Midmonth Check-In: April 2023 and Coma Berenices

 

Introduction and Monthly Reminders   

    

    The first half of April was a mixed bag as far as the weather was concerned. The first week consisted of massive snow storms, bringing the total snow accumulation of the season well above previous records. The second week gave Utahns a taste of spring weather, with temperatures in the 70s, which melted most if not all of the snow in the valleys. That same week brought cooler temperatures, allowing more snowfall in the mountains. I have often heard the saying, "If you don't like the weather in Utah, wait five minutes." 

    The weather predictions for the second half of April look to be mixed as well, with temperatures ranging from the 70s down to the mid-40s. Hopefully, there will be some breaks in the clouds to enjoy some stargazing! There are still a few things to look forward to in April as far as astronomy is concerned. Coming up on the 20th is the New Moon, followed by the Lyrid Meteor Shower on the 22nd. This should be a great shower to warm up to for other meteor showers this year. During the Lyrids, an observer should expect to see around 20 meteors per hour.  

  

Messier Targets 🔭

    

    The Messier Catalog is a collection of 110 objects that can be seen throughout the year. March and April offer observers the unique opportunity of allowing observers to see all 110 objects in a single night! Astronomers refer to this event as a "Messier Marathon." Many of the objects can be seen with a pair of binoculars, all becoming visible through a 3-inch or larger telescope. The larger the telescope, the more detail an observer can see! I have not been able to highlight all of the objects yet. Still, I encourage interested observers to take the opportunity to participate in this marathon if the weather allows it. Start by viewing the constellations in the west after sunset, then move eastward until sunrise. Feel free to use my Messier List file to aid in the hunt for these objects. Don't forget that there are tabs at the bottom of this spreadsheet to easily find objects according to Season, Constellation, Magnitude, and Classification.

    The Messier object hunt will continue with Coma Berenices, a constellation that can be found near Leo and Ursa Major. Coma Berenices contains a total of eight Messier objects, most of which are classified as spiral galaxies, but also contain an elliptical galaxy and a globular star cluster. I have included an image of what the night sky will look like from a dark sky location and a separate image with the constellations and major stars labeled. 

The night sky as an observer faces East after sunset. The bright star is Arcturus.

The night sky as an observer faces East after sunset with constellation lines and labels and major stars labeled.

    The first target will be the globular cluster, M53 (aka NGC 5024). This object can be found just off the star Diadem, the star closest to the constellation Virgo. M53 is about 60,000 light years away, meaning it has taken the light 60,000 years to reach our planet. See the image below for the location of M53.

Location of M53 in Coma Berenices.

    The next target is M64 (aka Black-Eye Galaxy, NGC 4826) one of the spiral galaxies belonging to Coma Berenices. The Black-Eye Galaxy lies about 17 million light-years from Earth. This object can be found by centering the previous object, M53 in your scope and then slowly guiding it upwards towards the center of Coma Berenices. See the image below for the location of M64.

Location of M64 in Coma Berenices.

    Following M64, nudge your scope to the right until M85 (aka NGC 4382) is centered in the eyepiece. This object is an elliptical galaxy that lies about 60 million light-years from Earth. See the image below for the location of M85.

Location of M85 in Coma Berenices.

    Next up is M88 (aka NGC 4501) a spiral galaxy. This object can be found by guiding your scope a little further to the right of M85. The image below can aid in locating M88.

Location of M88 in Coma Berenices.

    Moving along, M91 (aka NGC 4548) can likely be found in the same field of view as M88. M91 is a spiral galaxy located about 63 million light-years from Earth and is part of the local supercluster with our Milky Way Galaxy, both of which are a part of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. See the image below for the location of M91.

Location of M91 in Coma Berenices.

    The next spiral galaxy on the list, M98 (aka NGC 4192) can be found near the edge of our target constellation, Coma Berenices. To find M98, first center the bright star Denebola in your field of view. This star represents the tip of Leo the Lion's tail. After centering this star, continue guiding your scope down and towards Coma Berenices until M98 is located. This galaxy is about 14 million light-years from Earth. See the image below for the location of M98.

Location of M98 in Coma Berenices.

    M99 (aka NGC 4254) can be found by continuing to guide your scope along the same path as that which was used to find M98. If using a low-power eyepiece, M98 and M99 will likely be in the same field of view. M99 lies about 49 million light-years from the Earth. See the image below for the location of M99.

Location of M99 in Coma Berenices.

    The final Messier target in Coma Berenices is M100 (aka NGC 4321). This galaxy lies about 55 million light-years from Earth and is also one of the brightest galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. M100 is a spiral galaxy that is perpendicular to our line of sight and offers a great view of what a spiral galaxy looks like. After viewing M99, guide your scope to the left, towards the center of Coma Berenices. M100 should quickly come into view. See the image below for the location of M100.  

Location of M100 in Coma Berenices.

    

    That completes the list of the Messier objects located in Coma Berenices. Below, I have included two images that show the locations of the eight objects belonging to this constellation. The first image shows only the stars while the second image has the constellations labeled as well as Arcturus, Diadem, and Denebola. 

Location of the eight Messier objects in Coma Berenices.

Location of the eight Messier objects in Coma Berenices with constellation labels and major stars labeled.

    

   May will highlight the Messier objects belonging to Ursa Major. This constellation contains seven different objects and will be split up between the Night Sky Report and Midmonth Check-In posts. The above images were provided by Stellarium, a free planetarium software that can be found online, downloaded, or installed as an app on your favorite mobile device. My updated Messier list can be found here. 

     

Remember to follow me on Instagram @CosmicLure01 to receive notifications for new posts.  You may also follow me on Twitter @CosmicLure.  

    

Now get outside and look up!

Monthly Night Sky Report: April 2023

   Introduction

    March ended with a decent amount of precipitation, allowing Utah to reach a new record with the amount of snowpack for the winter. The final week in March also allowed Utahns the chance to see the Northern Lights from a dark sky location. Unfortunately, the cloud cover in my area prevented me from viewing the Northern Lights. 

    April will typically bring a temperature warm-up and rain showers to Utah. So far, the weather this year has been more unpredictable than usual, so an observer should take every chance they get to look up and view the wonders of the sky above. This year, April will bring a rare "Hybrid Eclipse" for those near Australia. Due to the curvature of the Earth, a Hybrid Eclipse can be viewed as an Annular Eclipse near the edges of the eclipse path, or a Total Solar Eclipse at the center of the eclipse path. Hybrid eclipses occur, on average, between five and 24 times every 100 years. April brings the return of the Lyrid meteor shower which will peak under ideal circumstances, weather permitting. With solar maximum approaching (July 2025), there is an increased chance of viewing the Northern Lights in Utah. Be sure to pay attention to your local news or favorite stargazing app for more detailed information on this event.  

             

Mercury

      Mercury will be visible for most of April in the western sky after sunset. At the start of the month, the innermost planet will be found close to the horizon and may be hard to spot. As the month continues, Mercury will rise higher in the western sky until the 11th, when it reaches its greatest eastern elongation. On the 20th, a one-day-old Moon will join Mercury in the sky but may be hard to see. Near the end of the month, Mercury and Uranus can be found within 4° of each other, but may also prove challenging to see unless the observer can reach a high elevation. April brings the best evening view of the innermost planet for 2023, so grab a chair and a clear view of the western horizon to enjoy it!

  

Venus

    Venus has been an easy target for the past few months in the evening sky. This month will still bring easy views of the Earth's sister planet and a few photo opportunities for the astrophotographers out there. Uranus can be found within 3° of Venus on the first evening of April. The two planets will grow apart as the month progresses. Near the 10th, Venus will approach the Pleiades (M45), creating a great target for astrophotographers and visual astronomers. The following week, on the 17th, Venus can be found between M45 and the Hyades star cluster, creating another great opportunity for astrophotographers and visual astronomers. On the 22nd, the Moon and Venus can be found just 7° apart. This will also create a fantastic opportunity for astrophotographers and visual astronomers to view Venus, the Moon, M45, and the Hyades. 

    

Mars

    The red color of Mars will contrast the stars of Gemini during April. At the start of the month, M35, an open star cluster, can be found near Mars. As April progresses, Mars will move closer to the bright stars, Castor and Pollux, in Gemini. The Moon will join Mars in this region of the sky on the 25th. The Red Planet has been increasing its distance from the Earth so telescopic views will show little to no surface detail. 

Jupiter

Saturn

     

    Unfortunately, Jupiter will be in conjunction with the Sun on April 11 and will not be visible during April. This planet will return to view in May, rising above the eastern mountains shortly before the morning Sun.

    Saturn was recently in conjunction with the Sun and can be found close to our star during the first part of April. As the month progresses, Saturn will rise earlier, making it easier to spot in the morning sky. A thin crescent Moon can be found just 5° below Saturn on the morning of April 16. The best time to view Saturn will come later in the year.

   

       

Neptune

Uranus

    

    The two ice giants can be viewed through a pair of binoculars but will look their best through a telescope. Uranus will be found close to the western horizon during April and will be a challenging target for most observers. The best chance for viewing this planet will be during the early part of April. As the month progresses, Uranus will sink closer to the western horizon, leading to its conjunction with the Sun in May. Observers at a high elevation and a clear view of the western horizon can spot Mercury and Uranus while they have about 4° of separation on April 21. During this same evening, a crescent Moon can also be found in the western sky.

    Neptune reached conjunction with the Sun on the 15th of March and will remain a hard object to spot during April. The best chance will come towards the end of the month when this ice giant rises above the eastern mountains about an hour before sunrise.

Meteor Shower 

   The meteor shower drought will be quenched this month with the return of the Lyrids. This meteor shower will appear to radiate from the constellation of Lyra, next to Hercules. During its peak date on the 22nd, an observer can expect to see close to 20 meteors per hour. As temperatures begin to warm up, observers should consider viewing the Moon and Sun (with proper eye protection!) as easy targets this month.  

Spot Me....🕵️  

    The temperature is beginning to warm up and more astronomers can be found under the stars. For the first part of April, I urge observers to focus their attention on Leo the Lion which can be found in the eastern sky after sunset. This constellation is home to five galaxies on the Messier object list. Below is an image of what the night sky will look like as an observer faces East, followed by the same image with the constellations outlined and labeled as well as a few important stars labeled. 

The night sky as an observer faces East after sunset.

Leo the Lion with constellation lines and labels as well as important stars labeled.

  

    The first galaxy, or group of galaxies rather, can be found near the rear legs of Leo. M65 (aka NGC 3623) and M66 (aka NGC 3627) make up two of the three galaxies that are known as the Leo Triplet. All three galaxies can be seen in a single field of view with a four-inch or larger telescope. Both M65 and M66 are spiral galaxies, like the Andromeda Galaxy. See the image below for the location of the Leo Triplet.

Location of the Leo Triplet in Leo the Lion.

    The other three galaxies that are part of the Messier catalog and can be found in Leo, are also located close together. The first target is M95 (aka NGC 3351), a barred spiral galaxy like our own Milky Way. This Messier object can be found just below the belly center of the lion. An observer can also use the bright star Regulus, which makes up the front legs of Leo, and Chertan which makes up the hind legs. M95 can be found about halfway between these two stars. Additionally, Algieba, the star that represents the neck of Leo, can be used in conjunction with Regulus to locate M95. Image a line coming off of Regulus, heading back towards the hind legs of Leo, and a line projected off of Algieba heading towards the belly of Leo (like a piece of tasty food that Leo has just eaten). Where these imaginary lines intersect, an observer will find M95. See the image below for the location of M95.

Location of M95 in Leo the Lion.

    The next target, M96 (aka NGC 3368) is another example of a barred spiral galaxy. If an observer is using a wide-field, low-power eyepiece, it may be in the same field of view as M95. If not, simply nudge the scope to view the area of the sky just to the left of M95. See the image below for the location of M96.

Location of M96 in Leo the Lion.

    The final Messier target in Leo is M105 (aka NGC 3379) an elliptical galaxy. This object can be found just above, towards the belly of Leo, from M95 and M96. After viewing the five Messier objects of Leo, I encourage interested observers to scan the sky below the belly of Leo to find more faint galaxies. This area is littered with galaxies, perhaps like a litter of lion cubs seeking their parent for protection. See the image below for the location of M105.  

Location of M105 in Leo the Lion.

    Below, I have included two images of the location of the five Messier objects located in Leo the Lion. The first image shows the location without any other markings. The second image shows the location of the Messier objects with constellation lines and labels as well as the three stars that were referenced in locating these objects.

The Messier objects of Leo the Lion.

The Messier objects of Leo the Lion with constellation lines and labels and important stars labeled.

    

    The images in the "Spot Me..." section are provided by Stellarium, a free planetarium software. Here is an updated file of the Messier Catalog. Be sure to check back around the 15th of April for the discussion of the Messier objects belonging to Coma Berenices!

Monthly Breakdown

  

April 06: Full Moon 🌕 

April 11: Jupiter in conjunction with the Sun

April 11: Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation

April 13: Last Quarter Moon🌗

April 16: Moon passes within 5° of Saturn
April 20: New Moon 🌑

April 22: Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks
April 23: Moon passes within 2° of Venus
April 25: Moon passes within 3° of Mars
April 27: First Quarter Moon 🌓

     

    Remember to follow me on Instagram @CosmicLure01 to receive notifications for new posts.  You may also follow me on Twitter @CosmicLure.  

    

Now get outside and look up!

Planet images were taken by NASA.

Andrew vs. the Cosmos was taken by Jeff Greenland.