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Mars rising in the east

Mars makes an appearance this winter in the eastern sky. Look for a bright reddish “star” in the east, about half-way up from the horizon to the zenith (top of the sky), about 10 or 11 p.m. For those with a knowledge of constellations (which you’d have after reading Up North!), the planet is between [...]

Bright winter stars and planets

Make sure to look up when outside on a clear, cold January night. The brilliant Orion constellation, with the famous 3 “belt stars,” shines in the south sky in the evening. Below and left of Orion is the bright star Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Also called the Dog Star, this star [...]

Meteor shower Jan. 4

The Quadrantid meteor shower takes to the skies Jan. 4, but it’s a tough one for Ontario and North Woods stargazers. The weather outside is frightful for skygazing, of course, and the nature of the Quadrantids means peak times only last a few hours close to twilight. Best viewing is actually from western North America. [...]