SkyNews | Where Earth Meets Sky

January/February 2022

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Four planets in the morning sky as seen from Strathmore, Alberta, on October 20, 2015, along the ecliptic from bottom to top: Mercury (close to the horizon at lower left), Mars (dim, below Jupiter), Jupiter (fairly bright at upper right) and Venus (brightest of the four). (Alan Dyer) | SkyNews
01 —

Top 10 of 2022

Solar System processions, lunar eclipses and occultations — get ready for 2022 with this list of the best events this year.

Written by Brian Ventrudo
The night-sky phenomenon STEVE — Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement — and its common companion, the picket fence, were out in full force on March 13-14, 2021, near Vulcan, Alberta. John Andersen created this image with a stitched panorama and PT Gui. STEVE is the faint blue-pink light above the picket fence, more obvious on the left side with a bright pink streak. | SkyNews
02 —

Unexpected journey with STEVE

An Alberta aurora chaser writes about his voyage through the night skies, chasing a unique phenomenon

Written by John Andersen
This image of IC 342 in Camelopardalis by Denis Marquis spans 42 arcminutes left to right. North is to the left. Note that Stellarium mislabels this object as Maffei 1 Group, a galaxy collective of which IC 342 is a member. | SkyNews
03 —

Getting started on the Caldwell list

Winter is a fine time to begin exploring Sir Patrick Moore’s list of celestial showpieces that Charles Messier omitted

Written by Chris Vaughan
Astrobotic concept for a commercial lunar lander. (NASA) | SkyNews
04 —

The new space race

In 2022, commercial companies backed by NASA programs and the Canadian Space Agency funding will start bringing landers, rovers and science to the Moon

Written by Elizabeth Howell
The conjunction of bright Venus above dimmer, redder Antares in Scorpius on the evening of October 16, 2021, pictured from Strathmore, Alberta. The two objects were 1.5 degrees apart. Diffraction spikes were added for artistic effect. (Alan Dyer) | SkyNews
05 —

Witness to the skies

But you never know what little drawing, short paragraph or quick picture holds secrets to be uncovered

Written by Allendria Brunjes
SkyNews writer Blake Nancarrow 3D printed a model of the 74-inch telescope at the David Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill, Ontario. It was tested on two different printers, by two different people, at two different scales. | SkyNews
06 —

The world in 3D

How does a person begin 3D printing astronomically handy objects? Here are a few pointers for those looking to augment their rigs with homemade designs

Written by Blake Nancarrow
The Heritage 150 needs a sturdy stand to sit on. When packing the scope for a trip to dark skies, owners have to consider what they will place it on at the destination. (Alan Dyer) | SkyNews
07 —

Affordable aperture

Sky-Watcher’s new Heritage 150 reflector provides more aperture than the original 130mm model, for even better views at a bargain price

Written by Alan Dyer
A gathering of the three inner rocky planets in the dawn sky on September 12, 2017, pictured in a single exposure taken with a Rokinon 85mm lens and Canon 6D Mark II camera. Venus stands bright at the top, Mars is the lowest of the trio below Mercury and Mercury sits below Regulus. Look for the three in the dawn sky this season. (Alan Dyer) | SkyNews
08 —

Exploring the night sky

Get the most out of long, dark nights with our list of this season’s celestial events

Written by Brian Ventrudo
Jeremy Hansen sets out for the daily chore of getting water while on an Arctic expedition. From July 16 to 25, 2013, Hansen was in the High Arctic to learn methods and techniques for conducting geological fieldwork that could be applied during future missions to the Moon or an asteroid. He studied the Haughton impact crater on Devon Island in Nunavut. (Canadian Space Agency) | SkyNews
09 —

Astronaut talk: Jeremy Hansen

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen shares his insight into the Artemis program and the connections to society on Earth

Written by Theo Nicitopoulos

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January/February 2023 | SkyNews

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