An Astronomical Day
The moon waxes through evening skies this week, reaching full phase Wednesday. Look for it just a few degrees to the west of Mars Saturday. The next night it is flanked with Mars to the right and Spica even closer to its left. Tuesday the near-full moon is five degrees to the right of Saturn and 10 degrees to the left Wednesday. The moon is so bright, you’ll have to hunt for the ringed planet.
This is Saturn’s best appearance, as the planet reaches opposition, rising around sunset and remaining visible until daybreak.
Jupiter is high in the southwest at sunset, the brightest nighttime object until the moon rises and an easy target until settnig around midnight. Castor and Pollux, the twins of Gemin, which actually appear quite distinct from one another, are just above Jupiter,
If you have a clear view to the west-northwest horizon, look for Mercury emerging from the haze of evening twilight before setting itself shortly after 9pm. The planet is quite bright and grows more so in the coming nights, appearing higher each night through much of May.
Venus is brilliant as the Morning Star low in the east during dawn. With binoculars or a small telescope, look to the upper left of Venus for distant Uranus, which is only two degrees away Thrusday the 15th.
Saturday marks spring Astronomy Day, an annual event begun by California astronomer Doug Berger in 1973. The idea began with astronomers setting up telescopes in busy urban locations so that city-dwellers could be introduced to the joys of the night sky. Now it’s commemorated around the world by friends and family gathering to exploring the heavens together.