Highlight events in Astronomy 2017
A brief look at the year ahead
Vancouver, BC, January 1, 2017 –
Conjunction of Mars, Venus, Moon: Jan 31st
A conjunction marks one of the perfect viewing opportunities for people. A conjunction is when two or more
objects appear close to each other in the night sky. On the 31st of January, Mars, Venus, and the moon will all be in
the western sky, setting together. Watch for this spectacular and rare event right after sunset between the 29th
and the 2nd, with the best opportunity on the 31st of January. You do not even need a telescope!
Juno continues mission around Jupiter
Juno arrived at Jupiter earlier in July of 2016, marking a historic feat in space exploration. Having a few minor
hiccups in some of the tech on the craft, it has been working fantastically and has already helped us understand
the largest planet in our solar system more. The mission continues and more and more data comes pouring in
every day. The data has already surprised astronomers, and there is so much to still learn from this mission. Some
of our major understandings of Jupiter are being altered because of the data from this mission.
Lightsail 2 launches: March
The Planetary Society has been pioneering a new way of space flight: riding along the waves of space using the
Sun's energy as power. The Lightsail project is aiming to send their second prototype into space for deployment.
Just like a sailboat, the Lightsail is pushed along by having a massive collection area where the light from the Sun
pushes against the craft, slowly accelerating it. This is remarkable: not only is this the largest not for profit
organization in space travel, but it marks a completely new type of space craft and opens up countless new
possibilities for space exploration. The Lightsail 2 is scheduled to be launched in March.
Total solar eclipse: August 21st
Probably the biggest event of this year, the solar eclipse on August 21st will be the first total solar eclipse visible
across North America in almost four decades. The syzygy, a 26 point scrabble word meaning alignment of celestial
objects, of the Earth, Moon, and Sun casts the shadow of the Moon across North America, blocking out the light
from the Sun temporarily. On the morning of the 21st, Vancouver will experience about 90% of this total solar
eclipse. The maximal eclipse will be just south of us in Oregon. A fantastic opportunity to (safely!) view a beautiful
celestial event.
End of Cassini space mission: September 15th
The Cassini space mission has been aiding in our understanding of the outer solar system for the past 20 years.
Launched in 1997, Cassini has sent back stunning images of Jupiter, Saturn, Titan, and many other objects in our
solar system. From this mission, we have uncovered secrets out beyond our reach from just here on Earth. The
mission end on September 15th of this year when it makes a final close approach journey in Saturn's ring system to
finally end up in Saturn.
-30Media Contact:
Lyndsey Barton
Director of Community Engagement
H.R. MacMillan Space Centre
604.738.7827 Ext 249
[email protected]