2018 Week 14: (April 1-April 7)

The cold and snow continues in Calgary.  It has been a very tough year for astronomy.  We have been below 11°C since early December and the 14 day forecast shows no sign of rising above this in the foreseeable future.

There are a few things to catch in the sky this week if the weather permits.  The table below highlights what we expect.

Date	Event
April 1	Mercury in Inferior Conjunction with the Sun
April 2	Mars 1.3°S of Saturn
April 2	Falcon 9 Launch (2:30pm MDT)
April 3	Jupiter 4°S of Moon
April 2	Ariane 5 Launch (3:34pm-4:24pm MDT)
April 7	Saturn 1.9°S of Moon
April 7	Mars 3°S of Moon

After a magnificent display in the sunset sky Mercury has dropped back in front of the Sun to appear in the eastern sunrise sky this April.

Followers of my page have noticed that Mars and Saturn are dancing close to each other in the southern sky.  They will be 1.3° from each other during the morning of April 2.  You will be able to see them together in the same binocular field or with a wide field telescope eyepiece.

The image below shows the southern sky at 6:00am local time.

Saturn/Mars Conjunction (Southern Sky 06:00)

The field of view is shown for a 4.4° binocular field and a 2.32° telescopic field.

Saturn/Mars Conjunction

The planets will also be dancing with the Moon all week.  The first will be Jupiter on Tuesday as it comes within 4° of the Moon.  Saturn and Mars follow 4 days later at 1.9° and 3° respectively.

As mentioned previously, the weather is forecast to be unseasonably cold sitting below the freezing mark as a high.  There is also snow forecast to fall on the city which has been the continuing theme of 2018.  With more than 4 feet of snow sitting in parts of my yard, setting up my telescope is a mere dream at this time.

There are a couple launches to tune into this week.  Another Falcon 9 rocket will be taking off from Cape Canaveral on Monday afternoon with cargo for the International Space Station.  Three days later an Ariane 5 will take flight carrying a Japanese communication satellite to orbit from French Guiana.  As always you can tune into these flights live at the following webpage:

https://spaceflightnow.com/

When the weather improves we will book another McKenzie Lake Star Night.  We may be able to catch Jupiter rising above the houses by the end of the event and see some of its Moons and equatorial belts.

Jupiter from the Backyard

Also, stay tuned for the biannual Fish Creek Star Night on April 21st.  This free event is open to everyone with members of the Royal Astronomical Society showcasing the wonders of the night sky!

Stay warm this week and hope for better weather.  There is a great season of observing ahead!