|
1st |
Planet Mars is shrinking - at
least, that's what appears to be doing when viewed from Earth.
Grab a view of Mars through a telescope at the start of the
month to catch it at its best. |
|
2nd |
The bright almost full Moon
appears to the south of the yellowish mag. +0.3 dot of Saturn this
evening. The pair is separated by around 9°
and, despite the Moon's brilliance, a view of Saturn through a
telescope will still be stunning. |
|
5th |
Two brilliant moons of Saturn
are in conjunction this evening to the west of the planet.
A telescope will show Rhea and Saturn's biggest Moon Titan
closest to one another at 22:02 |
|
7th |
The waning gibbous Moon (54%
lit) and the red super giant star Antares will appear close
together in the morning sky. When the Moon rises around 2am,
Antares appears about 0.75° from its centre.
This distance increases as the Moon gets higher in the sky but,
even so, the sight should still be impressive.
|
|
9th |
The bright edge of the waning
crescent Moon (34% lit) occults the star Lambda Sagittarii at
around 05:00. The star is mag. +2.8 so the disappearance
should be easy to see. But for a challenge, try to spot
its reappearance in a near daylight sky at 06:15. |
|
10th |
The Moon will be out of the way
and the sky should be nice and dark. This is the perfect
time to relax and take a deep sky tour of the spring sky,
including the Beehive Cluster. Its also an ideal opportunity
to spot comet 81P/Wild. |
|
15th |
The bowl of the Saucepan
asterism in Ursa Major is virtually overhead at midnight - a
great time to explore this distinctive pattern of stars.
Don't miss the pair of galaxies M81 and M82, as well as the
famous Whirlpool Galaxy M51. |
|
16th |
A fantastic thin Moon presents
itself this evening, just after sunset. As the Sun goes
down, it's followed by the thinnest of lunar crescents with the
Moon being just 21.5 hours old! Although it'll be hard to
spot, brilliant Venus helps point the way. |
|
17th |
Keep an eye on the western
twilight sky just after sunset, where the dazzling planet Venus
lies close to a slender, waxing crescent Moon (3% lit). If
your skies are clear this should be an amazing sight. |
|
20th |
At 17:32, the centre of the Sun
will cross the celestial equator and enter the northern celestial
hemisphere. This point in time is known as the vernal or
spring equinox and marks one of two dates in the year when the Sun
rises due east and sets due west. > Look out for the waxing
crescent Moon (23% lit) in the west-northwest this evening.
It lies less than 2° from the Pleiades star
cluster. The pair looks stunning through binoculars.
The Moon sets at around midnight. |
|
22nd |
Saturn is officially in the
opposite part of the sky to the Sun this evening as it reaches
opposition. At this time, the planet appears at its
brightest and largest in the sky. See if you can detect the
effect that causes the rings to appear temporarily brighter.
|
|
23rd |
A grazing occultation of the
mag. +6.8 star HIP occurs tonight, starting at 22:08:02. The
graze is visible from a narrow track that crosses the Republic of
Ireland and Cornwall; for the majority of the UK, the Moon will
appear to miss the star altogether. |
|
25th |
The bright waxing gibbous Moon
(76% lit) lies just over 7° south of the mag.
0.0 Mars in the early part of the evening. Look carefully at
the pair with binoculars and see if you can spot the fainter stars
of the Beehive Cluster, M44, close by. |
|
27th |
The waxing gibbous Moon (87%
lit) occults the mag +3.8 star Omicron Leonis just before 02:00
this morning. Catch the stars reappearance from behind the
Moon's bright edge about 40 minutes later. |
|
28th |
The clock go forward 01:00 this
morning, as British Time (BST) kicks in throughout the UK. |
|
31st |
Over the last few days Mercury
has been closing in on brilliant Venus, low down in the west.
Their closest approach for the month occurs in the evening, with
both planets separated by around 3.5° |
