Celestial Events in April (Patreon)

Hey Patrons! Here's a quick look at what is happening in our skies this month.

Tomorrow, April 3rd: Venus/ Pleiades conjunction
Venus and the Pleiades will intersect in the night sky, making for a unique view when viewed through a telescope (or captured with a camera) I plan on capturing this event if weather permits, but right now I am forecasting clouds. To observe this, look to the Western sky just after dusk.

April 8th: Full Moon/Supermoon
This is the 3rd supermoon this year. This full moon is often referred to as the "Pink" moon due to it coinciding with the appearance of pink moss, but has many other names by various cultures, such as sprouting grass, glowing, egg, fish. I like pink the best. I plan on capturing this one in HDR. 

April 14th: Moon/Saturn conjunction
The moon will drift close to Saturn, visible right before dawn in the Eastern sky. The angle of separation will mean they will appear together in the same photographs taken at around 300mm. I may try and capture this event, but will most likely capture each separately and bring together in a composite due to their angle of separation.

April 16th: Moon/Mars conjunction
The moon and Mars will appear to pass eachother, potentially visible within the same field of view at 300mm (for a full frame camera). I will probably not attempt to capture this event. 

April 18th: Atlas Comet
Right now this comet is forecasted to brighten considerably, potentially to even become as bright as Venus in May. It will still be fairly dim, but in the evenings leading up to new moon it should be easy to spot in binoculars from dark skies. Look up the precise location using an app is easy- I recommend Sky Safari. If you have a telescope, you may be able to see a hint of the green color, which will definitely show in photographs. I will be attempting to capture this comet for the first time this weekend. 

April 22nd: The Lyrids Meteor shower
This event coincides nearly perfectly with a new moon, so it will be perfect for observing. Grab a blanket and a friend and lay out under the night sky to see perhaps up to 20 meteors per hour. If I can get to dark skies I may attempt to capture this, but unfortunately my location is not ideal for this at home. You will see the majority of the meteors after midnight, and they will appear to be coming from Lyra (Eastern sky)

April 23rd: New Moon
Always the best night for stargazing, the lack of a moon in the sky (it sets the same time as the sun) makes for the best times to do any deep space photography or visual astronomy. I will be capturing the faintest galaxies around this time.

April 27th: Venus at peak brightness
Even though greatest Eastern elongation has already happened, Venus is yet to reach it's brightest point. It will be reflecting the most sunlight back to Earth on the evening of April 27th. Be sure to check it out in the Western sky at dusk. (Fun fact- right now you can spot Venus in the daytime sky if you know where to look. Looks like a star in the daytime. Crazy!).