By Melanie McQuigg (Y12)
Prepare your telescope and set your alarms if you dare to during the break, because this night sky will be showing off more celestial sights during the holidays, from rare planetary meet-ups to ancient meteor shower, the last part of this month will offer you front row seats to someof the most amazing visual alignments of the year. Whether you are a dedicated astronomer or just a casual observer, these three events will transform the heavens into a glowing gallery of “Earthshine”, “fireballs” and “blue diamonds”. Here is everything you should look foward to seeing during the break…
Crescent and Morning Star – 18th of April
As the spring sun disappears, a delicate waxing crescent moon, which will only be 6% illuminated, will rise in its place and pair up with the glowing Venus. This is another great opportunity to look for “Earthshine” also famously known as the “Da Vinci glow” on the darkest part of the moon. This ethereal effect is caused by sunlight reflecting off our planet, the Earth’s clouds. Watching from above the Seven Sisters will be sparkling like a handful of delicate blue diamonds. You won’t want to miss this as the Pleiades cluster is preparing to vanish by the end of April as it will be going into seasonal hibernation. The contrast between these the thin silver moon, piercing brilliance of venus and the misty blue stars will be showstopping and this will most likely be the most photogenic evening of the month.
The Tremendous Trio – 20th of April
For those of you willing to get up early during the holidays, the eastern horizon will offer a rare reward. This event will happen about 45 minutes before sunrise, low in the east-southeast. There will be a rare planetary meeting between Mercury, Mars, and Saturn who will be huddled very tightly together. The trio will fit within an incredibly tight 3-degree window. To help you imagine this, the entire trio would fit behind the width of just your two fingers held at arm’s length in the distance against the sky. While Mars and Saturn are regulars in the night sky and give off a steady glow, this will be special with the presence of the elusive Mercury who will join the duo to complete the alignment. You won’t need any equipment to see this but binoculars will aid you to fully appreciate this before the morning sun washes it away.
Lyrid Fireballs – 22nd of April
This will wrap up the peak time for the oldest recorded shower in history: the Lyrids. The shower will be active for a few days but it will show its best colors on this night and early into the morning of the 23rd. You will have to time it right as its best viewing window is between the time the Moon sets and the sun rises. Make sure to look out between 2:00am and dawn to see the sky at its darkest and therefore the meteors at their brightest. You will be able to spot about 15-18 meteors per hour. The Lyrids are famous for appearing as fireballs, intense streaks of light that will leave sparkly ghost trails lingering in the air for a number of seconds. Look towards the bright star Vega which should be directly above you and let yourself be impressed by the universe, no telescope needed.