Blogs Archives - Manitoba Museum

Posted on: Friday August 8, 2025

By Amelia Fay, Curator of Anthropology and HBC Museum Collections

Summertime is when many folks travel to visit family and friends, or just to have a nice vacation away from their regular routine. If you’re like me, when planning a trip you make time to check out the local museums, but even when you travel far, you might still see some belongings, artifacts, or specimens from your Manitoba Museum. Like many museums, we have a robust loans program where our collection travels across Canada (and even internationally!) for community engagement, research, or to be featured in exhibitions at other museums.

From the collections I curate, Anthropology and HBC, some very significant belongings are currently on display in two exhibitions at the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) in Vancouver.

A hat on display in a museum case. The hat has a wide-brim and stacked circles coming up from the centre. Next to it is displayed a ornately carved staff.

Helen Schooner’s (nee Housty) potlatch hat (HBC 57-1) and speaker’s staff (HBC 57-2-A).

Nuxalk community members interact with belongings from the HBC Museum Collection in the Nuxalk Strong exhibition.

A Nuu-chah-nulth thunderbird rattle from the HBC Museum Collection (HBC 995) on display in the In a Different Light exhibition.

In A Different Light: Reflecting on Northwest Coast Art includes two rattles made by Haida and Nuu-chah-nulth artists.

Nuxalk Strong: Dancing Down the Eyelashes of the Sun includes a potlatch hat that was on permanent display in the HBC Gallery and a speaker’s staff that belonged to Helen Housty, a prominent woman from the Heiltsuk Nation who married Staltmc Samson Schooner of the Nuxalk Nation.

I had the honour of attending the opening of the Nuxalk Strong exhibition back in February and it was incredible to witness visitors reconnecting with their belongings from other institutions like ours.

Wherever you’re headed this summer, I hope you make museums part of your trip. If you see any belongings, artifacts, or specimens from the Manitoba Museum, share a picture with us on social media. We love seeing our collections reach new audiences near and far!

Staycation with us! Plan your Summer @ the Manitoba Museum visit today.

Dr. Amelia Fay

Curator of Anthropology & the HBC Museum Collection

Amelia Fay is Curator of Anthropology and the HBC Museum Collection at the Manitoba Museum. She received her BA in Anthropology from the University of Manitoba (2004), an MA in Archaeology…

Meet Dr. Amelia Fay

Museum Stories: DYK Discovery

DYK Discovery

Friday August 8, 2025

August is a great month for stargazing. Besides the annual Perseid meteor shower, we have some planets gathering in the pre-dawn sky which will make a nice series of photo-ops for early risers. August is also a time when many people vacation to places farther from city lights, giving them the chance to see a really dark sky. Travel during the time near new moon will maximize your dak-sky experience, but even the Full Moon rising over the city skyline can remind us of our connection to the wider universe around us.

The Solar System for August 2025

Mercury is invisible early in the month as it passes near the Sun, but reappears in the morning sky just before sunrise for the second half of August this year. The closest planet to the Sun never rises very high above the horizon before the Sun does, so you will need a clear horizon and good timing to catch it. See calendar entries below.

Venus begins the month rising about 3 a.m. local time, but slowly slips sunward over the course of the month. It passes less than 1 degree from Jupiter on August 12 and is near the Beehive star cluster in Cancer the Crab at the end of the month. See various calendar entries below for details.

Mars is in the constellation Virgo, so low in the west-southwest that you probably won’t see it. It doesn’t slip behind the Sun until January 2026, but right now the angle of its orbit keeps it very low from northern latitudes like Manitoba. (Despite all the hype of supposed “big events” you might have heard about online.)

Jupiter rises in the northeast before 4 a.m. local time at the beginning of the month, and about 2 a.m. by the end of August. It begins to brighter Venus’ lower left, drawing closer and closer each morning until their closest approach on the morning of August 12, 2025. After this, Jupiter rises higher each morning as it moves slowly among the stars of Gemini.

Saturn rises about 11 p.m. at the beginning of August, and by 9 p.m. at month’s end, finally becoming high enough for reasonably-timed observations. Saturn’s rings are tilted almost edge-on to our line of sight, making them difficult to see in a telescope. Neptune is nearby for most of the summer (see below). The waxing gibbous Moon is nearby on the morning of August 12 (see below).

Uranus is in the morning sky a few degrees below the famous Pleaides star cluster (also known as the Seven Sisters). It is too faint to easily see without binoculars, and even a telescope shows it as a faint dot that looks just like the other faint stars. A detailed star-charting app like Stellarium is required to track it down.

Neptune is in the same binocular field of view as Saturn for the entire month, but since it is even farther than Uranus it is invisible without optical aid. Neptune requires good binoculars or a small telescope to even spot, and a large telescope to make it out as anything more than a faint dot. Again, a detailed star chart like those produced by Stellarium is required to tell which tiny “dot” is Neptune.

Of the five known dwarf planets, only (1) Ceres is close enough to be seen in binoculars or a small telescope. In August, Ceres is below and to the left of Saturn and Neptune, wandering among the stars of the constellation Cetus the Whale. You’ll need a chart like the one in the RASC Observer’s Handbook or an app like Stellarium to track it down. Ceres will be easier to spot in the fall as it gets closer and brighter.

Sky Calendar for August 2025

All times are given in the local time for Manitoba: Central Daylight Time (UTC-5). However, most of these events are visible across Canada at the same local time without adjusting for time zones.

If there’s a little box to the left of the date, you can click on it to see a star map of that event! All images are created using Stellarium, the free planetarium software.

Friday, August 1, 2025: First Quarter Moon

Sunday, August 3, 2025: The waxing gibbous Moon is just below the bright red star Antares, very low in the south this evening and into Monday morning.

Monday, August 11, 2025: A busy night for observers. The waxing gibbous Moon is above and to the right of Saturn as they rise about 10 p.m. CDT. Over the course of the night, the Moon will move closer to Saturn as the pair rise higher and move across the sky. This showcases two of the most important sky cycles: the rising of Saturn and the Moon is caused by the Earth’s rotation every day, while the Moon gets closer to Saturn due to the Moon’s orbital motion around the Earth every month.

Also tonight and into tomorrow, the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak intensity – but this isn’t a great year for it. The nearly-full Moon’s light will overwhelm most of the faint meteors. Best time will be to in the early morning hours of the 12th, in the period from about 2am until dawn. During this period you might see a dozen or two meteors per hour, if you are in a dark sky and watch the sky continuously with no breaks. If you are up this late/early, watch for Venus and Jupiter’s conjunction just before dawn (see below).

Tuesday, August 12, 2025 (morning): The peak of the Perseid meteor shower is offset by the bright Moon, but you can still expect a meteor every minute or two if you’re patient. Jupiter and Venus rises in the north-northeast about 3:20 a.m. local time, less than 1 degree apart and probably tinted orange by any smoke on the atmosphere.

They will rise higher and be due east by dawn.

Saturday, August 16, 2025 (morning): The Last Quarter Moon is approaching the Pleaides star cluster, growing closer each hour until the sun rises.

The morning of the 16th is probably your first chance to spot Mercury this season, early in the morning in the east, below and left of much brighter Venus and Jupiter. The chart shows the view at 5:45 a.m. local time; the blue circle represents the field of view shown in typical household binoculars, which will definitely help in tracking down the elusive inner planet. Over the next several days Mercury will rise higher and get brighter and easier to see.

Tuesday, August 19, 2025 (morning): The waning crescent moon forms a ragged line with Venus and Jupiter in the pre-dawn sky.

Also look for Mercury very low to the horizon just before dawn.

Wednesday, August 20, 2025 (morning): The waning crescent has passed Jupiter and Venus, now forming a right triangle with the two bright planets in the morning sky. Above and to the left at much fainter Castor and Pollux, the brightest stars in the constellation of Geminin the Twins.

Also look for Mercury very low to the horizon just before dawn.

Thursday, August 21, 2025 (morning): A razor-thin crescent Moon stands above Mercury as the dawn sky brightens. Look low in the east-northeast as the sky brightens. The chart to the right shows the view at 5:45 a.m. CDT; the blue circle indicates the field of view of typical household binoculars.

Saturday, August 23, 2025: New Moon

Sunday, August 31, 2025: First Quarter Moon

People stare up at the northern lights above them.

Summer Meteor Showers

Outside of the regular events listed above, there are other things we see in the sky that can’t always be predicted in advance.

Aurora borealis, the northern lights, are becoming a more common sight again as the Sun goes through the maximum of its 11-year cycle of activity. Particles from the Sun interact with the Earth’s magnetic field and the high upper atmosphere to create glowing curtains of light around the north (and south) magnetic poles of the planet. Manitoba is well-positioned relative to the north magnetic pole to see these displays often, but they still can’t be forecast very far in advance. A site like Space Weather can provide updates on solar activity and aurora forecasts for the next 48 hours. The best way to see the aurora is to spend a lot of time out under the stars, so that you are there when they occur.,

Random meteors (also known as falling or shooting stars) occur every clear night at the rate of about 5-10 per hour. Most people don’t see them because of light pollution from cities, or because they don’t watch the sky uninterrupted for an hour straight. They happen so quickly that a single glance down at your phone or exposure to light can make you miss one.

Satellites are becoming extremely common sights in the hours after sunset and before dawn. Appearing as a moving star that takes a few minutes to cross the sky, they appear seemingly out of nowhere. These range from the International Space Station and Chinese space station Tianhe, which have people living on them full-time, to remote sensing and spy satellites, to burnt-out rocket parts and dead satellites. These can be predicted in advance (or identified after the fact) using a site like Heavens Above by selecting your location.

Scott Young

Planetarium Astronomer

Scott is the Planetarium Astronomer at the Manitoba Museum, developing astronomy and science programs. He has been an informal science educator for more than thirty years, working in the planetarium and science centre field both at The Manitoba Museum and also at the Alice G. Wallace Planetarium in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Scott is an active amateur astronomer and a past-President of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Manitoba Stories: In the Sky

Astronomy

Thursday July 31, 2025

The Sky for August 2025

Astronomy

Tuesday July 29, 2025

Summer Meteor Showers

August is known for the annual Perseid meteor shower, which can often (but not always) produce a nice show for skywatchers. There are also about a dozen minor meteor showers that…

Astronomy

Wednesday July 2, 2025

The Sky for July 2025

July skies bring a return to darkness as the sun begins to set earlier each night. It also signals various summer activities and holidays for many. It’s during summer vacation that many people…

August is known for the annual Perseid meteor shower, which can often (but not always) produce a nice show for skywatchers. There are also about a dozen minor meteor showers that aren’t worth watching, that AI-driven social media pages are now picking up on and promoting as if they are something to see. Unfortunately, even the best meteor showers barely qualify for the name “shower”, so managing expectations is important.

Even a single meteor arcing across the sky can be a memorable sight, which is probably why many people “wish on a star” when they see one. Meteor observing requires no special equipment and is a casual way to enjoy the sky with the occasional “wow!” moments of a meteor. Don’t hype over numbers, and enjoy your time under the stars, and you will enjoy observing meteor showers.

What’s Going On

Meteor showers are basically caused when the Earth passes through a cloud of dust as it orbits the Sun. These interplanetary dust bunnies are left behind by comets or asteroids as they orbit the Sun. When our planet moves through one at high speed, the dust all burns up in our atmosphere, with each grain of sand or tiny rock becoming visible as a meteor (a.k.a. “shooting star”, “falling star”, etc.). Because we can predict their dates in advance, meteor showers are usually one of the first things put onto astronomy calendar websites.

But are meteor showers actually something worth watching? The answer depends on which meteor shower you’re looking at, and how much effort you’re willing to put in to seeing it.

The Effects of Light and Time

Most meteors are faint, and so if you have bright lights nearby then you won’t see the faint ones, which cuts your rates down significantly. Observing inside the city means you will see only a quarter or less of the predicted rates. To see a meteor shower well, you need to drive as far from city lights as you can.

If the Moon is in the sky, that’s like city lights you can’t drive away from. When the Moon is in the sky you can also lose about 75% of the meteors predicted.

And if that isn’t enough: meteor rates start very low in the evening, get stronger after midnight, and peak in the few hours before dawn. I have observed the Perseid meteor shower from inside the city before midnight and literally seen not a single meteor per hour. I ahve also observed the Perseids from a rural location with no moon, and seen 2 meteors per minute in the pre-dawn hours (120 per hour). So, these factors make a big difference in what you will see.

Meteor Observing

First, an important point: a typical meteor is only visible for a second or two. Any glance away from the sky during that hour and you might miss one. (Especially if you are glancing at an electronic device, which also ruins your night vision and makes it hard to see anything at night for up to five minutes!) So, to see the maximum number of meteors, you need to watch the sky, uninterrupted, for the whole hour. If you spend 25% of your time looking away from the sky, you will miss 25% of the meteors. To really appreciate the meteor shower, you need to commit to watching the sky without distraction.

Second point: on any given night throughout the year, if you are away from city lights on a dark, moonless night, you can expect to see between 1 and 10 meteors per hour. That’s the background rate in between meteor showers, the random dust in between the dust bunnies that is spread out across the solar system.

So, any meteor “shower” that lists a rate of less than 10 meteors per hour basically is no different than any other night. (OK, it *is* different scientifically, but for the average skywatcher you won’t even notice it.) This is why I’ve never promoted the dates of the Alpgha Capricornid meteor shower, which peaks on July 31 with a maximum theoretical rate of 3 meteors per hour. But I’m seeing social media posts announcing that it is on now and combining with the Perseids in a “rare” “double” “shower” “event” – and every one of those words is misused in this case. It happens every year, there are actually about 8 meteor showers active right now, and if you didn’t notice it last year it won’t be a big deal this year either. Complete hype, no substance.

So What Is Worth Watching?

In the summer, the answer is easy: the Perseids. That’s it. All the other minor meteor showers are underwhelming for the average skywatcher. The South Delta Aquariids, which peak on July 31, have a rate of between 5 and 10 meteors per hour, so if you are a hardcore meteor observer that’s one to try as well when (like this year) it lines up with the dark of the Moon.

In 2025, the Perseids peak when the Moon is nearly full, so even if you go out in the pre-dawn hours of August 11-12 (the peak night) you will likely only see 10-30 meteors per hour this year. For numbers, it’s not a great year because of the Moon. But, that means there’s no real need to drive far from the city; any reasonably dark space where you can see the sky will do this year.

It’s Not All About Numbers

Remember, though: the sheer number of meteors isn’t the only metric to use. I have seen single meteors that were so bright and beautiful they have stuck in my memory for decades. Often, evening meteors tend to be long and bright – so even if there aren’t a lot, the ones you see can be well worth it.

The bottom line is: meteor showers are a good time to see shooting stars, but don’t expect a laser light show. Each streak of light you see is a piece of dust left over from the formation of the solar system, a reminder of the era when planetary collisions were common as they shaped our planet. Keep expectations low, and appreciate whatever meteors you do manage to catch. A night under the stars is always time well spent.