![]() ![]() Venus and the Moon are circled in red Nebulae from the Upside Down The sky in the west on 23 April at 21:20 UTC as seen from London. This is only an apparent phenomenon for us as observers, and the objects that appear close to each other in the sky are still very far away from each other physically. The best time to observe them in conjunction will be between 21:00 and 23:00.Ī conjunction between a planet and the Moon (or two planets, or a planet and a star) is simply the term astronomers use to describe the two objects in question being close to each other on the celestial sphere. Luckily, both the Moon and Venus are bright enough to be seen even from light polluted areas. Venus is right there with the Moon, above the horizon all day, although due to how bright the Sun is, spotting Venus is easiest in the evening, right after sunset, as it approaches the horizon in the west. It will start its journey across the sky in the east, reaching its highest point in the sky around 16:00, after which it will start setting towards the west, staying visible even after sunset. On 23 April the young crescent Moon will be visible throughout the entire day, greeting us in the morning at 7:00. You want to be able to see as much of the sky as possible, so a telescope isn’t going to be useful here as it only focuses on one tiny patch of the skyĮnd of April: the Moon and Venus in conjunction.Bring a sleeping bag, get warm and comfortable.Find a good stargazing spot without light pollution.Meteor Shower © David Kingham, Astronomy Photographer of the Year Earth and Space Commended 2013 The same two stars that lead us to the Northern star, Polaris, lead us to Leo in the opposite direction. This group of 7 bright stars belongs to the constellation Ursa Major. The brightest star is Denebola, a star almost twice the size and mass of our Sun.Īnother way of finding Leo is using the Plough. This fast rotation also causes Regulus A to bulge at its equator, giving it an egg-like shape, instead of a sphere.Ī triangle of stars east of the Sickle represents Leo’s torso and back legs. It takes 16 hours for one rotation, while our Sun takes about 27 days. It’s a system of at least 4 stars, and the biggest of them, Regulus A, spins around its axis so fast that if it were spinning any faster, it would fall apart. This seemingly normal bright star is anything but normal in reality. Leo’s head and front legs are the easiest to find if you look for the backwards question mark pattern known as the Sickle, with the dot of the question mark being the brightest star in Leo: Regulus. April is the perfect month to spot the zodiac constellation Leo, as it stays visible throughout the entire night from sunset to sunrise. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |