Look to the east after midnight, under dark skies, and you should be able to catch this light meteor shower. At its peak, May 5 & 6, you should be able to catch 10 per hour out of the constellation Aquarius.
The Sun will shine directly on the Earth's equator, casting both north and south hemispheres in equal day and night. It's the first day of spring in the north and the first day of fall in the south.
The first eclipse of 2013 visible in North America- at least most of it. The moon will pass through the Earth's penumbra, causing subtle darkening on the Moon's surface.
In the evening sky, Jupiter and Venus will be within 1 degree of each other. Look west near sunset for the sight, and see if you can spot Mercury lurking nearby.
There is a partial lunar eclipse visible from Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia. Sorry North Americans, we're out of luck for this one. But if you're travelling over seas, you could have a neat sight if you look up!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013 to Thursday, April 25, 2013
The Lyrids are a fairly average shower producing about 20 meteors an hour. You should probably be able to see bright dust trails (giving that 'fireball' effect) for several seconds.
Once a month, Toronto Centre members host a city star party at Bayview Village Park. Though it's in the heart of the city, the park affords observers good views of the moon, planets and other bright objects. It's a great place to peek through other people's 'scopes and share views of various sights. Check the homepage and events list for the next city star party.
Once a month, Toronto Centre members host a dark sky star party at Long Sault Conservation area. This pristine observing site is just far enough from city lights to afford stargazers naked eye sights of the Milky Way and many deep sky objects. The flat, gravel parking lot is perfect for 'scopes and mounts of all kinds. Long Sault is a great place to do astrophotography or visual observing for deep sky targets.
Check the homepage and events list for the next Dark Sky Star Party
