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Skywatch April 2006by Julene M Packer-JohnsonMars, Saturn and Jupiter are evening planets this April. Venus is a morning planet. Mercury makes a brief and fleeting debut upon the pre-dawn stellar stage this month around the time of his greatest western elongation. Venus conjuncts Uranus and will provide a landmark to help locate him with binoculars or a telescope. Saturn stations direct on April 5th. The Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks on April 22nd. Planetary Activity Mercury reaches greatest western elongation on the 8th at 3:00 p.m. EDT. The Messenger Planet will be 28 degrees from the Sun. This means we have a chance to observe him as a morning star about a week before and after. Chances to observe Mercury become greater as it nears the 8th, not only because Mercury is getting farther from the Sun (and therefore giving us more time before dawn encroaches), but also because Mercury is gaining in brightness as the month progresses. These combined factors give northern hemisphere observers a better chance to catch a glimpse of this trickster than normal. Venus conjuncts Uranus this month on the 18th. Since the mornings are getting warmer and the skies are getting clearer in the northern hemisphere, this gives us a chance to attempt to locate a planet that we normally donít see. Of course weíll need binoculars or a telescope to do so. Look for the new section Calling All Backyard Astronomers at the end of this article for more information. Mars dims considerably this month. Remember we had a close encounter with Mars last October because the orbits of Mars and Earth came very near each other. Mars has been dimming slowly ever since as the distance between us increases. During the course of April the distance will increase 24 million miles. Thatís quite a considerable jump for one month. By monthís end the Red Planet will be 177 million miles from Earth and be noticeably dimmer than he is on April 1st as a result. Jupiter is retrograde. He stationed retrograde last month and will station direct in July. Planets are retrograde when closest to Earth. Jupiter is preparing to oppose the Sun next month. Aside from the fact that this means that Jupiter will rise as the sun sets and set as the sun rises, it also means that Jupiter is on the same side of the Sun as Earth. As a result, Jupiter will get brighter from our view point. He still wonít outshine Venus, but he will outshine the brightest stars nearby. Saturn stations direct on the 5th at 8:56 a.m. EDT. While Saturn is over 2 magnitudes dimmer than Jupiter, he is brighter than the dim stars of Cancer he is traveling among. However donít expect to notice any travel this month. Saturn is very slow due to the station and will remain in the same degree of the sky all month. The Lyrid Meteor Shower Ushers in Spring Sky Watching Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through the debris left behind by comets. Thus they recur every year in the same month. The Lyrids are remnants from Comet Thatcher. These particles will hit Earthís atmosphere at a steep angle moving at about 30 miles per second. The steep angle and fast speed causes the Lyrid meteors to leave persistent trains as our atmosphere burns them up. On occasion they have produced fireballs. The shower emanates from the constellation Lyra the Harp above Cygnus the Swan aka the Northern Cross. Rates are expected to be about 20 per hour at the peak on April 22nd at 16:30 UT. This time favors observers in Australia and eastern Asia. However the shower is visible everywhere providing city lights arenít too bright to blot it out. The Lyridís are not the brightest shower but they do put on a nice display worth getting out and looking for. Observers in North America will find the best display on the morning of April 22nd in the hour or two before dawn. Observers in Australia will find the best display on the morning of the 23rd. However, the radiant will be low in the northern sky and rates may therefore be lower. Observers in Europe will find the best display on the evening of the 22nd, before moonrise and in the morning of the 23rd. Navigating the Night Sky in the Northern Hemisphere As the skies darken on the evening of the 1st, look for Saturn to appear in the south-southeast sky around 8:30 p.m. Local Daylight Time (LDT). Mars will be in the south-southwest sky between the horns of Taurus (El Nath & Zeta Tauri) and to the left of the Moon. Jupiter will rise around 10:45 p.m. LDT beneath Zubenelgenubi of Libra. Mars sets around 1:30 a.m. LDT on the 1st. He begins April between the Bullís horns. His eastward motion is very easy to track this month as he journeys into Gemini. On the 15th heíll lie to the right of the feet of the Twins. By monthís end he makes it to Mebsuta, the knee of Castor. He sets around 1:00 a.m. LDT on the 30th. The Moon joins Mars on the evening of the 3rd. Youíll see Mars below a Crescent Moon. Saturn sets around 4:15 a.m. LDT on the 1st. He sets around 2:15 a.m. LDT on the 30th. Saturn is joined by the Moon on the 6th. Youíll see Saturn below a bulging First Quarter Moon. Jupiter rises around 10:45 p.m. LDT on the 1st. He rises around 8:45 p.m. LDT on the 30th. He is joined by a recently Full Moon on the 14th. Watch the eastern horizon around 9:45 p.m. LDT. Jupiter will rise just after the Moon and will lie to her left. Because Jupiter is rising after sunset, he will be visible in the western sky in the morning. Donít forget to turn your gaze to the western horizon as you watch for Mercury and Venus to rise in the pre-dawn skies. On the morning of the 15th, youíll find Jupiter above the Moon. Venus rises around 5:30 a.m. LDT on the 1st. She rises around 5:00 a.m. on the 30th. She is joined by the Moon on the 24th. In the pre-dawn skies youíll notice Venus to the left of a sideways sliver of a Balsamic Moon. Venus is an excellent planet to watch this month because she covers so much sky. She begins the month a bit of distance beneath Sadal Sudd, the right shoulder of Aquarius. By monthís end, her eastern journey will take her into the constellation Pisces below the circle of dim stars that comprise the head of the fishes. Mercury rises around 6:15 a.m. LDT on the 1st. He rises around 6:00 a.m. on the 30th. The Moon joins Mercury on the morning of the 26th. Mercury will lie undetected to the right of a nearly New Moon because by this time the glow of dawn is likely to block the planet from view. Navigating the Night Sky in the Southern Hemisphere As the skies darken after sunset on the 1st, look for Saturn to appear in the north-northeast sky around 6:30 p.m. Local Standard Time (LST). Saturn is traveling among the dim stars of Cancer, but you should see most of Leo to his east. Mars will pop into view in the north-northwest between the horns of Taurus (El Nath & Zeta Tauri). Jupiter will rise around 7:45 p.m. LST beneath Zubenelgenubi of Libra. Mars sets around 9:15 p.m. LST on April 1st. He sets around 8:30 p.m. LST on the 30th. The Moon joins Mars on the 4th. Look for Mars to be left of a sideways Crescent Moon. Marsí eastward journey across the Ecliptic Plane is easy to track this month. He begins April between the Bullís horns. On the 15th he lies to the right of the feet of the Twins. By monthís end he makes it to Mebsuta, the knee of Castor. Saturn sets around 12:30 a.m. on the 1st and around 10:45 p.m. LST on the 30th. He is joined by the Moon on the 7th. Look for Saturn to the left of a bulging First Quarter Moon. Jupiter rises around 7:45 p.m. LST on the 1st and around 5:45 p.m. LST on the 30th. He will be visible all night until the sunrise brightens the sky. While you are looking at the line up of morning planets above the eastern horizon, turn your gaze to the western sky as well. Notice Jupiter above the western horizon in the pre-dawn skies. The Moon joins Jupiter on the 15th. Look for Jupiter to lie below a recently Full Moon as the pair rise over the eastern horizon in the evening sky. On the morning of the 16th, look for Jupiter below the Moon above the western horizon. Venus is the first morning planet to rise. She rises around 2:30 a.m. Local Standard Time (LST) on the 1st. Since she reached greatest western elongation last month, she is heading back toward the Sun this month and therefore her rise time will become later as the month progresses. On April 30th Venus rises around 3:15 a.m. LST. Track Venusí eastward movement through the constellation Aquarius. At the beginning of April, Venus lies to the right of the top shoulder of Aquarius (Sadal Sudd). By monthís end she will lie below Aquarius and to the right of the dim stars of Pisces. The Moon joins Venus on the morning of the 25th. Youíll have a nice view of Venus atop a bowl shaped sliver a balsamic moon. Mercury is next to rise in the pre-dawn skies. Mercury rises around 4:15 a.m. LST on April 1st. On April 8th, he rises around 4:00 a.m. LST. From then his rise-time becomes later until monthís end when he peaks above the eastern horizon around 5:00 a.m. LST. Since Mercury is gaining in brightness and rising well before the sun, you might be able to observe him nearly all month. The Moon joins Mercury on the morning of the 26th. Look for Mercury below and slightly right of the Moon. Moon Data The First Quarter Moon occurs on the 5th at 8:01 a.m. EDT. On the 9th, the moon reaches apogee at 9:17 a.m. EDT. Her furthest distance from Earth will be 251,997 miles. The Full Moon occurs on the 13th at 12:40 p.m. EDT. The Last Quarter Moon occurs on the 20th at 11:28 p.m. EDT. On the 25th the moon comes within 226,013 miles from Earth. Her perigee occurs at 6:33 a.m. EDT. The New Moon occurs on the 27th at 3:44 p.m. EDT. Calling All Backyard Astronomers If you are awake before the crack of dawn, this is good month to try to observe Uranus with some optical aides such as binoculars or a small telescope. Just to remember to watch the sunrise with your naked eye. You donít ever want to put binoculars or a telescope to the sun. Not only will it break the lenses in the object, it will break the lens in your eyes and the results of that are blinding. Uranus is traveling through the constellation Aquarius near the fixed star Lambda Aquarii. Venus conjuncts Uranus on the 18th and the Moon conjuncts Uranus on the 23rd. Therefore we have two celestial goddesses to call upon for assistance in this adventure. In the northern hemisphere, Uranus rises around 6:15 Local Daylight Time (LDT) on the 1st, which does not give us much time before the morning sky starts to brighten. On the 18th, however, Venus & Uranus peak above the eastern horizon around 5:15 a.m. LDT giving us more time to allow them to gain some height before dawn encroaches. Pan the area of the sky below Venus with binoculars and you should spot Uranus. If you have a telescope you should be able to recognize the blue-green color of the planet. On the morning of the 24th, Venus rises with the Moon around 5:00 a.m. LDT. Venus will then be below Uranus since she travels the zodiac at a noticeably faster pace. Look for Uranus to be above the Moon & Venus that morning. He will still be near Lambda Aquarii, but the goddess guides will have danced on past toward the eastern sunrise. In the southern hemisphere, Uranus rises around 4:00 Local Standard Time (LST) on the 1st beneath Lambda Aquarii. On the 18th, he rises around 3:00 a.m. Pan the area of sky below Venus that morning with your binoculars and see if you can spot Uranus. On the morning of the 24th, turn your aided eye between Venus and the Moon to locate Uranus. Venus is a fun planet to observe up close and personal because she exhibits phases that we donít see otherwise. If you put your aided eye on Venus throughout April, youíll notice that she moves from a first quarter phase to gibbous this month. While youíre at it, take a look at some stars and see how different they are. When youíre in the neighborhood of Mars and Taurus, turn your scope to the Pleiades, youíll be surprised at how many more sisters appear. The original seven are hard to pick out. Betelgeuse and Aldebaran are both red giants. Betelgeuse is hotter and brighter. Notice the difference and similarities between the two. While youíre waiting for the Lyrids to appear, take a look at Vega. Vega is an interesting star because she is one of the few that emit radio waves. With a little imagination as you watch her delicate pulsing of white light you can almost hear Orpheusí Harp lull the wildest of beasts. Sky Maps in the OCA Library The following sky maps are located in the OCA Public Library to assist you in locating the planets. Choose the "Main Public Library" and scroll to the "images" section. North Hemisphere South Hemisphere Happy star gazing! The Spring Semester at ONLINE College of Astrology begins May 11th. The early registration discount in the Professional Training Department is availalbe through April 21st. Julene Packer, Dipl.OCA, CAP |
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