LISTEN to this week’s Sky Report
This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through April 13th, 2016. Here’s what’s happening in the skies of southern California.
Look for the innermost planet, Mercury, between 7:45 and 8:00 p.m. It will appear as a bright star-like spot, just above the horizon and slightly north of due west. Mercury becomes easier to see night by night as it continues to move higher in the sky through the 18th. Mercury sets at between 8:44 and 8:58 p.m. over the period April 6th to April 13th. On Thursday the 8th, the slender crescent moon, only 1½ days past new, appears 8 degrees to the upper left of Mercury.
The moon will continue to appear higher and set later night after night. Between the 8th and the 13th, the time of moonset advances from 9:05 p.m. to 1:13 a.m. On the afternoon of Sunday the 10th, west coast observers equipped with telescopes will be able to see the moon pass in front of, or occult, the bright orange star Aldebaran of the constellation Taurus the Bull. With the moon to focus on, the star should be easy to see, in spite of the bright daylight. The unlit side of the moon instantly covers Aldebaran at 2:22 p.m., PDT. The star will just as suddenly appear from behind the midpoint of the moon’s lit edge at 3:43 p.m., PDT. A map showing all locations from which the occultation may be observed is available online from the United States Naval Observatory. The moon’s phase changes from crescent to first quarter on the 13th.
Jupiter, in the constellation Leo the Lion, is the brightest planet now visible and it becomes obvious in the eastern sky starting shortly after sunset. At 11:45 p.m., Jupiter is at it’s highest, 64 degrees above the southern horizon, and gradually descends to the west, where it sets at about 5:00 a.m. Jupiter’s four largest moons, its Galilean satellites, are visible through steadily-held binoculars. A telescope reveals Jupiter’s banded clouds and other features of its turbulent atmosphere. Jupiter’s most familiar feature, the oval storm called the Great Red Spot, will be visible to west coast observers looking at 9:00 p.m. on April 7th, 9th, and12th. Jupiter is currently the main planet featured through Griffith Observatory’s public telescopes.
Orange planet Mars and the golden planet Saturn are both in the constellation Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer and they both rise above the east-southeast horizon before midnight. Mars and Saturn are best seen shortly before dawn when they are highest in the southern sky. These planets are part of an attractive grouping of four luminous objects. The brightest of these is Mars. To its left is the second brightest member of the quartet, Saturn. Below Mars are two stars of the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion, the bright orange star Antares, and the slightly fainter blue-white star delta Scorpii.
Comet 252/P LINEAR passed close to the earth in March and continues to be bright enough, at about magnitude 6, to see through binoculars from wilderness areas free of light pollution. The fading comet is in the constellation Ophiuchus, only a small distance northeast of Saturn and Mars in the morning sky. Comet LINEAR appears as a round diffuse haze, with no tail. In photographs, it appears deep green. Use the finder chart on the Griffith Observatory comet information page to identify it.
Free views of the sun during the day and of the moon, planets, and other celestial objects at night are available to the public in clear weather through Griffith Observatory’s telescopes from Tuesday through Sunday, before 9:30 p.m. Check our website for the schedule. The next public star party on the grounds of Griffith Observatory, hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Sidewalk Astronomers, and the Planetary Society, will take place on Saturday, April 16th.
Follow the Sky Report on Twitter for updates of astronomy and space-related events.
From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com