~ St. Maarten’s Backyard Astronomy for April 26, 27 & 28 ~
Sun rises at 5:48am
Sun sets at 6:31pm
Lunar phase: 3rd quarter, waxing
Moon rises at 12:23am, Saturday
Moon sets at 11:49am, Saturday
This is a special edition of Looking up at the Night Sky because we bring you the WEEKender on Friday, meaning why not consider the three-day weekend for those who enjoy stars, planets, the moon and other points of nature in the heavens? So as jouvert morning finds you revelling in all your pre-dawn glory, perhaps you spare a moment to cast your eyes upwards and eastwards to see the moon and Saturn make a close encounter.
The moon, in fact, has been traveling eastward each night this week away from the planet Jupiter and toward the ringed planet. Remember, though, that although Saturn is easily visible to the naked eye, you of course need a telescope to view its majestic rings.
For Friday evening, look for the constellation Hercules. It can be seen rising in the east-northeastern sky in the mid- to late-hours. Hercules, the kneeling giant and perhaps the first superhero, can be found between two extremely bright stars: Arcturus and Vega.
Arcturus is in the constellation Bootes, and Vega is in the constellation Lyra. A line between Arcturus and Vega passes through what is known as the Keystone – an asterism, or noticeable pattern – in Hercules. The Keystone is a squarish figure in the centre of Hercules.
Thank you for keeping up with the Night Sky articles. If you are out later on in the week, each star rises about four minutes earlier each day than written here, and the moon rises 50 minutes later. Night Sky is researched and compiled by Lisa Davis-Burnett. Earthsky.org is a key resource for information and images. Questions or comments? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
