April skies

Posted on 2007 January 01 @ 00:01 - filed under Astronomy.

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Mercury is in the morning sky for the first three weeks, particularly well-placed early in the month. Venus is prominent in the evening sky, setting about two hours after the Sun. Mars can be seen in the morning sky, rising about three hours before the Sun. Jupiter can be seen for the later part of the night, rising about three hours after sunset. Saturn is in the evening sky, setting after midnight.

Early evening the Milky Way arches overhead. Facing south, Crux, the Pointers and Achernar (in Eridanus) are prominent. In the east, Spica (in Virgo) can be seen, with Corvus above it. Leo and Saturn are obvious in the north-east. Low in the north-west is Auriga and Taurus, with Venus in the vicinity of the Pleiades and Hyades. Higher up are Gemini and Orion. Overhead is the bright Milky Way region of Carina, Puppis, Vela and Canis Major, with Sirius dominating the scene.

By midnight, Crux is high up in the south. In the east, Scorpius, accompanied by Jupiter, have risen. Facing north-east, Spica is high up, with Arcturus below it. In the north-west, Leo and Saturn are on their way down. Facing west, Canis Major and Canis Minor are setting. Towards the south-west, Canopus is prominent. The Milky Way crosses the sky from east to west, passing south of the zenith.

Before sunrise the Milky Way again arches overhead, running roughly north-south. Facing south, Crux, the Pointers and Achernar (in Eridanus) are prominent. To the east, Fomalhaut is high up. Mars can also be seen in the east, with Mercury low above the horizon. Facing north-east, Altair is high up, while more northward, Deneb (in Cygnus) and Vega (in Lyra) can be seen. To the north-west, the square of Hercules can be made out. More westerly, Arcturus is low down, while in the west, Spica is setting.

April events

Day	Event
01	Astronomy Day; ScopeX hosted by ASSA Johannesburg Centre
01	Mercury and Uranus come within 1.5° (91 arcmin) of each other.
01	Mercury near Uranus (1.5°).
01	Pluto stationary.
01	Religious holiday: Palm Sunday.
01	Transvaal Observatory renamed to Union Observatory (1912).
02	Full Moon (19: 15).
02	Moon smallest angular diameter for 2007 as seen from Earth (29.0 arcminutes).
02	Periodic comet 106P/Schuster reaches perihelion (period 7.31 years).
03	Minor planet (3) Juno (mag=9.7) occults star TYC 0307-00203-1 (mag= 11.9) at 04:48.
03	Moon at apogee.
03	Religious holiday: First Day of Passover (Pesach).
03	Spica near the Moon (1.1°).
04	Jupiter's four Galilean moons all located on same side of the planet (east), and arranged in the correct sequence, from 23h to 00h. Ganymede is at maximum distance from the planet at 08h (5.1 arcmin east), while at 02:43:44 Io and Europa approach to within 2.6 arcseconds of each other.
04	Periodic comet 96P/Machholz reaches perihelion (period 5.24 years).
05	Jupiter's moon Callisto at maximum distance from the planet (8.9 arcmin east at 00h).
06	J. C. (Jack) Bennett's birthday (1914).
06	Jupiter stationary.
06	Religious holiday: Good Friday.
07	Adriaan Jan Wesselink's birthday (1909).
07	Antares near the Moon (0.6°), occultation seen from S. part of S. America, W. Antarctica and W. Oceania.
07	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (5.1 arcmin west at 22h).
07	Moon in Ophiuchus for about 21 hours.
08	Jupiter near the Moon (5.9°).
08	Religious holiday: Easter Day.
09	Moon southernmost declination this month (-28.5°).
10	Last Quarter Moon (20: 04).
10	Minor planet (3) Juno at opposition.
11	Anniversary of the arrival of the Venus Express at Venus, in 2006.
11	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (5.2 arcmin east at 12h).
11	Jupiter's moons Io and Europa approach to within 2.6 arcseconds of each other (at 01:25:07).
11	Jupiter's moons Io and Europa approach to within 2.7 arcseconds of each other (at 01:05:58).
12	Jupiter's moon Callisto at maximum distance from the planet (9.2 arcmin west at 08h).
12	Meteor shower on Venus and Mars, associated with comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova.
13	Neptune near the Moon (1.8°).
14	Mars near the Moon (0.6°), occultation seen from S. and E. Asia, India and eastern tip of Africa.
14	Uranus near the Moon (1.0°), occultation seen from E. Siberia, Japan, Alaska and NW Canada.
15	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (5.2 arcmin west at 02h).
15	Mercury enters Cetus (April 15-17) from Pisces.
16	Leonardo DaVinci's birthday (1452).
16	Mercury near the Moon (4.4°).
17	Mercury exits Cetus (April 15-17) into Pisces.
17	Moon at perigee.
17	Moon largest angular diameter for 2007 as seen from Earth (33.9 arcminutes).
17	New Moon (13: 36).
18	Jupiter's four Galilean moons all located on same side of the planet (east), and arranged in the correct sequence, from 22h to 03h. Ganymede is at maximum distance from the planet (5.3 arcmin east at 16h).
18	Minor planet (4) Vesta stationary.
19	Anniversary of the arrival, in 1751, of Lacaille in Cape Town to study the southern skies, compile a star catalogue and mark out new constellations.
19	Periodic comet 2P/Encke reaches perihelion (period 3.30 years).
19	Venus at perihelion (first of two occurrences in 2007).
20	At noon, Venus is 4.5° from the Moon (looking NE; altitude 14° Cape Town, 26° Johannesburg).
20	Jupiter's moon Callisto at maximum distance from the planet (9.3 arcmin east at 16h).
20	Saturn stationary.
20	Venus near the Moon (3.2°).
21	Moon in Auriga for about 25 hours.
21	Moon northernmost declination this month (+29.3°).
22	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (5.3 arcmin west at 06h).
22	Minor planet (1) Ceres at conjunction.
22	New Year's Day of the year 2756 in the Nabonassar era.
23	pi Puppids meteor shower reaches maximum, active Apr 15-Apr 28 (parent body is comet 26P Grigg-Skjellerup).
23	Pollux near the Moon (2.6°).
24	First Quarter Moon (10: 36).
24	Sir Richard Woolley's birthday (1906).
25	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (5.4 arcmin east at 20h).
25	Saturn near the Moon (1.0°), occultation seen from N. Greenland, N.W. Canada, Alaska, and eastern tip of Siberia.
26	Regulus near the Moon (0.8°), occultation seen from N.W. North America and Arctic regions.
27	Solar rotation number 2056 starts.
28	Bart J. Bok's birthday (1906).
28	Jan Hendrik Oort's birthday (1900).
28	Jupiter's four Galilean moons all located on same side of the planet (east), and arranged in the correct sequence, around 21h.
28	Meteor shower on Mars, associated with comet D/Haneda-Campos (1978R1).
29	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet at 10h (5.4 arcmin west), and Callisto at maximum distance at 00h (9.6 arcmin west).
29	Mars and Uranus come within 0.7° (41 arcmin) of each other.
30	Moon at apogee.

Constellations

Constellations visible from Southern Africa at 21:00 SAST (* = overhead):

Antlia*, Apus, Ara, Auriga, Caelum, Cancer, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Carina*, Centaurus, Chamaeleon, Circinus, Columba, Coma Berenices, Corvus, Crater, Crux, Dorado, Gemini, Horologium, Hydra*, Hydrus, Leo, Leo Minor, Lepus, Lupus, Lynx, Mensa, Monoceros, Musca, Norma, Octans, Orion, Pavo, Perseus, Pictor, Puppis*, Pyxis*, Reticulum, Sextans, Taurus, Triangulum Australe, Tucana, Vela*, Virgo, Volans.

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Keywords: Astronomy, Southern Sky Almanack, 2007, monthly sky review, Southern Sky Talk podcast

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