Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Crescent Moon Joins Jupiter (after sunset)

A pretty sight will greet skywatchers at dusk on Wednesday, April 10 when the young crescent moon will pose to the upper left (celestial north) of the bright planet Jupiter in the western sky. The duo, which will share the view in binoculars, will first appear as the sky begins to darken and then shine above the rooftops until about 9:30 p.m. local time – with the pretty Pleiades star cluster aka Messier 45 sprinkled 10 degrees to the northeast
of them. Earlier, watch for Earthshine on the moon. Sometimes called the
Ashen Glow or the Old Moon in the New Moon’s Arms, the phenomenon is visible within a day or two of new moon, when sunlight reflected off Earth and back toward the moon slightly brightens the unlit portion of the moon’s Earth-facing hemisphere. Once the sky darkens, look for the small dot of Uranus above Jupiter and Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks less than a binoculars’ field below (or 4 degrees west of) Jupiter.


Mars Passes Saturn (before sunrise)

In the southeastern sky before sunrise on Wednesday, April 10, the easterly motion of reddish Mars will carry it closely past yellowish Saturn in a very nice conjunction. The two planets, both about equally bright at magnitude 1.14, will rise together around 5 a.m. local time and then climb until the morning twilight hides them. Mars and Saturn will be cozy enough to share the view in binoculars from April 3 to 18, and telescope-close from Tuesday to Friday – though they will swap sides over that period. Turn all optics away from the eastern horizon before the sun rises.

(Data courtesy Starry Night)
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