LISTEN to this week’s Sky Report
This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through April 4th, 2019. Here’s what’s happening in the skies of southern California.
The nearly moon-free conditions this weekend make it the best time of year to see most, if not all, of the 110 Messier objects in one night. Named for the eighteenth Century French astronomer Charles Messier, who cataloged the permanent telescopic objects of the night sky that could be confused for comets, the Messier objects are now considered the finest “first” collection of objects to see through small telescopes. An enthusiastic amateur astronomer equipped with a telescope at least four inches in diameter, finder charts, a dark sky, and a flat horizon, can see nearly all of the objects in one night by starting the search about an hour after sunset and continuing it all night long. This year, the night of March 30-31 is the best weekend night for what is known as a Messier Marathon, an observing feat that is held annually by many astronomy clubs.
The red-hued planet Mars is in the west at nightfall in the constellation Taurus the Bull. Mars is now more than twice as far from us as the sun, or nearly six times as far away as it was last summer, when it made a relatively close approach. It is similar in color to, but fainter than, the brightest star in Taurus, Aldebaran.
The waning crescent moon is visible for a shorter time morning after morning until it becomes too low in the sky to see before sunrise after April 2nd. Before it exits the morning sky, however, it appears near four bright planets that are best seen at about 6:15 a.m. or about half an hour before sunrise. From left to right, and ascending from the east-southeast to the south, the planets are Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter. On the morning of March 28th, the moon is between Jupiter, the second brightest planet, in the constellation Ophiuchus the Snake Bearer, and the golden planet Saturn, in Sagittarius the Archer. The moon is five degrees to the left of Saturn on March 29th. The moon is 7 degrees to the right of the brightest planet, Venus, on April 1st. On the 2nd, the moon is between Venus and faint Mercury, the innermost planet. Mercury may be a little challenging to see against the bright sky, six degrees to the left of the moon.
Free views of the Sun during the day and of the moon, planets, and other celestial objects at night are available to the public in clear weather through Griffith Observatory’s telescopes from Tuesday through Sunday, before 9:30 p.m. Check our website for the schedule. The next free public star party on the grounds of Griffith Observatory, hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Sidewalk Astronomers, and the Planetary Society, will take place on Saturday, April 13th between 2:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Follow The Sky Report, All Space Considered, and Griffith Observatory on Twitter for updates on astronomy and space-related events.
From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook, and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.