Stars over Sisters

A team of high school students who are members of the newly formed Sisters Astronomy Club are beginning a monthly column to inform the Sisters community of what's going on in the night sky. This first installment describes what can be seen during the month of April.

As the moon cycles through its phases this month, it will be new (dark) on April 3, then wax to full by April 17. First quarter falls on April 11 while the waning last quarter takes place on April 24.

The highlight in planet viewing this month will be Saturn. It will be at opposition on April 4. This means that the ringed planet is at its closest approach to Earth, and will be visible throughout the night. Saturn will spend the entire month in the constellation of Virgo, and can be found just northwest of the bright star Spica. Also, early in the morning, Venus will shine brightly low in the east, right before sunrise.

The Lyrid meteor shower occurs between April 16 and April 25, peaking on the 22nd. The Lyrids are caused when Earth travels through dust particles from the comet Thatcher. It isn't the strongest meteor shower, with rates being 10 to 20 meteors per hour typically. The meteors will emanate from the northeast part of the sky after midnight. Interfering light from a waxing gibbous moon will make it difficult to view the shower this year.

The prominent constellation of Orion the Hunter can be seen in the evening low in the southwest. The winter hexagon is also visible in this part of the sky and consists of the stars Rigel in the constellation Orion, Sirius (the brightest star in the sky) in Canis Major, Procyon in Canis Minor, Pollux and Castor in Gemini, Capella in Auriga, and Aldebaran in Taurus. Also in the constellation of Taurus, you will be able to see the Pleiades star cluster with the naked eye. The constellation of Leo the Lion is also visible high in the southern sky. Leo's head and mane is denoted by what looks like a backward question mark that is punctuated by Regulus, the constellation's brightest star.

But this just scratches the surface. There are many other wonderful sights to see with the aid of binoculars or a telescope, such as double stars, star clusters, diffuse nebulae and galaxies. So if you're interested in seeing more, attend the next Stars over Sisters star watch on Friday, April 29, at Sisters Park & Recreation District's Coffield Center. A pre-star-watch presentation begins at 8:30 p.m.