This August, the Sunshine Coast will have two spectacular shows in the skies above, one during the night, and one during the day.
The Perseid meteor shower happens on Saturday, Aug. 12. It peaks during daylight hours (1 p.m.) but continues on into the evening. The Sunshine Coast Chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s observatory at Sechelt Airport will be open that night at 9:30 p.m. for public viewing. Jupiter will be in the west and Saturn in the southern sky for viewing, as will many double stars, nebulae, star clusters and galaxies. The public is invited to come out and watch meteors.
The first total solar eclipse in North America in 28 years happens in the morning on Monday, Aug. 21. The chapter will be setting up solar scopes to view sunspots and solar flares on the seawall in Davis Bay at 8 a.m. on that day. There will be lots of solar eclipse glasses for safe viewing of the eclipse, which at our latitude will be an 86 per cent eclipse. To view the totality, you have to be in the path of the moon’s shadow on the Earth: That passes between Albany and Salem, Oregon that morning.
Admission is free; donations gratefully accepted.
Check out the Sunshine Coast chapter’s site at www.coastastronomy.ca for contact and schedule information.
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