Recent Posts

Tuesday 2 April 2013

The April Sky

If it stops raining and snowing, one may see Saturn this month clearly in Libra. It will be brighter than Spica and show up at the end of April. Hydra, the Sea Serpent, is still visible until May. Leo, the Lion killed by Hercules will also be clear with Regulus and Denebola, two stars visible. Of course, the Great Bear, or the Big Dipper, is easy to see in April, again on a clear night. If one follows the "ladle", one can locate Libra, Spica and Saturn, which, if one has good eyes, looks yellowish.

I always look for the planets first, but knowing these are located in or near constellations helps those who already have some knowledge of the night sky. By the way, there are five galaxies in Ursa Major, the Big Bear, and in Libra. I can recommend a telescope shop in Dorking, if one wants to get serious about looking at the night sky.