Saturn and the Moon, April 2014
Thursday, April 17, 3 a.m. EDT. The nearly Full Moon will pass just north of the planet Saturn. Observers in southern South America and French Polynesia will see the moon occult Saturn. Saturn is just appearing from behind the moon as seen from Papeete, Tahiti. [See our April Night Sky Stargazing Guide]
Last Quarter Moon, April 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 3:52 a.m. EDT. The Last Quarter Moon rises around 2:15 a.m. and sets around 1 p.m. It is most easily seen just after sunrise in the southern sky. [See our April Night Sky Stargazing Guide]
New Moon, April 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2:14 a.m. EDT. This is the second New Moon this month. There is no special name for this event. Notice how much closer the sun and moon are compared to the New Moon on April 1. At the next New Moon on April 29, the moon will pass directly in front of the sun, causing an annular solar eclipse, visible in Antarctica and Australia. [See our April Night Sky Stargazing Guide]
Annular Solar Eclipse, April 2014
Tuesday, April 29. This annual eclipse will only be total in a small area in Antarctica, but will be widely seen as a partial eclipse. The partial phases all be visible from most of Australia, and far across the southern Indian Ocean. It is seen here from Hobart, Tasmania. [See our April Night Sky Stargazing Guide]
Mercury, April 2014
Mercury is too close to the sun to be observed this month. [See our April Night Sky Stargazing Guide]
Venus, April 2014
Venus is now a “morning star,” rising in the east just before the sun. [See our April Night Sky Stargazing Guide]
Jupiter, April 2014
Jupiter shines brightly in the south in Gemini most of the night, setting in the northwest around 2 a.m. The Great Red Spot is easier to see than in many recent years, showing a distinct orange color. [See our April Night Sky Stargazing Guide]
Saturn, April 2014
Saturn, in Libra, rises in the eastern sky around 10 p.m., and is visible the rest of the night. [See our April Night Sky Stargazing Guide]
Neptune, April 2014
Neptune is close to Venus in Aquarius all month, rising just before the sun. [See our April Night Sky Stargazing Guide]
