Ask an Astronomer: Why summer is the worst for stargazing, Blue Origin explosion and Artemis III

Summer is almost here with the official start to the season taking place on June 21!

In this edition of Ask an Astronomer, Dr. Phil Langill with the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory and Dr. Stephen Jeans, PhD in Earth and Space sciences will tell us the significance behind the summer solstice and why it’s dubbed the “longest day of the year.”

While the warm temperatures might seem like a prime time for astronomers, the prolonged daylight can make star gazing quite challenging.

We will show you the best celestial events to witness in the summer months and what equipment you’ll need to view certain objects (most notably the Sun) safely.

Also in this episode, we will take a closer look at the dramatic Blue Origin explosion that happening at the end of May and explore what may have went wrong to cause the fiery eruption.

Plus, the crew for Artemis III has been announced!

We will walk through the purpose of this upcoming low Earth orbit test flight, which will set the stage for future missions aimed at exploring and developing infrastructure on the lunar surface.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s covered in June’s episode by timecode:

• 00:50 - Summer solstice and how seasons change
• 03:21 - Problems with Summer astronomy
• 07:37 - Summer celestial events
• 13:09 - How to safely observe the Sun
• 18:49 - What was the cause of the Blue Origin explosion?
• 22:40 - What’s next for the Artemis missions?

If you have a question you would like to ask an astronomer you can email us at [e-mail], text us at 10-400 or leave a question in the comment section on YouTube.

You can also watch full episodes of Ask an Astronomer on our CTV Calgary website and on our CTV News YouTube page.