See A Crescent Moon Join The Pleiades, Jupiter And Mars: The Night Sky This Week
A crescent moon and Venus are in close conjunction in the night sky on May 23, 2023 in Hangzhou, ... More Zhejiang Province of China. (Photo by Pan Yongzhou/VCG via Getty Images)
Each Monday, I pick out North America's celestial highlights for the week ahead (which also apply to mid-northern latitudes in the northern hemisphere). Check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.
This week is all about the crescent moon and the planets. We'll have lovely views of Venus and Saturn in the morning sky, with the crescent moon appearing near the Pleiades, Jupiter and Mars after sunset. It's one of the most beautiful weeks of the moon's 29-day orbit around our planet. Here's everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week:
Monday, April 28: On the left, Venus and Saturn in the east before sunrise and, on the right, the ... More crescent moon and the Pleiades in the west after sunset.
Get up an hour before sunrise and look to the eastern night sky, and you'll see the brilliantly bright planet Venus blazing away at -4.7 mag. That's about as bright as it can ever get. About three degrees below it will be Saturn, shining about 170 times dimmer but still relatively easy to pick out in the gathering light of dawn. If you have binoculars, point them at Venus, and you'll also get Saturn into the same field of view.
Come back just after sunset and look to the west for the sight of a 2%-lit waxing crescent moon a few degrees from the Pleiades open star cluster. Bring binoculars again because the moon will be slender, and, besides, the Pleiades look spectacular with a bit of magnification.
Tuesday, April 29: Crescent Moon And Jupiter
Look to the western sky just after sunset tonight for a 7%-lit waxing crescent moon near Jupiter. The two will form a triangle with Aldebaran, the bright red giant star in Taurus, just below — but act quickly because the trio will promptly sink into the horizon.
Tonight brings another chance to see a waxing crescent moon near Jupiter. Now 14%-lit, the moon will be slightly above Jupiter, with bright stars Betelgeuse in Orion and Capella in Auriga on either side and Mars high above. Look for the soft glow on the moon's darkened side — that's Earthshine, sunlight reflecting off our planet's oceans, ice caps and clouds.
Thursday, May 1: Crescent Moon Between Jupiter and Mars
Now 24%-lit, a crescent moon will hang between Jupiter and Mars tonight, making for a spectacular wide-angle vista after sunset. Look west.
Saturday, May 3: Mars Meets The Moon
Tonight, the almost first quarter moon will be positioned very close to Mar, though exactly where depends on where you are on the planet. With binoculars, you may also glimpse the Beehive Cluster, a stunning open cluster of stars near Mars in the constellation Cancer, just beyond Mars.
How to find the Coma Berenices constellation.
You'll need a very dark sky for this one. Named after the hair of Queen Berenice II of Egypt, it's one of the oldest known constellations, though few ever see it — largely thanks to light pollution. A fuzzy patch of stars in a dark sky, between the constellations Boötes and Leo and a staple of the spring night sky in the Northern Hemisphere.
Find it by first identifying the stars of the Big Dipper. Trace its handle away from the bowl stars, going in an arc to the next bright star — 'arc to Arcturus.' Coma Berenices is between there and Leo or, for something even easier this week, about a fifth of the distance between Arcturus and Mars.
The Coma Star Cluster (also known as Melotte 111) within the constellation is about 288 light-years distant, making it one of the nearest star clusters to our solar system.
The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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