Happy New Year from the Centre of the Universe!

A new year has arrived and hopefully everyone is well rested and overstuffed after the holidays. Here at the Observatory we’re getting geared up for the year’s upcoming events. Since it’s the start of the year, here’s a prospective schedule for things you will see happening at the CU in 2012:

National Science Art Exhibit

In February 2012 the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will be hosting its annual meeting in Vancouver, B.C. The event will draw thousands of scientists, engineers, policy makers and journalists to Vancouver! The public is invited to participate in the science by attending Family Science Days. In this regard, we are hosting an art exhibit alongside the outreach activities. Our aim is for Canadian students to create an image of what science means to them. Anything goes — as long as it’s science! Any grade can participate by mailing us artwork which will be put on display at the Family Science Days. Simply send us the art and we’ll do the rest. Visit the website (and watch the video) at www.science.gc.ca.

Send all artwork to:

Information about AAAS Family Science Days can be found at www.aaas.org/meetings/fsd (in English only) or follow @MeetAScientist

The Sky this Month

Note: All dates and times are local to Victoria, British Columbia (Pacific Standard Time).

For more information on the Quadrantid meteor shower and others that can be seen throughout the year, visit Gary Kronk’s meteor shower web site http://meteorshowersonline.com/calendar.html (in English only).

Perihelion

This month, Earth is at its closest distance, 147.1 million kilometres, to the sun.  This position is called perihelion and occurs every year around the beginning of January.

Visible Planets

Jupiter will once again be visible this month. Look for it rising low in the east at dusk and steadily rising high in the southern sky before setting in the west around midnight. Mid-month look for Saturn rising early in the morning (around 2am), and high in the southeast around dawn. Venus will be a ‘morning star’ this month, rising in the south east about an hour before the sun.

January Constellations

To find the Big Dipper shortly after sunset, stand facing between north and northeast. Look almost directly above your head to find the four stars that make up the Big Dipper’s bowl. The three bright stars leading away from the bowl form the handle of the Big Dipper. We can use the Big Dipper to lead us to the Little Dipper. Imagine a straight line drawn through the two stars that make up the edge of the Big Dipper’s bowl. Extend the line down towards the horizon until you reach the next bright star. This star is the North Star, also known as Polaris, and it is the end of the Little Dipper’s handle.

Winter’s constellation, Orion the Hunter, is still visible but is lower in the sky. Look westward for Orion near the horizon. He is easily identified by the three stars in a row that make up his belt. Just to the left of Orion, you will see a very bright star. This is Sirius the brightest sky in the night sky. To the eye, Sirius appears as a single star; however, it is actually a binary star system. This means that Sirius is actually two stars which orbit around a common centre. Sirius is also known commonly as the Dog Star because it belongs to the constellation of Canis Major, which means Big Dog.

The Moon

The January full moon is called the “Full Wolf Moon” by the Algonquin people. This is the time of year where, in the cold of the night, the wolf packs would howl. For the Saanich people, the January full moon is called Ninene - Moon of the Child. This moon signifies the “birth” of a new year in the Saanich cycle of moons. From mid-December on, the days start getting longer and the year is reborn. At this time, since it is still cold, indoor teaching occurred and ceremonial dances continued. Families would start making nettle nets for reef-net fishing; some would brave the seas and fish for halibut. Mostly the people relied on the food gathered in the fall for their nourishment. This is also the time when fawns are born so the January moon signalled a time to stop deer hunting.