Fall ColoursStargazing
Rothesay, New Brunswick
Current Weather
Current Weather
6°C
Overcast
| Sunrise | 7:38 |
|---|---|
| Sunset | 18:39 |
| Ceiling | 7315 m |
Print
Email
BookmarkUpdated:Wednesday Oct 15 2008,21:00 ADT - Saint John Airport
Clear Sky Forecast
Variable cloudiness
P.O.P. 20%
Wind S 10km/h
Light rain
P.O.P. 70%
Wind S 5km/h
Moon Phases
Oct 21
Oct 28
Nov 6
Nov 13
This Week in the Sky
Andromeda's Record Holder
Not the brightest or the biggest constellation, Andromeda's claim to fame is one of its hidden treasures - the most distant object visible to the unaided-eye. Shining with the combined light of over three hundred billion suns, the great Andromeda Galaxy - a larger cousin of our Milky Way - sits at a staggering distance of 2.2 million light years away.
High in the southeast sky, Andromeda-the princess, can be traced out as a curved line of dim stars budding off the left corner of the bright Great Square of Pegasus. Nearly overhead, above Andromeda, the 'W'-shaped constellation Cassiopeia points the way downward to the great galaxy.
Even under moderately dark suburban skies, this island of stars can still be glimpsed with the naked eye as a faint, fuzzy patch. Binoculars and small telescopes reveal Andromeda's oval, spindle shape that spans over 150,000 light years across. Amazingly, the ancient light we see this neighbouring galaxy tonight left on its journey when woolly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers were still roaming our countryside.
