May/June 2021

Current Issue

Stories
Using data from Juno’s instruments, scientists discovered that Jupiter’s powerful atmospheric jet streams extend far deeper than previously imagined. | SkyNews
01 —

Jupiter revealed

As its primary mission draws to a close, Juno is set to delve further into the gas giant’s scientific riches.

02 —

Reaching out

In her column, the editor-in-chief discusses how to see major celestial events this summer without actually seeing them.

Nobel Prize–winner Andrea Ghez was using the W. M. Keck Observatory with its adaptive optics laser system, observing the black hole at the centre of our galaxy, when this photo was taken from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope catwalk. | SkyNews
03 —

Dispatches from Hawai‘i

Canadians are making their mark on astronomy around the world. Here are four whose astronomy outreach goes above and beyond their jobs.

04 —

Buying the best telescope

When selecting a new telescope, especially a first telescope, consider a factor often overlooked — your observing site.

The Big Dipper’s handle points toward Arcturus, which was rising over the Badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, on March 29, 2019. This illustrates how the Big Dipper handle points across the sky to Arcturus, in the “arc to Arcturus” star-finding tip. | SkyNews
05 —

Stars under bright lights

What should you look for in urban skies? Even if you live under city lights, there are plenty of night-sky sights this spring.

NGC 4490, the Cocoon Galaxy, is tadpole-shaped due to gravity from its small companion galaxy, NGC 4485, just north of its western end. | SkyNews
06 —

Hiding in plain sight

Here are some late-spring galaxies that you won’t need a GoTo telescope to find and observe.

Don Hladiuk imaged the Sun as it set a little west of Cedar City, Utah, on May 20, 2012. | SkyNews
07 —

Spring of eclipses

In this edition's "Exploring the night sky," Brian Ventrudo discusses eclipses, rising Venus, fading Mars and Mercury at its best this year.

The map of where the full and partial annular eclipse June 10, 2021, will land. | SkyNews
08 —

Charted territory

Why are some eclipses annular and others total? The answer lies in the relative sizes of the Sun and the Moon.

The lunar eclipse of September 27, 2015, was particularly beautiful from John McDonald’s view at Clover Point in Victoria, British Columbia. The image is the result of a series of exposures taken at six-minute intervals with a tripod-mounted Canon 6D (modified) and Sigma f/1.4 A lens. | SkyNews
09 —

Eclipse feature

There's a lunar eclipse in the west on May 26 and an annular solar eclipse in the north on June 10. Get the details — and photography tips — in this special feature.

During its first short drive on the Martian surface, Perseverance swivelled around to capture an image of its own wheel marks at the point where it touched down to begin its journey. | SkyNews
10 —

A place to roam

An epic journey has begun on Mars. Here are some of the first images from the Perseverance rover, its robotic eyes fixed simultaneously on the past and the future.