Upcoming Events
Science Outreach would like to thank our wonderful volunteers who share their time and expertise in our community! Please watch our website for any changes!
Although the spectacular pairing of Venus and the Moon is now over, cool weather in early April may bring clear skies and the chance to see an even rarer pairing: Venus and the small star group known as the Pleiades. This is often known as the Seven Sisters, but increasingly the Japanese name Subaru is associated with them, made famous by the car that has a small picture of them as its logo! On April 2, the accompanying chart shows the evening sky about 9:35 pm as seen from Edmonton. As the long days of summer approach, we must wait longer until it gets dark, and the stars of winter make a last dazzling appearance.
Binoculars will help to see Venus nestling in the small star cluster, otherwise it is so bright that the Pleiades may not be evident despite having such a clear marker. As the Sun appears to move rapidly east through the stars, it will soon overwhelm the winter constellations. Catch a last glimpse of Aldebaran, the eye of the Bull, to the left of Venus. Further left is the bright star Betelgeuse. Both of these are very red stars. Betelgeuse is the top star in the constellation Orion, whose belt is a clear set of three stars below. Off further to the left is the brightest star, Sirius.
A special treat awaits as from the Edmonton area, the International Space Station will rise at 9:31 pm directly below Venus, coming up from the western horizon. It will cruise through Orion, and pass very close to Sirius. It will then slowly fade as it enters Earth’s shadow at 9:37 pm. On other nights, you can watch the position of Venus change (and maybe see the Pleiades better when it is not quite so close). Also, be alert for ISS, which passes at various times but should be quite bright. Despite the current troubles on Earth, the skies continue a majestic show. The skies will continue and beckon us to better times to come.
Binoculars will help to see Venus nestling in the small star cluster, otherwise it is so bright that the Pleiades may not be evident despite having such a clear marker. As the Sun appears to move rapidly east through the stars, it will soon overwhelm the winter constellations. Catch a last glimpse of Aldebaran, the eye of the Bull, to the left of Venus. Further left is the bright star Betelgeuse. Both of these are very red stars. Betelgeuse is the top star in the constellation Orion, whose belt is a clear set of three stars below. Off further to the left is the brightest star, Sirius.
A special treat awaits as from the Edmonton area, the International Space Station will rise at 9:31 pm directly below Venus, coming up from the western horizon. It will cruise through Orion, and pass very close to Sirius. It will then slowly fade as it enters Earth’s shadow at 9:37 pm. On other nights, you can watch the position of Venus change (and maybe see the Pleiades better when it is not quite so close). Also, be alert for ISS, which passes at various times but should be quite bright. Despite the current troubles on Earth, the skies continue a majestic show. The skies will continue and beckon us to better times to come.
• March 28th at 8:30 pm was Earth Hour. Ahead of Earth Hour, see the link with a notable Canadian astronomer Dr. Martin
Connors of The Faculty of Science at Athabasca University to get
information for you on stargazing, and looking into the night sky for
distractions. Especially now, during these crazy times–and how relaxing
it could be.
• Due
to recent events we have decided to postpone our Science Outreach -
Athabasca event scheduled on March 19th on Fossils: Behind the Scenes
with Allan Lindoe. We will reschedule this at a later date, potentially
in the fall. Watch our Science Outreach - Athabasca website for
details and future events http://scienceoutreach.ab.ca/. Thank you for your understanding at this time!
• To Be Announced – LTIS SCIENCE FAIR for students from Landing Trial Intermediate School.
• To Be Announced – Chemistry Lab Experience for grade 5 students from Landing Trial School with Carmen Allen in the Athabasca University Science Lab. This event is funded through the NSERC (National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) Student Ambassador Program awarded to Carmen Allen.
• Fall of 2020 – Carmen Allen on Lichens
Watch for our Speaker Series to continue with some interesting topics on... Plants, Symbiosis & Lichens with Carmen Allen and Fungi with Roland Treu. Dates will be confirmed and posted on our Science Outreach – Athabasca website.
To Book Hour of Code school talks and demos with Wayne Brehaut school presentations for students ages 12 to 15... Contact Science Outreach if interested.
To Book DNA labs and demos with Carmen Allen... Contact Science Outreach if interested.
To Book Spider Talks with Robert Holmberg, Professor Emeritus AU and resident Entomologist at your school... Contact Science Outreach if interested.
Many of our events are held at Athabasca University in Governing Council Chambers. Please park in parking lot C. To view a map of the grounds and parking please click here.
Events may be LIVE TWEETED #SciOutrTalks
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Science Outreach Athabasca - April 1, 2020
