The moon begins this month at first quarter, and reaching full phase a little over seven days later. Pluto is occulted April 14 for viewers in the extreme south, and Jupiter is two degrees north. The following day, April 15, has Saturn two degrees north of the moon, with Mars two degrees north April 16. This could be a good photo opportunity for the early riser on one of those days. April 21, Mercury and the moon share the spotlight, but it鈥檚 a tough observation with both bodies near the horizon at sunup.
Mercury is in the morning sky before sunrise, and close to the horizon throughout April. It reaches greatest elongation west April 20.
Venus is that bright shiny object high in the west at sundown. Is it any wonder the ancients worshipped the planet 鈥� it outshines all the rest. It shares the night sky with the Pleiades April 3, just 0.3 degrees apart and the moon passes by April 25/26, an occultation for the Eastern Hemisphere. Venus reaches greatest illuminated extent April 27, even though it presents a crescent shape and should seemingly be dimmer than when its entire disk is visible. The crescent should be easy to discern through a telescope or binoculars. It was the phases of Venus in the 1600s that led Galileo to believe that Venus orbited the sun and not the Earth, as was widely believed at the time.
Mars is speeding eastward away from Jupiter and Saturn. The passing moon is two degrees away April 16.
Jupiter is the second brightest planet, and easy to spot in the southern evening sky. The moon passes by April 14. Saturn and Jupiter are within five degrees of each other by month end.
Saturn is moving prograde through the stars of Capricornus, as Mars pulls away to the east and Jupiter closes in from the west. The two gas-giant planets will be within five degrees at the end of the month.
Uranus is too close to the sun for viewing; in conjunction April 26.
Neptune will become visible from behind the sun as April progresses.
James Edgar has had an interest in the night sky all his life. He joined The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2000, was national president for two terms, is now the editor of the Observer鈥檚 Handbook, and production manager of the bi-monthly RASC Journal. The IAU named asteroid 1995 XC5 鈥�(22421) Jamesedgar鈥� in his honour.
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