Moon
New -------------- 3rd 06:01 to 20:05
1st Quarter ---- 11th 11:18 to 02:57
Full --------------- 18th 21:23 to 05:36
Last Quarter -- 25th 02:48 to 12:09
Planets
Jupiter will not be available all month as it’s behind the Sun and too close to it for safe observing. It will not be visible till June, as the Morning Star.
Uranus will also be unavailable this month and will be next seen on early May mornings. They’ve been keeping pace with each other for many months now and are beginning to separate.
Saturn, rising about 8pm on the 1st, it’ll be 19 arcsec and mag 0.4, not big, but the rings will finally be opening, so will look like the Saturn we all know and love. We’ll be able to see the Cassini division at last. Unfortunately, it’ll not get very high in the sky on this apparition, no more than about 34° above the horizon in the south. But don’t quibble, get your cameras out and take its portrait. At the end of the month it’ll rise before 6pm, before the Sun has set, and will be in the sky all night.
Venus will rise some 40mins before the Sun, and its brightness will make it a easy to see in the bright morning twilight, but only to say that you’ve been able to see it. By the end of the month its position relative to the Sun will not have changed so won’t be more easily seen, but it will be earlier, at 5am.
Neptune leads the rising group of planets each morning in the east all this month, but none of them really will be easy to see, though Neptune being the leader will be furthest from the Sun so should be, but it’s so small that it won’t be easy at all, unless you use a telescope with goto facilities. But even then the twilight will make it difficult. The others, Uranus, Venus, Mars and Jupiter will be too close to the Sun in the east for safety, so don’t be tempted.
In the west the only one possible will be Mercury on the 1st, but only for the first two days, before it gets too close to the Sun for safety. Worth a try on the 1st though, as it sets 50 mins after the Sun and presents a 10% phase, which is worth trying for with a telescope when the Sun has fallen below the horizon.
Meteor Showers
Several showers this month but only the Lyrids show promise, and that of only 15/hour at the most. The peak is on the 22nd, but you may see some from the 15th to the 28th. They radiate from the constellation of Lyra. Unfortunately, this will be on the northern horizon this month, but the ¾ Moon won’t be in the way till after 2am, and then it’ll be more than 60° away. Again, don’t look for them at the northern horizon, at the Radiant, but higher up in the sky, between the Radiant and the Zenith.
Comets
None that will be at naked eye visibility.
But, should you note the promised appearance of a comet in the news media, you can look up it’s ephemerides at http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ephemerides/comets This will get you to a long list of comets. Click on your choice and its ephemerides will be screened. Look for the line “Download this Ephemeris as a KML file”. Click on it to download it. It should settle on your PC’s desktop or wherever you choose. When it’s arrived, click on the file, or double click if necessary, and it’ll wake up google Earth, if you have it on your machine, and present you with a message suggesting you switch to google Sky. Click on Switch to Sky, and it’ll show you the track of the comet, with dates and mag etc.
You may be able to use this tactic for any comet you hear of, and if you note one worth looking for, let me know.
For manmade satellites, the ISS and Iridium flares etc., you’ll have to check http://www.heavens-above.com. For any sky charts of planets or stars or other objects, contact me at the observatory at http://donastro.org.uk.