Elder College: Introduction to the Night Skies
For those of you
interested in a better understanding of the night sky, I will be teaching
“Introduction to the Night Skies” for Elder College starting next Friday, Sept
19. The course runs for six Fridays,
from 1:00 to 3:00 starting Sept 19 and ending Oct 24. I am fortunate to be able to teach in the
theatre at Berwick in Qualicum Beach – a lovely room with a large screen.
For further
information, you can check out this and their other selection of courses at
eldercollege.org.
International Space Station (ISS)
The ISS will be visible
in the evenings over Vancouver Island and lower BC mainland during the next
week.
On Friday, Sept 12,
there will be an early pass during late twilight and a short pass later. The first pass starts in the southwest at
8:16 p.m. It will skirt just 30 degrees
above the southeast horizon by 8:19 – 30 degrees is a little more than the
distance between the tip of your thumb and your little finger held at arm’s
length. It then drops to the eastern
horizon at 8:22.
At 9:51 p.m., ISS rises
in the west southwest and climbs to about 60 degrees in the west when it enters
Earth’s shadow and fades from sight. I
always find it interesting to see it disappear that way.
Saturday, Sept 13, ISS
will rise in the WSW at 9:04 and climb almost directly overhead, passing very
close the bright star Vega at 9:07. It
will then drop towards the ENE horizon, fading from sight 30 degrees above the
horizon at 9:09.
Sunday, Sept 14, will
see another nice early pass. ISS rises
in the WSW at 8:15, climbing two thirds of the way up the sky in the SSE, then
dropping to the ENE horizon at 8:22.
Also on Sunday, ISS
will rise at 9:52 p.m. in the west; climb just over halfway up the sky in the
NW where it will fade from sight at 9:55.
Monday, Sept 15, ISS
rises in the west at 9:03, climbs about two-thirds of the way up the sky in the
north, then fades from sight in the ENE at 9:08.
Tuesday Sept 16, will a
pass across the whole sky. ISS rises in
the WSW at 8:14 p.m., climbs high overhead by 8:17, then drops to the ENE
horizon at 8:21.
Wednesday, Sept 17,
will see a pass in the north. ISS rises
in the west at 9:03, climbs past the handle of the Big Dipper, and disappears
at 9:07, just after passing through Cassiopeia – the elongated “W” in the sky.
Thursday’s first pass
(Sept 18) rises in the west at 8:14 p.m.; climbs two-thirds of the way up the
sky in the north, then disappears just above the ENE horizon at 8:20.
Friday, Sept 19, sees
ISS rise in the WNW at 9:02; climb just past the end the handle of the Big
Dipper; then disappear, as on Wednesday, just after passing through Cassiopeia
– the elongated “W” in the sky at 9:06.
On Saturday, Sept 20,
ISS rises in the WNW at 8:13 – still early – passes through the handle of the
Big Dipper at 8:16, and disappears just above the eastern horizon at 8:19.
Clear skies.
David
