| Title: |
April Skywatch Highlights |
| Location: |
Hawaiian Islands |
| Date / Time: |
April 2009 |
| Comments: |
April provides wonderful opportunities for spring stargazing in our magnificent Hawaiian skies. SATURN puts on a grand show this month & is viewable nearly all night long. You will find Saturn high in the southeast just after sunset, shining brighter than any of the stars in Leo, the constellation which currently hosts the ringed planet. Saturn is just southeast of the lion's hind quarters & appears twice as bright as Regulus, the "heart" of the lion. JUPITER blazes in the early morning sky this month, rising in the east around 4 AM at the beginning of April, and by 2:30 AM at months end. Jupiter appears in Capricornus, & shines far brighter than any other object in this dim region of the sky. Venus & Mars join Jupiter in the predawn sky, easier to spot by mid-April than at the start of the month.
Hard to miss VENUS in the early morning, as it shines much brighter than any other object in the sky (except the Moon, of course). It will rise from the east at around 4:40 AM in the middle of April, and by 4AM at the end of the month. MARS is a bit more challenging to find as a pale orange "dot" compared to brilliant Venus & Jupiter. From April 12-16, look for Mars to the right of Venus in the pre-dawn sky. On April 18th the red planet slides below (south) of Venus and remains below Venus for the rest of the month. On the mornings of April 21st & 22nd, look for the waning crescent Moon to join the two planets.
April is the best time this year to see MERCURY. Beginning the second week in April, Mercury begins to pop out of the Sun's glow after sunset. Start looking for Mercury around 7:15 PM, very low in the west. After April 8th, the tiny innermost planet appears progressively higher each night, as its angular distance from the Sun increases. On April 9th, Mercury shines as bright as Sirius, the sky's brightest star. From April 25-30, Mercury passes just below the spectacular Pleiades star cluster (AKA: the Seven Sisters). On April 26th look toward the western horizon around 7:45 PM for a stunning sight: a crescent Moon joins Mercury & the Pleiades in the deepening twilight.
THE SOUTHERN CROSS, in the constellation Crux, is viewable in the late night & early morning hours. You'll need a cloudless view of the southern horizon. In mid-April, Crux rises in the southeast, tipped on its left side, at around 9 PM, & is high enough above the horizon to view by 10 PM. The Roman style "cross" asterism stands fully upright, due south, at 11:30 PM. At this time look for 2 bright stars, Alpha & Beta Centauri, "pointing" to it from the east. (Best viewing between 11:30PM & 12:30AM in mid April. Note that Hawaii is one of the few places where we can see all the way from the North Star, Polaris (Hokupa'a), to the Southern Cross, a Polynesian navigational "star line" called Ka Iwikuamo'o, "The Backbone."
For further details & an April sky map, visit Bishop Museum Planetarium www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium (bishopmuseum.org).
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Maintained by Roz Reiner - Kauai, Hawaii
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