FOLLOWING the eclipse of the Sun in March we return to the night sky. By April the seasonal change from winter constellations to spring constellations is more or less complete.

The Plough is practically overhead, with the ‘W’ of Cassiopeia is at its lowest. The stars Vega and Deneb which form two thirds of the summer triangle are rising in the northeast although they have yet to become prominent.

The main spring stars can now easily be found. In the south is the constellation Leo (the Lion), which looks like a giant backwards question mark, and at its base is the bright star Regulus. To find Regulus use the two pointers in the plough and rather than drawing a line to the North Star, go in the opposite direction.

The plough can also help us find two other bright stars in the spring sky. Using the handle of the Plough draw a curve round and down. This line will reach the bright orange star Arcturus in the constellation of Bootes (the Herdsman). If the line is continued further it will reach the bright blue-white star Spica in the constellation of Virgo (the Virgin).

What’s up in the solar system?

The Planets in April

Mercury is the most difficult of the naked eye planets to see but by the end of the month it can be seen low in the west just after sunset. Mercury will look like a bright pinkish ‘star’.

Jupiter is still dominating the southern sky as a bright white dot in the sky. Now Venus is becoming much more noticeable in the west and by the end of the month it will be setting 4 hours after the Sun.

Saturn is still visible in the morning sky at around 3am, while Mars is still too close to the Sun to be easily seen.

Meteor Showers

The first major meteor shower since January can be seen this month. The April Lyrids occur on the night of April 23rd/24th when about 10 meteors per hour can be seen. The Lyrids are so named because they appear to come from the constellation of Lyra (the Lyre). Meteors are tiny grains of dust left over from comets that travel around the Sun. This meteor shower is the remains of comet Thatcher 1861.

Phases of the Moon for April

Full Moon 4th, Last Quarter 12th, New Moon 18th, First Quarter 25th

The full moon this month is called the Egg Moon. With warmer days and longer periods of daylight chickens, ducks and geese start to lay more eggs.

The next meeting of the Earby Astronomical society will be on Friday March 27th 2015 at All Saints’ Church, Earby from 7.30pm-9.00pm. The speaker will be Gary Poyner FRAS, Heart of England Astronomical Society and the title of the talk will be ‘Historical Novae’.