Archive - 2021 - Mr. Maillet

Hi everyone. Every week, I'll be posting some random little extras here I think you might find interesting or amusing.

Posted: April 23, 2020

Earth's annual Lyrid Meteor Shower

A meteor shower happens when the Earth orbits through the trail of a comet. This meteor shower happens every year and is named after the constellation Lyra, the constellation that will appear to be the center of the meteor shower. This Friday and Saturday night should be pretty close to ideal timing for spotting meteors.

Seeing meteors from Campbellton can be challenging because of our light pollution situation, but folks who live outside of town should have a magnificent view. You should be able to see them anywhere in our skies if they're bright enough, but if you follow the advice I gave you in an earlier post (April 16th), you might see some dimmer ones by looking straight up from a dark corner of your yard, even in Campbellton. The meteors should generally be heading from north to south.

So keep your eyes on the skies! If we're very lucky, we might see a bolide, a bright red light streaking through the sky.

I would love to hear in my email (andre.maillet@nbed.nb.ca) about your experiences skywatching.

Posted: April 23, 2020

How to Find Your Way Around the Summer Night Sky

To find the constellation Lyra, first find the cup of the Big Dipper, then look towards the cup of the Little Dipper, and keep going about two more distances. You should see a pair of fairly bright stars, Deneb and Vega. The constellation Lyra will be tucked in right under Vega. The article points out other constellations you can easily find in our northern skies. Most of these constellations should be findable even in town.

Roberto!

Posted: April 16, 2020

What happens if you are struck by lightning... in a car?

To find out what happens, Richard Hammond arranged for a car to be struck by simulated lightning... with himself in it.

Posted: April 16, 2020

The weather report suggests that this Friday and Saturday nights (April 17th and 18th) should both be clear nights. After sunset is a perfect time to familiarize yourself with the night sky as we can see it in and around Campbellton.

Posted: April 16, 2020

Light Pollution

Light pollution affects how well you can see the night sky. The darker your area or neighborhood, the better your view! But even from a dark corner of your yard, there are still things you can look at.

Tip: It takes 20 minutes for the human eye to best adjust to darkened conditions. How many stars you are able to see will increase over time.

Tip: Red light does not interfere with your night vision. An ordinary flashlight can be covered over with red cellophane (red plastic wrap) held in place with a rubber band. This is how hobby astronomers preserve their night vision when sky watching.

Posted: April 16, 2020

Orion the Hunter and Sirius the Dog Star

Orion the Hunter is one of the more recognizable constellations we can see in the winter and spring. You can see it rising over the hills to our south right at sunset. If you live at the foot of Sugarloaf (near Harvey Meadows, for example), you might only be able to see Orion rising over the mountain after midnight.

There is a diagram in the linked article that will show you how to find Orion. The diagram also shows you how to find Sirius ("the Dog Star"), which is the brightest star in our night sky. You can find it easily because you will see it as a bright star below and to the left of orion.

Sirius is one of our closest neighbor stars at only 8.6 light years away. But it has a secret you might not know about. Sirius is a binary star. That means Sirius is actually two stars that orbit each other within the same solar system.

Sirius A is about twice the size of our sun, and 25 times brighter. Sirius B is a white dwarf star. It is very small, about the same size as the earth, but is one of the most massive white dwarf stars we know of. That means it burns very hot and very bright.

 

A:   A satisfactory!

Posted: April 10, 2020

Julius Sumner-Miller demonstrates sound waves in an amazing way

This is a clip from an children's television skit show produced in Ontario in 1971 called The Hilarious House of Frightenstein. One of the regular cast members on the show was Julius Sumner-Miller ("and physics is his business"). He would bring amazing "mad-science" demonstrations of the strange and unusual ways that ordinary objects can move if the conditions are right.

The link leads to youtube. If you want more, you can search youtube for "Julius Sumner-Miller" and/or "Hilarious House of Frightenstein".

Posted: April 10, 2020

Hi everyone. Every week, I'll be posting some random little extras here I think you might find interesting or amusing. If something captures your interest, many of the extras I'll be posting here are a small part of larger series. Feel free to explore further on your own. I welcome your comments or questions to my teacher's email, and I will answer as I can.

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