by yaska77
Unfortunately for us, since we told you about the visit of comet PANSTARRS our own skies have seen nothing but clouds! It’s been great seeing all the photos on Twitter, but we’re gutted we’ve not had chance to image it ourselves.
Still, to be a stargazer you have to keep your chin up, so we’ve listed some interesting happenings for April to whet your interest so get out there and keep your eyes on the skies!
Wednesday 3rd April – Today is a last quarter Moon
Monday 8th April – The thin waning crescent Moon will be close to Mercury just before dawn this morning, however the planet will be lost in the brightening sky
Wednesday 10th April – The New Moon this morning rises and sets with the Sun, so it is a good time to observe deep sky objects with the glare from the Moon absent
Saturn can be a great sight through a small telescope or good binoculars, we’re hoping to image it again soon as our only successful previous attempt was a while ago!
Still one of the most amazing sights to see with your own eyes, Saturn and its rings look spectacular through a scope, look South East around 22:30 UTC/23:30 BST (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/A.Welbourn
Sunday 14th April – The waxing crescent Moon will appear quite close to the gas giant Jupiter this evening, you’ll be able to find both between the “horns” of constellation Taurus the Bull (see below)
If you look due West at 20:00 UTC (21:00 BST) on 14th April you’ll see the Moon and Jupiter between the horns of the constellation Taurus (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium
Monday 15th April – Today the Moon is at Apogee at a distance of 404,865 km (251,571 miles), the farthest point in its orbit to the Earth
Wednesday 17th April – The planet Mars is in conjunction with the Sun, so is unobservable for the month
Early morning at the moment comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) is located just to the bottom right of the constellation Cassiopeia (the W to the North). We’re still hopeful of catching a glimpse of this so far elusive celestial object!
Now its brightness is diminishing comet PANSTARRS may prove difficult to spot, but it’s still there! Shown 17th April at 02:30 UTC/03:30 BST (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium
Now circumpolar from the UK since the beginning of the month (meaning it doesn’t set), if it follows predictions PANSTARRS may still be naked eye visible if your skies are dark enough
Thursday 18th April – Tonight’s Moon is seen in the First Quarter phase
Sunday 21st April – For information about the Lyrid meteor shower which peaks over the next few evenings, click here
Thursday 25th April – The Full Moon tonight is also sometimes known as the Awakening Moon, Seed Moon or Wildcat Moon, which can be seen close by Saturn all evening
At around 20:00 UTC (21:00 BST) the Moon will be mid-way through a very slight penumbral eclipse, seen as a slight dimming of the Moon’s northern edge caused as it skims the bottom of the Earth’s shadow
A Full Moon can wash out most of the stars in the sky around it, but the brightness of Saturn should still make it visible, and look out for the very partial eclipse around 20:00 UTC (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium
Saturday 27th April - Today the Moon is at Perigee at a distance of 362,265 km (225,101 miles), the closest point of its orbit to the Earth
Sunday 28th April – The planet Saturn is at opposition in Libra, meaning that it’s in an opposite position to the Sun in the sky, so is observable from dusk until dawn! This is also the time of year it appears at its brightest
Tuesday 30th April – Venus returns to our evenings skies (albiet briefly) to the west just after sunset, but may be tricky to spot in the twilight
Planets visible this month:
Remember, it can take your eyes up to 20 minutes to become properly dark adapted, and anything up to an hour for a telescope to reach ambient temperature outside (to ensure the best image), so give yourself plenty of time to get set up!
To make it easier to find this list of astronomical happenings you can also locate it in the “Monthly Guide” section in the menu bar to the right. Handy! 
Guide images created with Stellarium
Archive:
Astronomy Events – March 2013
Astronomy Events – February 2013
Astronomy Events – January 2013
Filed under: Astronomy, Comet, Moon, Night sky, Planets, Resources, Space, Stars, yaska77 Tagged: 2013, April, astronomical, astronomy guide, astrophotography, Canon EOS, comet, Comet C/2011 L4 PANSTARRS, DSLR, full moon, lunar eclipse, Moon, Night sky, panstarrs, penumbral, photography, planets, postaweek, stargazing
