Saturday: Poor
Jupiter. Objects from space just keep bombarding it. On March 17 2016, two
amateur astronomers, unbeknownst to each other, had their cameras aimed at
Jupiter when a brief flash of light appeared on the limb. This is the fifth
time such an impact has been observed in the past ten years. For more
information, go to http://goo.gl/6eV7ql. Tonight, nothing large is likely to hit
Jupiter. But you can see for yourself at 11:30 a.m. when Jupiter is one fist held
upright and at arm’s length above the southeast horizon.
Sunday: The
Stargate movies and TV shows have access to a portal to other planets. Harry
Potter has access to a portal to the Chamber of Secrets. You have access to a
Portal to the Universe. This portal is not in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom but on
the web at http://www.portaltotheuniverse.org/.
It is a repository of up-to-date astronomy news, blogs, and podcasts.
One recent
feature highlights all of the surface feature names on Pluto’s large moon
Charon that were recently approved by the International Astronomical Union. Some
of my favorites are Dorothy Crater, named for the main character in The Wizard
of Oz, Kubrick Mons, named for the famed film director, and Clarke Montes,
named for the science fiction author. (Note the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme.) For
more names, go to https://www.iau.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iau1803
Monday: The
Lyrid meteor shower peaks next week. But there will be increased meteor
activity for the next two weeks in the vicinity of the constellation Lyre. The
meteors appear to come from a point to the right of the bright bluish star Vega
in the constellation Lyra the lyre. This point is about three fists above the east-northeast
horizon at midnight and close to straight overhead near dawn.
Tuesday: Venus
is about a half fist to the right of the young waxing crescent Moon at 8:30
p.m. Look for them low in the western sky.
Wednesday: Are you thirsty when you get up in the morning? If so, that’s
okay because the Big Dipper is positioned to hold water in the morning sky.
Look three fists above the northwest horizon at 5 a.m. You’ll see three stars
that make a bent handle and four stars that make a cup.
Thursday: Mars and Saturn are neighbors in the southern morning sky. At 5:30
a.m., Saturn is two fists above the southern horizon, just a few degrees east
of due south. Mars is a little bit brighter and a little bit lower in the sky,
one fist to the lower left of Saturn.
Friday: Remember
the old saying: April showers bring… meteors. The Lyrid meteor shower peaks
tomorrow night through Sunday morning. But tonight and tomorrow morning should
also bring an increase in meteors. The meteors will appear to come from a point
to the right of the bright bluish star Vega in the constellation Lyra the lyre.
This point is about three fists above the east-northeast horizon at midnight
tonight and close to straight overhead near dawn. The best time to look is just
before dawn since that is when the radiant, or point from which the meteors
appear to come, is high in the sky. This year, the Moon is in the first quarter
phase so it will not be providing much light to obscure the meteors during the
prime viewing time after midnight. Typically, this is one of the least
interesting major meteor showers of the year. However, it is also one of the
most unpredictable. As recently as 1982, there were 90 meteors visible during a
single hour. In addition, the Lyrid meteor shower has historical interest
because it was one of the first ones observed. Chinese records say “stars fell
like rain” in the shower of 687 B.C. As your Mother might say, dress warm and
sit in a comfortable chair for maximum enjoyment. Meteors are tiny rocks that
hit the Earth and burn up in the atmosphere. For more information, go to http://earthsky.org/?p=158735.
The
positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically
accurate for the entire week. For up to date information about the night sky,
go to https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/planner.cfm.
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