The Night Sky for April 2009

Mercury Appears after Sunset and the Lyrid Meteor Shower Peaks

Mar 19, 2009 Kelly Whitt

Mercury becomes a good target in the early evening, the Moon pairs with bright stars and planets, and the April Lyrid meteor shower peaks.

Although the hours of daylight grow in the northern latitudes during April, more people are taking notice of the sky due to the warming weather drawing more potential observers outdoors.

Great Opportunities to See Mercury

Around April 8, 2009, observers can start trying to track down Mercury in the west after sunset. It will shine at magnitude -1.5 on April 8. Even though it will fade as the month progresses, Mercury rises higher up from the horizon and away from the Sun, improving the chances of viewing it. Mercury can be found in the west-northwest where it will rise higher each night of the month, climbing toward the Pleiades star cluster. Mercury is at greatest elongation, a term that means it reaches its farthest separation from the Sun when viewed from Earth, on April 25. Try to spot a young moon between Mercury and the horizon on this night. On April 30 Mercury and the Pleiades will appear right next to each other. In May Mercury fades quickly and disappears as it rejoins the Sun.

Bright Stars Beside the Moon

"What is that bright star by the Moon?" is a common question the general public asks when the Moon makes nice pairings with celestial objects. The Moon moves approximately 13 degrees per day against the background stars, which is a little more than one fist width held at arm's length. Therefore, each night it appears in a new location with the chance of new, picturesque pairings.

On April 5, the Moon lies three and a half degrees from Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion. On the next night, April 6, the Moon has jumped farther east and lies almost even with Saturn in the sky. The Moon reaches full stage at 10:56 a.m. EDT on April 9, therefore, for many observers the Moon will appear more than 99% full at moonrise on both April 8 and 9. April 9 also places the Moon just below Spica, the brighest star in the constellation Virgo.

Early risers will see the Moon next to Jupiter on April 19 and next to Venus on April 22. For viewers in western North America, the Moon will occult (pass in front of) Venus just before sunrise on the 22nd. Back in the evening sky on April 26, a thin crescent Moon and the Pleiades will keep close quarters with Mercury hovering below.

April Lyrid Meteor Shower

The April Lyrid meteor shower is not known as a great show, but it will increase the chance of meteors being spotted on the days before, on, and after the peak. The peak of the Lyrids occurs between April 21 and 22. The meteors appear to emanate from the constellation Lyra. Lyra is a constellation that is part of the Summer Triangle and will rise above the eastern horizon late in the evening.

Observing Spring Galaxies

April is a great month for observing spring galaxies. The spring constellations of Leo and Virgo are home to great swaths of galaxies. These two constellations plus Ursa Major are great targets for telescopes where M81, M82, the Whirlpool Galaxy, the Pinwheel Galaxy, and more are awaiting inspection.

April 2009 will be perfect for observing everything from the closest planet to the Sun to galaxies strewn across the Universe.

The copyright of the article The Night Sky for April 2009 in Astronomy & Space is owned by Kelly Whitt. Permission to republish The Night Sky for April 2009 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

The Crescent Moon

Leo Triplet of Galaxies

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Comments

Apr 23, 2009 1:09 PM

Guest :

Thank you for explaining what it was that I was seeing Wednesday morning 04/22/09
I looked up and saw a star next to the moon that morning on my way to work. That was absolutely beautiful. I watched as the moon eventually moved in front of the star but I did not know what star/planet that was. I had never seen something like that before and feel blessed to have seen it that morning. I just wish I could have seen that through a telescope or had a picture of how that looked from space.

Apr 24, 2009 6:01 AM

Kelly Whitt :

Here is a link to the Astronomy Picture of the Day with an image of Venus (the smaller crescent) alongside the crescent moon.
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

Apr 24, 2009 6:02 AM

Kelly Whitt :

Another link - same image, different link:
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0904/moon_venus_cortner1280.jpg

3 Comments