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April 2010 | Diese Seite in deutsch  |
| Index: | Links to Astronomy...  |
 Overview
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 Events
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 The Starry Sky in April Sunrise and Sunset The Phases of the Moon The Planets |
 Mars over the Cradle Mercury at the Evening Sky Falling Stars in April | ||
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...with astronomical dusk/dawn for 52°31'30" North and 13°18'45" East at 3m above sealevel (StarryNight 2.0)
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1.: 03:38
11.: 03:08
21.: 02:35
1.5.: 01:57 (MET) | |
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1.: 05:43
11.: 05:20
21.: 04:58
1.5.: 04:37 (MET) | |
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1.: 18:39
11.: 18:56
21.: 19:13
1.5.: 19:31 (MET) | |
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1.: 20:44
11.: 21:09
21.: 21:38
1.5.: 22:13 (MET) |
 | 6.: 10:37 |
 | 14.: 13:29 |
 | 21.: 19:20 |
 | 28.: 13:18 (MET) |
 | in the first half of the month visible at the evening sky in Pisces/Aries | |
 | visible at the evening sky in Aries/Taurus | |
 | visible at the nightly sky in Cancer | |
 | invisible at the morning sky in Aquarius | |
 | visible at the nightly sky in Virgo | |
 | invisible at the morning sky in Pisces | |
 | invisible at the morning sky in Aquarius | |
 | visible at the morning/nightly sky in Sagittarius |
Illustrations: StarryNight 2.0 & -- jd --
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Since March 11 Mars shows a prograde motion over the sky again and had ended his opposition loop. Correlated to that the red planet slowly gets smaller and fainter. At the start of this month his brightness is 0m.2, at the end of this month it will be only 0m.7 (according to the Kosmos-Himmelsjahr). He moves at the nightly sky within the constellation of Cancer and there he passes the open star cluser M44 (Praesepe resp. Cradle, engl. Beehive Cluster):
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The minimum distance of Mars to M44 will be 1.1 degrees. So if there will be a clear sky at April 17 or within a few days before of after that date it will be possible to watch both celestial objects within a binocular or a telescope. At April 21/22 the Moon will be somewhat close to Mars. The minimum distance will be reached ad 2h MET at April 22 when Mars and Moon are 6.4 degrees separated from each other. In general this and the following Mars-Moon rendezvous are not that spectacular. In June Mars moves from the nightly sky into the evening sky.
This month Mercury together with Venus appears at the evening sky. After sunset one can look for the two planets at the Westnorthwestern sky:
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The most inner planet of the Solar system sets at the 1st of April at 20:23h MET and has a brightness of -0m.8 with a virtual diameter of 6 arc seconds and illuminated disk of 67%. Our inner neighbour planet sets only a few minutes afterwards, has a brightness of -3m.9 at with a virtual diameter of 10 arc seconds and a 94% illuminated disk. At the 4th of April both celestical bodies will have their closest approach with a distance of three degrees. Both planets are in the constellation of Aries.
At the 9th of April Mercury reaches his greatest Eastern elongation. His virtual distance to the Sun will be 19.3 degrees, then. His brightness has decreased to 0m.2, his diameter has increased to 7 arc seconds and he has an illuminated disk of 37%. Seen within a telescope Mercury grows further and his illuminated disk will decrease. At the 15th of April the thin crescent of the Moon will be 2.5 degrees South of Mercury. One day later the Moon will be close to Venus: our natural satellite will be 4.7 degrees North.
After that date the visibility of Mercury will decrease, because he is moving closer towards the Sun. Venus on the other side will increase her visibility. At April 30 she will be in the constellation of Taurus, will have a brightness of -3m.9, still, a diameter of 11 arc seconds and an illuminated disk of 89%.
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The Berlin starry sky at April 16 at 24h MET with Virginids, Sigma-Leonids and Lyrids 2010
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At the start of April the Hydraïds might be visible, which had their maximum at the 31st of March and which have their origin within the constellation of the Hydra.
Then in April three streams of falling stars have their maximum. The Virginids are already appearing in March and will be still visible at the start of May, but their maximum will be around April 10. This year this date lies between the 3rd quarter of the moon and new moon, so that nearly no stray light of the Moon will overshine the meteors. Even at the maximum there are no more than five visible meteors per hour expected. Their origin seems to be within the constellation of the Virgin.
A stream which is possibly non-existent anymore are the Sigma-Leonids, which have their maximum around April 17. The meteors won't be largely influenced by the light of the waxing Moon, so if there will be some meteors they should be good to see. Their origin lies within the Lion next to sigma Leonis.
The Lyrids are active from April 16 to 25. Their maximum this year will be around the 22nd of April and with this one day after the 1st quarter of the Moon. At the maximum their should be ten to twenty meteors per hours to see, which seem to come out of the Lyra.
From April 20 on there might be some Eta-Aquarids becoming visible, but their maximum will be at May 6. This date is next to the 3rd quarter of the Moon, and the more fainter objects of the up to twenty meteors per hour might become overshine by the Lunar light.
created: 2009-11-07 from German version
modified: 2009-11-08 translated
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