We are proud to present you with another edition of Marshall's night sky events this week! Welcome, we hope you find something of interest! Let us know in the replies if you did, we would love to hear about it! We have also started a look back at events this week in history, hope you enjoy the new segment.
Let's get started by examining the highlights of the night sky this week, 22-28 APRIL 2024. As usual we will list the highlights and discuss a few. We hope you find this info useful and if you have anything you wish to discuss or add, please hit the "Reply" button below and let us know!
Please note that all images are from Stellarium, the link to the webpage is here: http://stellarium.org/ All other information is freely gathered from various websites, Apps, planetarium software and social media. We would encourage you to download and print your finder charts more specific to your location, the charts/graphics included are for basic guidance only. Many websites like Sky maps.com will allow you to download and print out a free planisphere for each month, link: https://www.skymaps.com/
EVENTS
22nd) - Peak of the Lyrids meteor shower. The light of the close to Full Moon will hide all but the brightest meteors.
- Lunar Spica conjunction.
24th) - Full Moon at 23:48
26th) - Moon at Apogee. This micro moon will be smaller than average.
26th) - Lunar occultation of Antares. Visible from the Indian Ocean. A close conjunction for the rest of us.
27th - A challenge to see Jupiter in this last week of April as he fades into twilight to return in late Summer (Southern Winter)
28th - Virgo is Due South at Midnight this week.
PLANETS
Mercury, Venus and Mars rise just before the Sun this week and so are not visible.
Jupiter, magnitude –2.1 in Aries, is in the west-southwest in twilight. It sets less than an hour after Sun set.
Saturn is in the pre dawn sky but the shallow ecliptic angle keeps it close to the horizon.
Uranus, still close to Jupiter remains challenging to see.
Neptune is lost in the pre dawn light.
COMETS
C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS)
Fading (peak at mag 9.5 on 3 Mar 2024) in Cygnus, it brightened up to 9.6 mag from February to March. It is fading out rapidly now. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good conditions. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will become unobservable in May. The Comet is circumpolar from the Northern hemisphere below 50°N.
- Pan_O.png (101.16 KiB) Viewed 179 times
- Pan_I.png (147.95 KiB) Viewed 179 times
C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)
Brightening (peak at mag -1.8 on 4 Oct 2024) in Virgo it will reach
- Tsu_O.png (85.45 KiB) Viewed 179 times
- Tsu_I.png (59.41 KiB) Viewed 179 times
13P/Olbers
Olbers, in Taurus, is brightening (peak at mag 2.7 on 1 Jul 2024) but is moving towards the Sun this week when it will become unobservable. It will return brightening rapidly after this.
- Olb_O.png (99.76 KiB) Viewed 179 times
- Olb_I.png (63.62 KiB) Viewed 179 times
STARS
Betelgeuse has stopped fading. Orion's red supergiant, always a slow variable star, lost 0.3 or 0.4 magnitude (visual) from late January to early March, prompting speculation that another "great dimming" might be starting like its one in winter 2000. But for the last 5 weeks or so Betelgeuse has held at about mag +0.7.
Sirius - Have you ever tried for Sirius B? Sirius A and B are now at their widest apparent separation in their 50-year orbit, 11 arcseconds apart, and will remain so for the next couple years before they start closing up again.
T Coronae Borealis - A star system, located 3,000 light-years away from Earth, is predicted to become visible to the unaided eye soon. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunity as the nova outburst only occurs about every 80 years. T Coronae Borealis, or T CrB, last exploded in 1946 and astronomers believe it will do so again between February and September 2024. Plan ahead just in case! Full article here.
SPACE LAUNCHES
23rd) Starlink Group 6-53, Falcon 9 , Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA. 12:40 AM GMT
24th) Electron/Curie | Rocket Lab, Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand, 12:00 AM GMT
24th) WorldView Legion 1 & 2, Falcon 9 , Vandenberg SFB, California, USA, 08:30 PM GMT
25th) Shenzhou 18, Long March 2F/G | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China, 02:59 PM GMT
27th) Starlink Group 6-54, Falcon 9 , Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA, 12:40 AM GMT
International Space Station
We highly recommend using "Spot the station" from NASA to find out when the International Space station will be passing over your location. This is a fun object to see flying high above, try using binoculars here, lots of fun!
For the HAM radio enthusiasts among you, please keep a eye on the ARISS website for upcoming contacts or SSTV broadcasts for when the International Space Station is within range. There are several HAMS on board the
This video is from the
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
April 22nd:
338 years ago, in 1686, Giovanni Cassini discovers one of Saturn's moons, Dione.
7 years ago, in 2017, the Cassini probe makes its 127th and last Titan flyby.
April 23rd:
62 years ago, in 1962, Ranger 4 is launched to the Moon.
57 years ago, in 1967, the Soyuz 1 is launched for its maiden flight.
April 24th:
57 years ago, in 1967 the first space casualty happens when Vladimir Komarov dies during re-entry of Soyuz 1 due to a parachute malfunction.
54 years ago, in 1970, the first Chinese satellite, Dongfanghong I, is successfully launched.
34 years ago, in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope is launched aboard the shuttle Discovery (STS-31).
April 25th:
41 years ago, in 1983, Pioneer 10 crosses the orbit of Pluto, which was closer to the Sun than Neptune, due to its irregular orbit.
22 years ago, in 2002, on board the Soyuz TM-34 mission to the
April 26th:
104 years ago, in 1920, the Great Debate (Shapley–Curtis) about the size of the universe takes place at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.
62 years ago, in 1962, Ranger 4 crashes into the far side of the Moon, becoming the first American craft to reach another celestial body.
62 years ago, in 1962, Ariel 1, the first British satellite, is launched, making Britain the third country in the world to do so.
26 years ago, in 1998, Cassini makes its first pass by Venus for a gravity assist to Saturn.
17 years ago, in 2007, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) completes its first test flight.
11 years ago, in 2013, NEE-01 Pegaso becomes Ecuador's first satellite to be launched.
7 years ago, in 2017, the Cassini probe makes its first-ever trip between Saturn and its rings.
6 years ago, in 2018, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) takes its first test image, focusing on the constellation Centaurus.
April 27th:
63 years ago, in 1961, Explorer 11 is launched, carrying the first space-based gamma-ray telescope.
52 years ago, in 1972, Apollo 16 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean and is retrieved by the USS Ticonderoga.
22 years ago, in 2002, the last successful reception of telemetry is received from Pioneer 10, at a distance of 80.22
April 28th:
23 years ago, in 2001, on board the Soyuz TM-32 mission to the
23 years ago, in 2001, Canadarm2 is used for the first time after being installed on the
21 years ago, in 2003, NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), an ultraviolet space telescope, is launched.
And that is it for the upcoming week. We hope you can all get out and do some observing, whether it be night or day.
Clear skies!