| Observatory |
What's Up...
Some observing hilights
to look forward to...
The following tips on current and upcoming astronomical events
have been assembled for our Okanagan region by Dave Gamble
with the objective of giving OC RASC members a heads-up on
special personal astro-experiences to look forward to.
Wed. April 1 – April kicks off with a Full Moon night! Luna will be in an ideal position to oversee how the early Okanagan spring is progressing, perched in the southern sky above the faint stars of Corvus and Crater as the new month begins.
Tues. April 6 – The waning gibbous Moon will pay a close visit to bright Antares deep in the southern sky in the hours before dawn this morning.
Fri. April 10 – This is Last Quarter Moon night… er… morning. Again this month Luna marks her third main phase located very deep in the southern sky. If you wish to try to spot the neatly divided lunar disk, this would be best done looking far down the southern sky either side of 8am!
Fri. April 17 – This is New Moon Night with Luna safely tucked close to the Sun leaving the night sky, if the weatherman cooperates, nice and dark. For several nights both before and after New Moon, it will be tempting to pay an early visit to the OO for some serious deep sky observing and imaging.
Sat. April 18 – There will be a dramatic scene low over the western horizon this evening as brilliant Venus pairs up with a very thin crescent Moon as they slowly move down toward the remaining glow of the Sun. A low western horizon will really help with this one!
Wed. April 22 - For lovers of meteor showers, this year's Lyrids will peak overnight tonight. The one day before First Quarter Moon will be close to setting by midnight, leaving a dark sky to keep an eye around the radiant point in Lyra high in the eastern sky. Given clear conditions the early morning hours should offer a good view of 'shooting stars' as well as a chance of the odd fireball. It’s interesting to note that the Lyrids are one of the oldest recorded meteor showers with observations dating as far back as 687 BC in China.
Wed. April 22 – Luna thankfully missed the early hours Lyrid meteor shower this morning, but she’s determined to get back into the spotlight this evening. First of all, the advanced waxing crescent will introduce bright Jupiter near the Gemini twins Castor and Pollux in the western sky. Below them the familiar upper part of Orion is giving notice that the stars of the winter sky are beginning to leave the night sky stage for another year.
Thurs. April 23 – For those looking forward to enjoying Venus as our ‘Evening Star’, there will be a chance to see her in the company of the departing Pleiades star cluster after sunset. A low western horizon will be needed, and while Venus will be easy to locate, binoculars may be required to spy the departing small dipper asterism just to her upper right.
Thurs. April 23 – Hey, it’s First Quarter Moon night! To see the neatly divided lunar disk will mean waiting until things get nice and dark. Tonight Luna will mark her special phase with bright Jupiter to her right while Canis Minor’s Procyon will look on from below them.
Sat April 25 – With the familiar pattern of Leo now high in our night sky, tonight the lucida, Regulus, will have the close company of the now waxing gibbous Moon. In fact, in the eastern part of the continent an occulation took place earlier this evening.
Wed, April 29 – Over the last few nights Luna has been busy, moving further south along the ecliptic path and tonight posing very close to bright Spica in Virgo. If you’re able to admire the scene, it’s interesting to consider that at home about 250 light years away, Spica would turn out to be a very close binary star… two large suns, one of them a blue giant, orbiting each other so closely that their mutual gravity distorts them into egg shapes.