The Sky This Week: April 25 – May 1
Mercury reached peak visibility April 18, but it remains an impressive target most of this week. Meanwhile, the Lyrid meteor shower winds down, and the Eta Aquariids ramp up.
Monday, April 25
The Moon travels approximately 13° eastward relative to the background stars every 24 hours. This motion places it in a nearly straight line with Mars and Saturn tonight. The three objects clear the southeastern horizon by 11:30 p.m. local daylight time but, as they did yesterday, appear nicest once they climb high in the south during the early morning hours. If you do stay out into the wee hours, take some time to view the planets through a telescope. Both are only about a month away from opposition and peak visibility, so they look spectacular. Mars shines at magnitude –1.3 and shows a 15″-diameter disk with subtle dark markings and a whitish north polar cap. Magnitude 0.2 Saturn measures 18″ across and sports a beautiful ring system that spans 41″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.
Tuesday, April 26
Although Jupiter reached opposition and peak visibility last month, it remains a stunning sight from dusk until around 4 a.m. local daylight time. The giant planet shines at magnitude –2.3 against the backdrop of Leo the Lion, a region that lies high in the south at nightfall. Turn a telescope on Jupiter and you will see a 41″-diameter disk with plenty of atmospheric detail.
Wednesday, April 27
Look west after darkness falls tonight and you’ll witness the beginning of the winter sky’s decline. By 9:30 p.m. local daylight time, the lower tier of bright winter stars and constellations barely clears the horizon. From mid-northern latitudes, Sirius in Canis Major, Aldebaran in Taurus, and the three belt stars of Orion the Hunter all hang less than 10° high. Still, a higher tier of winter stars remains prominent. Look for Capella in Auriga, Castor and Pollux in Gemini, and Procyon in Canis Minor to keep winter on your mind and in the sky for several weeks to come.
Thursday, April 28
While the Lyrid meteor shower winds down this week, the Eta Aquariid shower ramps up. And the dwindling Moon casts less light into the morning sky by this weekend, which makes observing conditions far better. The best views will come in the hour or two before morning twilight commences, when you might see 5 to 10 meteors per hour from a dark site. The Eta Aquariids will peak May 5, when Northern Hemisphere observers could see up to 20 meteors per hour under dark skies.
Friday, April 29
Last Quarter Moon occurs at 11:29 p.m. EDT. The half-lit orb doesn’t rise until after 2 a.m. local daylight time tomorrow morning, however, when you can see it climbing in the southeast among the background stars of northern Capricornus.
Saturday, April 30
Asteroid 6 Hebe currently lies among the background stars of eastern Leo the Lion, just a stone’s throw from 2nd-magnitude Denebola. The region reaches its peak in the southern sky shortly after darkness falls. This evening, 10th-magnitude Hebe lies some 4° northwest of Denebola.
Sunday, May 1
One of the spring sky’s finest deep-sky objects, the Beehive star cluster (M44) in the constellation Cancer the Crab, lies high in the west once evening twilight fades away. The 3rd-magnitude cluster lies approximately 40 percent of the way from 1st-magnitude Pollux in Gemini to the similarly bright star Regulus in Leo. With naked eyes under a dark sky, you should be able to spot the Beehive as a faint cloud. But this star group explodes into dozens of stars through binoculars or a small telescope at low power.
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