On Topic: Astro News

Friday, April 13
"I'm not superstitious, it brings bad luck,"
said baseball great Yogi Berra - and for sure,
expecting bad things tends to bring them on.
So if you need a counter-jinx for today being
Friday the 13th, note that Venus in the western
dusk is passing directly between the Pleiades
and Aldebaran. Why should that bring good
luck? Why not?

The waning crescent Moon hangs lower left of
Mars as dawn brightens tomorrow morning.

Saturday, April 14
When darkness descends, look just 1/3° left
of bright Venus for the 4.4-magnitude star
37 Tauri. Binoculars will help.

Sunday, April 15
The brightest star in the eastern sky these
evenings is ginger-ale-colored Arcturus. The
brightest off to its lower right (by three
fist-widths at arm's length) is Spica, icy
blue-white. Rising later in the northeast later
at night is Vega, shining a clearer white.

Monday, April 16
Right after dark this week, scanning from
the southwest rightward, you'll find a
horizontal layer of bright constellations:
Canis Major with brilliant Sirius, Orion
with his horizontal belt, Aldebaran, Venus,
and the Pleiades. Above that lies a second
layer of "winter" constellations - Canis Minor,
Gemini, and Auriga

Tuesday, April 17
New Moon (exact at 7:36 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time).

Wednesday, April 18
"April is galaxy time," writes Sue French

Thursday, April 19
The crescent Moon shines beautifully between Venus
and the Pleiades this evening as seen from the
Americas; see the illustration below. Think photo opportunity!

As seen from northeastern Europe a few hours earlier,
the Moon skims the Pleiades at dusk.


This Week's Planet Roundup

Mercury is hidden in the glare of sunrise.

Venus (magnitude -4.1, in Taurus) is the
brilliant "Evening Star" blazing in the
west during and after twilight.

Mars (magnitude +1.1, in Aquarius) remains
low in the east-southeast during dawn.

Jupiter (magnitude -2.4, in southern Ophiuchus)
rises around midnight daylight saving time and
dominates the south before dawn.

Saturn (magnitude +0.3, at the Leo-Cancer border)
shines very high in the south or southwest during
evening. Regulus, less bright, is 12° to its left.
North of (above) Regulus is Algieba (Gamma Leonis),
nearly as bright.

Uranus is hidden in the sunrise.

Neptune (magnitude 8) is upper right of Mars
before sunrise but probably still too low and
faint to see through the dawn glow even with
a telescope.

Pluto (magnitude 14, in northwestern Sagittarius)
is not far from Jupiter in the south before dawn.
It's only one 3-millionth as bright!



--
There are those who believe that life here, began out there, far across the
universe, with tribes of humans, who may have been the forefathers of the
Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans. Some believe that they may yet be
brothers of man, who even now fight to survive, somewhere beyond the
heavens.


The Lone Sidewalk Astronomer of Rosamond
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord
Sidewalk Astronomy
www.sidewalkastronomy.info
The Church of Eternity
http://home.inreach.com/starlord/church/Eternity.html
AD World
http://www.adworld.netfirms.com/