Category: Sky Events

Sky events

Saturn at Opposition

Today the planet Saturn will pass through opposition, directly opposite the Sun in our sky. The planet will be well placed for observation all night long, rising at sunset, transiting at midnight, and setting at sunrise.

During opposition the planet and rings will be slightly brighter than normal, an effect known as the opposition effect. The effect is most notable in the rings where the apparent brightness can increase by 30%. The effect is a combination of two factors, shadow hiding and the retro-reflective properties of the ring particles.

Full Moon

Full Moon
Full Moon taken 27Aug2007, 90mm f/12 APO and Canon 20Da
Full Moon will occur today at 09:57HST.

Viewers across Africa, Central Asia and Australia will be able to see a partial lunar eclipse. Pacific and North American observers will not be able to see any of this event. No matter, this is a fairly minor eclipse, with the Moon just brushing the umbra.

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Mars at Superior Conjunction

Today Mars will pass through superior conjunction, passing behind the Sun from our vantage point on Earth. During this time the red planet will be lost to view, vanishing from the evening sky, but reappearing in the morning sky during the last days of May.

While the Sun blocks our direct view of Mars the probes we currently have on and around Mars will suffer communications interference. For a few weeks mission planners at NASA place the various orbiters and rovers into a reduced communications routine. No commands will be sent to the spacecraft and only basic status updates sent back. This is nothing new, all Mars missions have had to deal with superior conjunction every two years. Once the red planet is clear of the Sun normal mission activities will resume.

The Moon and Mercury

Tomorrow morning, on April 8th, a thin crescent Moon will share the sky with Mercury. The pair will be separated by 8°41′ with the Moon further north. Both will be about rise within minutes of each other about 04:55HST and both will be about 16° above the horizon at sunrise. At magnitude 0.1 Mercury should be easy to spot, making a nice companion to a 3% illuminated Moon.

Mercury at Maximum Elongation

Today Mercury reaches maximum elongation, the furthest point it will reach from the Sun in the sky and the highest it will be above the sunrise for this morning apparition. The planet is easily visible as a bright, starlike object about 28° above the rising Sun as the twilight begins. Over the next couple weeks Mercury will slide back into the sunrise, heading for superior conjunction on May 11th.

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