The Skies of April
And speaking of stargazing: this month the Moon finds its way from planet to planet, with a star cluster thrown in for good measure; and the Lyrids return.
- April 6: Saturn, which will look like a bright gold-colored star, appears close to the Moon tonight. Observe them together and meditate on the vast distance that actually separates them.
- April 18: Jupiter appears a little to the lower left of the Moon in the very early morning, low in the southeast.
- April 21: Meteors! The Lyrid meteor shower is at its best tonight. For more information click here. Meteor showers are a law unto themselves, sometimes dazzling, sometimes virtually unnoticeable. Bit of historical goodness: in 1095, an April meteor shower (almost certainly the Lyrids) was so spectacular that one Gislebert, Bishop of Lisieux, took it as a sign of heavenly approval for what became the First Crusade.
- April 22: The Moon, Venus, and Mars appear close together low in the east, just as it begins to get light. The Moon will actually occult Venus, hiding it briefly from view.
- April 26: The Moon, the planet Mercury and the Pleiades align low in the west-northwest as night falls. Mercury will look like a fairly bright star. The Pleiades star cluster is a little below the Moon, sandwiched between the Moon and Mercury.
Happy sky-watching!
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:56 pm
Ah, yet another thing I wish I knew more about. I had a telescope when I was a kid. What a thrill getting that was.
April 3rd, 2009 at 5:56 am
I had a telescope when I was a kid too! And a couple of years ago Jim bought me another one for a Christmas present. But a telescope isn’t really necessary. I can just lie out in the back yard and look at the sky. I hope it’s clear for the Lyrids on the night of the 21st. A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and a meteor shower… who could ask for a better evening?