1. Highlighting the Near and Deep Sky
What’s Up E W
Highlighting the Near and Deep Sky
April , 2018 S

2. General Information April 2018
Among this month’s celestial happenings:
Early risers get to see some interesting solar system groupings.
On “tax day”, solar and civil time agree – significance unclear.
Late night aficionados reap a favorable year for one of our annual meteor showers.
Sunset Range: 7:43 PM (April 1st) to 8:08 PM (April 30th).
End of Astronomical Twilight*: 9:12 PM (April 1st) to 9:46 PM (April 30th).
* This is “full darkness” – the sun has reached 18° below the horizon. It’s usually dark enough for observing about a half hour before this.

3. Moon Phases
April 2018
Sun., 8th – Last Quarter (Fri./Sat. observing opportunities April 6th/7th)
Sun., 15th – New Moon (Fri./Sat. observing opportunities April 13th/14th)
Sun., 22nd – First Quarter
Sun., 29th – Full Moon
Roughly speaking:
First Quarter Moon is highest at sunset and sets at midnight
Full Moon rises at sunset and is in the sky all night
Last (“Third”) Quarter Moon rises at midnight and is highest at dawn
New Moon sets at sunset and is absent from the sky all night

4. Celestial Events April 2018
Mon., 2nd, Pre-dawn Sky – Saturn about 1.25º north of Mars, which in turn is about 0.25º north of globular cluster M22.
Sat., 7th, 6:30 a.m.– Find Saturn about 0.6º from the lower left edge of the nearly due south, waning gibbous Moon (which is also 3.4º from Mars). How long will Saturn remain visible?
Sun., 8th – Moon at apogee; distance Earth-radii.
Sun., 15th – The equation of time is 0 – Sun and clocks in sync.
Tues., 17th – Saturn at aphelion, AU from the Sun. Farthest since 1959.
Fri., 20th – Moon at perigee; distance Earth-radii (9.1% closer than on the 8th).
Sat./Sun, 21st/22nd – Peak of Lyrid Meteor Shower; good rates for three nights on either side of the peak. Waxing crescent Moon sets 2:01 a.m.
Tues., 24th – Mag Venus sparkles 3.5º from Pleiades, low in the west.
Sat., April 7th, 6:30 AM
28º

5. (~30 min. before full darkness)
April 15th, 9:00 p.m.
(~30 min. before full darkness)
Sinus Iridium
For tonight, Mar. 19th, 8:30 p.m. is about 30 min. before full darkness.
Sinus Aestuum 15 17
Venus
West on the Moon
(East in our sky)
East on the Moon
(West in our sky) E 11 W 12 14 16
Stargazers Online S S

6. What’s Up programs are posted on the RVAS Website!
Questions
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What’s Up programs are posted on the RVAS Website!