April
2008
Apr 1st 6:00 AM: Jupiter low in the southeast. Arcturus high in western sky,
Spica low in the southwest, Antares well up in the south, Altair, Deneb, and
Vega all well up in the east. Great Cluster in Hercules (M13) overhead.
Apr 1st 9:00 PM: Mars high in the southwest, in Gemini; Saturn high in the
southeast, in Leo near Regulus. Orion with Betelgeuse and Rigel low in the
west, Aldebaran between Pleiades and Orion, Capella above Pleiades, Sirius and
Procyon up in the southwest, Castor and Pollux high in the west, Regulus high in
the south. This is a good time to look for the Crab Nebula (M1) near Zeta Tauri
in Taurus, but you’ll need a telescope. Also look for M41 (star cluster) below
Sirius, M35 (star cluster) in Gemini, M44 (Beehive Cluster) in Cancer, M81
(Galaxy) near Ursa Major; and star clusters M36, M37, and M38 in Auriga (high in
the west).
Apr 4th: Blue Ridge Astronomy Club Star Party secondary night.
Apr 5th: New Moon. Double shadow transit (Ganymede and Io) on Jupiter,
beginning 3:45 AM EDT.
Apr 8th: Crescent Moon passes through the Pleiades, beginning around 9:00 PM
EDT.
Apr 12th: First Quarter Moon.
Apr 20th: Full Moon.
Apr 24th: Blue Ridge Astronomy Club Meeting, Forest Library, 7:00 PM.
Apr 28th: Last Quarter Moon.
Apr 30th 5:00 AM: Jupiter in the south. Arcturus low in western sky, Spica
about to set, Antares in the south, summer triangle of Altair, Deneb, and Vega
overhead. Great Cluster in Hercules (M13) high in western sky.
Apr 30th 10:00 PM: Mars alongside Pollux in Gemini; Saturn alongside Regulus in
Leo. Sirius, Betelgeuse, and Aldebaran close to setting, Castor and Pollux well
up in the west, Capella lower to the northwest, Spica well up in the southeast,
Arcturus in the east, Vega just rising in the northeast. Also look for M35
(star cluster) in Gemini, M44 (Beehive Cluster) in Cancer, M81 (Galaxy) near
Ursa Major; M3 (star cluster) in Coma Berenices, and M3 (star cluster) in Canes
Venatici.
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