Hello YYC! Thursday Dec 18 is CBC Calgary’s Blitz Day (annual Food Bank fund raiser). This is the 40th year CBC has helped the Food Bank. I have donated a basket that is full of interesting items for all astronomy and space exploration enthusiasts. Please click here: can.givergy.com/CBCMaketheSe...

Early this morning (Dec 16) at 3:28 EST, #ULA launched 27 #Amazon #Leo satellites into low Earth orbit using its ultra reliable Atlas V rocket. Here is my photo using 3 long exposure images stacked together to show the NE ascent (streak) of the Atlas V rocket as observed from Orange Lake, FL.

Russia is making preparations for the Zelensky ceasefire. A bill on the genocide of the occupied territories has passed the Russian parliament and will be brought in effect once the frontlines are frozen in place.

Did anyone see the Geminid meteor shower? On the night of December 13/14, a sensitive meteor camera operated by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Calgary Centre, recorded just over 300 #Geminids. The camera is located south of Calgary, Canada. Here is a radiant plot.

Today at 17:01:20 EST, SpaceX launched another 29 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. My photos were taken from Jetty Park. Last photo is a stack of 23 images showing the rocket’s ascent.

It's like Christmas! Fly true and precise birdies.

Today SpaceX successfully launched a classified satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office using a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch occurred at 14:16 EST from LC-40. Approximately eight and a half minutes later the booster landed at LZ-2. This is most likely the last landing at LZ-2.

SpaceX successfully launched another batch of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit yesterday evening. The Starlink 6-92 mission was launched using booster B1067 on its fleet leading 32nd flight. An incredible achievement. My photo is from Jetty Park. #cbcnews

Tonight is the last full moon of 2025. It has many names but the Cold Moon is a popular one at this time of the year. You might also hear it called a Supermoon because the Full Moon is close to perigee (closest to Earth in its elliptical orbit). The moon will appear a little larger & brighter).

Today I used my Canon EOS-R camera with an 800mm telephoto lens (with solar filter) to photograph the Sun’s disk. Currently on the Earth facing side of the Sun is the largest sunspot group for 2025. You can learn more about these sunspots by clicking on this link: spaceweather.com/archive.php?vi…

Today on the Calgary EyeOpener, I mentioned that NASA is giving everyone an opportunity to send your name on a trip around the Moon. Click this link to send your name (or the name of a loved one) inside the Orion capsule with the Artemis II crew on this historic voyage www3.nasa.gov/send-your-na...

🛰️🛰️ The twins are talking! We have successfully established contact with both ESCAPADE spacecraft, 💙 Blue and 💛 Gold, following launch on Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket today. We're on our way to Mars to enable NASA and UC Berkeley Space Sciences Lab to study the Martian magnetosphere!

Earlier this week the Aurora Borealis painted the sky with beautiful shades of green and red. The Earth was in the path of a powerful Coronal Mass Ejection and these high energy particles lit up the oxygen in our upper atmosphere. What an awesome natural display! Photos from south Calgary.

The aurora is active tonight (November 11). If you have clear skies use you cell phone camera to record this event.

If you were outside last night (November 7th) around 23:30 pm MST and looked North, you were treated to a beautiful display by the Aurora Borealis. First photo was taken with an iPhone from the Springbank area and the second photo was acquired with a Canon 6D from south Calgary.

Early in the morning of November 3, there were reports of a bright meteor observed south of Calgary, Canada. Although the sky was mostly cloudy, the bright meteor was still visible. Time stamp is one hour too fast (it was only 1:23 am MDT). Clocks roll back from MDT to MST at 2:00 am local time.

The International Space Station marks a quarter-century of continuous occupancy this weekend, boasting a guest list of nearly 300 — mostly professional astronauts but also the occasional space tourist and movie director. https://to.pbs.org/3X43jZT

In the early morning hours of October 30 the northern lights were dancing over the city of Calgary. Here are two of my photos using a fish-eye lens. More Aurora activity is expected tonight.

What a great night despite some variable cloudiness. Observed Comet Lemmon from near Priddis, Canada and looked at the impressive Andromeda galaxy with its companion or satellite galaxies. Photos are taken with a Canon 6D using a 400mm telephoto lens (unguided).

According to Google: "You can see Comet Lemmon from Melbourne in the evening after sunset from mid-October through early November 2025, with the best chance for naked-eye viewing around October 21st, especially from a dark location away from city lights. It will appear low on the western horizon."

"To the little angels, who encountered human cruelty so early and, unfortunately, will never become adults…" From the memorial in Kharkiv for Ukrainian children 🇺🇦 killed during Russia's full-scale invasion.

I have cloudy skies but take a look if it is clear for you this evening: The annual #Draconid meteor shower is visible this year until 10 October in the northern hemisphere and will peak on the evening of 8 October. #Astronomy #Draconids www.bbc.co.uk/weather/arti...

The minor #Draconids meteor shower peaks this evening. Unusually for a meteor shower, the best rates occur in the early evening as that is when the radiant is highest. With the bright Moon in the sky, you might only see 1 per hour. #Astronomy

If you want to spot comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) over the next two days, use the stars Dubhe and Merak in Ursa Major. Follow the line formed by the stars for about three times its length to locate the comet. From the UK, best viewed in the early hours using binoculars or a scope. #Astronomy #A6Lemmon

Today on the @CBCEyeopener with host @LorenMcGinnis, I mentioned the Full Moon tonight occurs near perigee (or closest point to Earth in its orbit). Some refer to this as a Supermoon but it is better known as the “Harvest Moon”. These photos were recorded after sunset looking ENE on October 6.

If you were up early on September 19 and looked to the east, you would have observed a beautiful conjunction of our Moon with Venus and the bright star Regulus in Leo. The Moon was reflecting some earthshine back to us.

After last week's asteroid buzzed over Antarctica, the North Pole gets its turn. Newly-discovered #asteroid 2025 TQ2 (2-4 meters wide) passed 3,000 miles above the Fortress of Solitude. #Astronomy

The aurora borealis has been very active over the last few nights and could be observed over the bright skies of Calgary, Canada. Attached photos are from Oct 1 and Oct 2. The aurora has been bright enough to be seen through thin clouds.

Just after midnight on September 23, the re-entry of an unidentified artificial satellite was observed over southern Alberta. Attached is one 30 second frame plus a stack of 3, 30 second frames showing the breakup of the satellite. The Aurora was also visible that night.

The smallest planet in our solar system, Mercury, will soon be lost in the morning twilight. Here are two photos taken on Wednesday and Thursday morning from south Calgary looking to the ENE. Both photos were taken around 6am with a telephoto lens. Clear skies are essential.

Another clear morning here in Calgary. Enjoyed a great view of Jupiter, Venus, the crescent Moon and little Mercury. Photos were captured around 5:30am MDT on August 21. Good demonstration on how far the Moon moves across our sky from just yesterday.

If you were fortunate to have clear skies on the morning of August 20, you were treated to a stunning view of a waning crescent Moon near Venus & Jupiter. If you also had a clear view of the ENE horizon, you would have seen Mercury. On August 21 the crescent Moon will be near Mercury before sunrise.

The morning of August 19, provided another mostly clear morning. One could easily observe the waning crescent Moon above Jupiter and Venus. Mercury was low in the ENE. There was even some aurora over Calgary. Tomorrow, August 20, the crescent Moon will be even closer to the two bright planets.

On August 18, three planets were visible in the NE morning sky. The two brightest were Jupiter and Venus. Much lower to the horizon you can also observe Mercury. On August 19, the crescent Moon will be above Jupiter. On August 20, the Moon will be between Jupiter and Venus.

The clouds cleared away for a portion of last night and the meteor cameras recorded more Perseid meteors. The first pair of images were acquired from within the city of Calgary. The second pair of images were recorded by a camera south of Calgary. Moonlight was still a factor last night.

If you were up early this morning (around 5:00am) you would have observed two bright star-like objects high in the east that were in fact Jupiter and Venus. Here are two photos using a 100-400mm lens on a Canon 6D. The two planets will continue to move apart in the coming days.

It was not the best night to observe the Perseid meteor shower but the cameras did record some meteors. One camera is located in Calgary and one is located south of the city. The Calgary camera recorded 34 Perseids compared to the rural camera which recorded 107.

Even with the bright full moon last night, the colourful aurora borealis was visible over Calgary, Canada. The northern lights were active most of the night. As morning twilight appeared, you could see Venus and Jupiter rising in the ENE. These two bright planets are in conjunction on August 12.

I am very sad to learn that former NASA astronaut Jim Lovell has passed away at the age of 97. He was one of my early hero’s and he will be missed by so many spaceflight enthusiasts. My condolences to his family and friends. RIP Jim🙏

The near first quarter moon looked stunning tonight. Photo taken with an 800mm telephoto lens from my driveway in south Calgary on July 31.

Yesterday, on the CBC EyeOpener with guest host Judy Aldous, we heard an audio clip from Northrop Grumman’s static test firing of the most powerful segmented solid rocket booster designed for human spaceflight. Here is a link to see my video of this first test firing. youtu.be/sax-uyvzhnA?...

On June 26, Northrop Grumman tested the world’s largest and most powerful segmented solid rocket booster built for human spaceflight. This was the first test of the next generation booster. When certified, it will allow the SLS moon rocket to carry 5 metric tons of additional payload to lunar orbit.

Students from the University of Calgary are building their 1st CubeSat called FrontierSat.The goal of this small solar powered satellite is to gather more information on the Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement event. Launch is expected to occur in the fall of 2025. The PI is Dr J. Burchill.

On June 20, at 20:42 MDT, the Sun will reach its most northerly point above the celestial equator marking the Summer Solstice in the northern hemisphere and the Winter Solstice in the southern hemisphere. For us in YYC, this is the longest day of the year. Data from the RASC 2025 Observer’s Handbook

Today, June 19, 2025, the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) will be completing its 24th close pass of our Sun. Launched on August 12, 2018, on a ULA Delta IV Heavy rocket, PSP is the first probe to travel through the Sun’s Corona. It is also the fastest probe ever launched travelling at 690,000 km/hr.

I always enjoy visiting family in rural Manitoba and sharing precious memories. I also appreciate the opportunity to observe the night sky away from big city lights. In the early morning hours of June 4 the Noctilucent Clouds and the Aurora Borealis were visible in the smoky Manitoba sky.

In the early morning hours of May 29, the Aurora Borealis was photographed over Calgary, Canada. Even with heavy light pollution, the Aurora was clearly observed dancing over the bright city lights. Photos were taken from south Calgary looking north.

Early this morning SpaceX launched another 28 Starlink v2 satellites into low Earth orbit. Launch occurred at 2:28 am EDT on May 10. This was the 55th Falcon 9 launch in 2025 and it’s only May! This was the 11 flight for booster B1083. Photos were taken from Cape Canaveral, FL.

Yesterday on the CBC Calgary EyeOpener with host Loren McGinnis, we talked about a large sunspot group currently visible on the Earth facing side of the Sun. This sunspot group is 140,000 km across (more than 10 Earth diameters). Use a safe certified solar filter to view this large active region.

This morning a thin waning crescent joined Venus, Saturn and Mercury. A very pretty sight in the eastern sky just before sunrise. Photo is from Cape Canaveral, Florida.