This month brings some big time happenings in the night (and day!) skies. Here’s a list of things to check out over the coming month. April is a great month to get out as temperatures will be generally warming up!
April 1st: The final quarter moon of the lunar cycle is tonight. You can catch the moon rising a bit after midnight and setting early in the day.
Comet 12p/Pons- Brooks will also be at its best for observing early this month. This has been highly touted as the “devil’s comet” by the media, thanks to its unusual appearance at times. According to NASA, the comet is highly active and produces outbursts of rocks and gas, giving it unusual shapes ranging from having “horns” to looking like the Millennium Falcon. Per the latest reports at www.aerith.net, it currently sits around +5 magnitude, which makes it nearly invisible to the naked eye but a great target for binoculars or small telescopes. It will be moving between the relatively bright star Hamal towards Jupiter over the next several nights. Look for it with binoculars around an hour after sunset low on the western horizon.
April 5th: Early risers will be able to catch the very thin waning crescent moon near the horizon accompanied by Venus, Mars, and Saturn. Venus will be very low in the eastern sky, and Saturn and Mars will appear a bit higher.
April 8th: A total solar eclipse will ride up the center of the country with a significant partial solar eclipse for North Georgia.
April 10th: The crescent moon will be near Jupiter, making a beautiful pairing in the evening sky. This will put an end to viewing Comet 12p/Pons-Brooks for a bit due to the moon’s glare outshining it each evening. You can also catch Mars and Saturn very close together during the wee hours just before twilight.
April 15th: The first quarter moon occurs tonight. Catch it nearly directly overhead after sunset.
April 21st: The Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks tonight. This minor shower caused by Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher can produce up to 15-20 meteors per hour under excellent skies but closer to 5-10 extra per hour from most locations locally. Unfortunately, a full moon will spoil the party this year, likely reducing the number to below 5-10.
April 23rd: The Full Pink Moon occurs tonight! Be sure to get outside and check it out!
That’s about it for this upcoming month. Plenty of opportunities to get outside and check out the night sky on these warming evenings.
