March 28
Although Orion and his two dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor, are slipping into
the sunset, they are not the only pooches in the night sky. The small
constellation of Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs is generally seen as a pair of
stars well below the handle of the Big Dipper. They assist their master,
Boötes, in chasing the celestial bears around the pole.
In one tale from mythology Boötes is Icarius, a vineyard owner who was taught
the art of winemaking by Bacchus. He introduced his shepherd neighbours to his
product, and when they awoke with a hangover the next morning they thought they
had been poisoned. In retaliation they killed Icarius and threw him in a ditch.
His dogs, Chara and Asterion, sensed something was wrong, and when they
eventually found their master they jumped into the ditch to die with him.
The brightest star in Canes Venatici is a double star called Cor Caroli, which
means the Heart of Charles. Edmond Halley coined this because it was said to
have shone brightly when Charles II returned to London after his defeat by
Cromwell. The other naked eye star in the constellation is Chara, from the
Greek word for joy. Halfway between Cor Caroli and Arcturus, the
brightest star in Boötes, you can see a fuzzy patch with binoculars. This is
the globular star cluster M3 from Messier’s catalogue. Galaxy M94 lies just
north of the midpoint between Cor Caroli and Chara; and the much-imaged
Whirlpool Galaxy is within the borders of Canes Venatici, despite being near
the handle of the Big Dipper.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:20 and sunset will occur at 7:33, giving
12 hours, 13 minutes of daylight (7:25 and 7:38 in Saint John). Next Saturday
the Sun will rise at 7:06 and set at 7:42, giving 12 hours, 36 minutes of
daylight (7:12 and 7:47 in Saint John).
The Moon approaches the Pleiades on Sunday evening, and it is at first
quarter on Wednesday with the Lunar X in view for a while. Thursday evening it
passes between Jupiter and Pollux in Gemini, and next Friday it buzzes the
Beehive star cluster. Venus sets around 9:10 pm this weekend and 9:30 next
weekend. Monday evening telescope users might see Jupiter’s moon Io
disappear behind the planet at 9:30, and on Tuesday it will reappear from a
transit at 8:55 while its shadow is in transit until 10:11. Neptune is in
conjunction with the Sun on Sunday, and Saturn reaches that point on Wednesday.
Tune in to the Sunday
Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm on the YouTube channel and Facebook page of
Astronomy by the Bay.
Questions? Contact Curt
Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
