Students and members of the community gathered at the Trottier Observatory for a Star Party on SFU’s Burnaby campus on September 27 to watch the supermoon and eclipse.
Starry Nights events are put on by the observatory and its volunteers once or twice a month, and are open to the public. Although the event was originally intended to be held during National Science Week on the Friday prior, it was moved when organizers realized there would be an eclipse.
“I’m on a bit of a mission against the supermoon,” Howard Trottier, SFU Professor, laughed. “It’s true, the moon’s orbit is a little bit of an oval, so when it’s at its closest it will be about 10 per cent bigger than its average size when it’s farther away. But judging a 10 per cent difference objectively is almost next to impossible, because how often do you look at a full moon and try to remember what it looked like the time before?”
The moon also looks larger because of the way light bends through the atmosphere every time it rises. Trottier emphasized that it will look big every time you see a full moon.
Trottier added, “It rubs me the wrong way because you don’t need to dress up a lunar eclipse. It is beautiful for its own reason.”
The eclipse was indeed beautiful, and dozens of people showed up, including whole families. Some chose to stay by the observatory and its equipment, while others opted to bring their own and set up next to the observatory or in the parking lot. For those who arrived early, the observatory was set up to view Saturn.
Trottier promised there will be plenty of other Starry Nights this fall and added that if you like waking up early, October is a great month for star and planet viewing.
“You can see Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury next month. Mercury is very hard to see because it never gets far away from the sun.
“On October 15, if you wake up before the sun rises, it will be in the perfect position to see,” he added.
The next eclipse will be in January 2017 and the next supermoon eclipse will be in January 2033. Starry Nights at the observatory will be announced a week prior due to the need for good weather, but the next event is planned for sometime in October.
