The Sky This Week 16-22 April 2003
The Moon wanes in the morning skies this week. Last Quarter occurs on the 23rd at 8:18 am Eastern Daylight Time. Look for Luna near the ruddy star Antares low in the south on the mornings of the 19th and 20th. By the morning of the 21st she’s crossing the teapot asterism of Sagittarius, and by the week’s end she’s closing in on Mars in the pre-dawn gathering twilight.
As the Moon abandons the evening sky, let’s take stock of the main players that remain. The twilight hours are dominated by Jupiter, while Saturn and the setting stars o the Great Winter Circle are still visible in the west and southwest. High overhead lie the seven stars that make up the asterism we call the Big Dipper, whose two stars at the end of the ìbowlî point to Polaris in one direction and to Regulus in the other. Regulus leads Leo, the Lion across the meridian during the late evening. Following Leo is the vast area of the sky bounded by the constellation Virgo, and high in the east you’ll find the beautiful topaz tinge of the bright star Arcturus. If you’re out in the wee hours, look for the rising stars of the Summer Triangle.
The elusive glimmer of Mercury may still be glimpsed above the western horizon about 20 minutes after sunset. The fleet planet will be about 10 degrees high at this time, but he is beginning to fade as he heads for passage between the Earth and the Sun on May 7th. Binoculars are always a help in spotting him, and you’ll really need them by the week’s end. Finding Mercury is always a challenge, and with the increasing humidity and pollen in the air he’s even tougher to see.
Saturn is still a good target for the back yard telescope, but you have to be ready to start looking at him as soon as he pops into view. He’s getting harder to see from my front yard now thanks to the neighborhood trees, so my best views of him are now made from the local soccer field. He’s worth the effort, though. His rings never fail to dazzle passersby, and I never tire of looking at them.
Jupiter appears just west of the meridian as twilight falls. Fortunately his high declination in the sky keeps him quite visible well past midnight, but he, too has only a limited window for good telescopic observation. Your best bet is to catch him in deep twilight, since he’s still near his highest point in the sky and is less likely to be affected by heat currents from the budding leaves on the trees.
Mars continues to wend his way through the star-poor reaches of the late summer and autumn constellations. Over the next few weeks he’ll transit the sway-backed triangle that delineates Capricornus. He’ll then take up summer residence in the even more ambiguous figure of Aquarius. He’ll definitely dominate this part of the sky for the rest of the year!
