The Sky: Week of April 11, 2010

Watch Mercury, the thin, thin crescent Moon, and Mars crossing the Beehive this week!

At about 8:80 p.m., Mercury is visible in the west just to the right and slightly below Venus. As the nights pass, this little planet will grow dimmer and drop closer to the horizon at the same time each evening. On the night of April 15, Mercury is involved with a close encounter with the Moon. Look to the lower right of Venus near the horizon line for the Moon's very thin crescent. To its lower left shines Mercury. Both of them may be difficult to see due the bright background sky glow and both are fairly close to the horizon. If you can't see them, use binoculars. If you succeed, be proud because not many people have seen our Moon as thin as this.

The photo, taken on April 10, shows Venus and Mercury at 8:45 p.m.

Mars passes just north of the Beehive (M44) star cluster this week. The Beehive is a naked eye object, but Mars' glow may prevent you from spotting it without binoculars. With binoculars, the Beehive appears as a couple of dozens twinkling lights. Red, bright Mars hovers above it, between the skep and the swarm.

Such is our view from Earth ...

Your chance to see Mercury

This week, if the weather is clear, is a great time to spot Mercury just after sunset. Look to the west for brilliant Venus at about 8:20 p.m. Just to its lower right lies Mercury. Each evening the tiny planet's position noticeably changes as it orbits the sun. For the next week it appears to move closer to Venus before fading in the bright evening twilight.

Such is our view from Earth ...

Good time to spot Mercury

Mercury joins brilliant Venus in our evening sky at about 8:30 p.m. Look to the west just below and to the right from Venus. A dim "star" should appear — Mercury!

Such is our view from Earth ...

The Sky: Week of March 28, 2010

Evening Sky:


1. Venus is low in the west at 8:30 p.m. setting just after 9:00. It is easily the brightest object in that part of the sky.
2. Mercury shines much dimmer to the lower right of Venus. During the week, it climbs higher each evening to nearly catch Venus on April 4th.

Because Venus and Mercury are so low above the horizon, they tend to twinkle, especially if the earth's atmosphere is turbulent. Venus normally doesn't twinkle at all, but it might this week.

3. Mars is almost overhead at sunset. Look for it nearly centered among the bright stars Procyon, Pollux, and Regulus. It currently lies 1-binocular field of view to the northwest of the Beehive star cluster.

4. Saturn shines in the east-southeast at 9:00 pm. Just after midnight, it lies high in the south.

5. The near full moon lies directly next to the bright star Spica in Virgo. It will be difficult to spot due to the moon's glaring light.

6. Look to the southwest after 9:00 p.m. for the winter constellations and bright stars, especially Orion and the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius.


Morning Sky:

1. Jupiter is difficult to spot this week because it rises shortly before the sunset. By next Sunday, though, it should have climbed high enough in the east to be spotted by 6:30 a.m.

2. The pretty summer constellations of Scorpius and Sagittarius stand in the south at 5:30 a.m. If you have binoculars, scan that region of the sky.


Such is our view from Earth ....

A winter solstice treat: the Moon and Jupiter

Monday evening, December 21, the Moon will be positioned next to bright Jupiter in the southwest sky just after sunset. Try viewing this combination through binoculars. What can you see? The binoculars should reveal larger craters on the lunar surface along with mountains. Jupiter will show three starlike moons right next to it (one on its left and two on the right) before 7:20 and four after 7:20. Its moon Io, which is slightly smaller than our Earth's moon, moves out of eclipse at 7:20. It take a few minutes to come into view on the left side of Jupiter.

Such is our view from Earth ...

Bright Jupiter and dim Neptune

This week, easy-to-find Jupiter slides past distant Neptune. You'll need binoculars to see this event, though. Look towards the south-southwest at 7:00 p.m. for bright Jupiter. It is easily the brightest object in that area of the sky.

Neptune is dim, fainter than the three stars that lie almost in a row near Jupiter's position on the 16th. On December 21, Jupiter is at its closest approach to Neptune. The moon may interfere with observations on the 20th and succeeding nights, so try spotting the planetary pair before this Saturday.

Such is our view from Earth ...

Elusive Mercury

Without a doubt, the most difficult to spot of the "bright" planets is little Mercury. It is always close to the sun, most times lost in the solar glare either directly after sunset or right before sunrise. For most of December, curious skywatchers who have a low southwestern horizon can find Mercury close to the horizon at about 5:40 p.m. The best dates to try are those around December 18. On the 18th, the thin crescent Moon floats just above the elusive world. Bring out the binoculars for a better view.

A couple days after Christmas, Mercury drops rapidly towards the sun. By January 4th, it passes between the Earth and the Sun.

Such is our view from Earth ...