April 2018 Sky Calendar
Apr 2, 2018 2:52:45 GMT
Post by Joe on Apr 2, 2018 2:52:45 GMT
CVAS Monthly Sky Calendar for April 2018
Uranus –Uranus starts the month in the western evening skies very low on the horizon right after sunset. It is not up very long and gets even lower as it approaches conjunction with the Sun on the 18th. So after the first week of the month it will be too close to the Sun to see for the rest of the month. During the month, its magnitude will around 5.9 with a diameter of 3.5 arc-seconds.
Venus – Venus can be found in the western evening skies after sunset. To start the month, it is up for around 1 ½ hours after sunset, by months end it be up for over 2 hours after sunset and 24° high at sunset. Its phase for the month will go from 94% to 89% with its size going from 10.5 to 11.5 arc-seconds and a magnitude around -3.9 for the whole month.
Jupiter –Jupiter is best viewed in the middle of the night/toward morning when it higher up in southern skies. As Jupiter approaches opposition next month it up for a good part of the night with it being up close to 8 hours to start the month, by month’s end this increases to 9 1/2 hours. During the month the size goes from 42.5 to 44.6 arc-seconds with a magnitude from -2.4 to -2.5.
Saturn- For this month it is best viewed toward morning when it is highest up in the southern skies. To start the month it is up for around 4 hours before sunrise, by month’s end this will increase 5 1/2 hours. The size of Saturn itself go from 16.6 arc-seconds to 17.4 arc-seconds with a magnitude going from 0.5 to 0.4 during the month. The rings are tilted close to 26% for this month.
Mars – Mars is still best viewed this month in the morning hours when it is highest up in the southern skies an hour or so before sunrise. It is up around 4 ½ hours before sunrise for the month. It is size is increasing some as it approaches opposition this coming summer with it being between 8.5 and 11.0 arc-seconds for the month. Mars is now probably big enough to maybe see some details on it on during steady skies. Mars is getting easy to see with the naked eye, with its magnitude increases during the month going from 0.3 to -0.35.
For the first few days of the month Mars and Saturn will be close to each other, with their closest approach being on April 2nd when they will be only 1.3° apart.
Neptune – After just coming out of conjunction with the Sun, Neptune starts the month very low on the eastern horizon right be sunrise and too close to the Sun to see, but rises up some as the month goes on, being up for 2 hours before sunrise, being 21° high at sunrise. During the month its size will be around 2.2 arc-seconds with a magnitude of around 7.9.
Mercury – Mercury is in inferior conjunction with the Sun on the 1st so it will be not possible to view the first part of the month. After it comes out of conjunction it will be possible to see it very low on the eastern horizon right before sunrise towards the end of the month. It is not a good apparition this time around with only it being up for less than 1 hour and only at most being around 9° high at sunrise. During the month its phase will go from 1% up to 44%, it size from 11 arc-seconds to 8 arc-seconds and it magnitude from 5.2 to 0.5.