2018 Week 15: (April 8-April 14)

We just had another dump of snow last night which seems to be a continuing theme this year. March and April are usually my favourite months for astronomy but early Spring is quickly becoming a write-off.  There is not much going on this week in the sky so hopefully the weather will be warm enough to clear the snow for the following week.  The chart below highlights the sky this week.

Date	Event
April 8	Last Quarter
April 14	Mercury 4°N of Moon
April 14	Atlas V Launch (4pm-10pm MDT)

The conjunction of the Moon and Mercury will likely be invisible as the Moon rises a mere 3 minutes before the Sun.

An Atlas V rocket will take to the sky next Saturday carrying some military equipment.  If you haven't seen a live rocket launch this year it is well worth it.  Check out the following webpage during the launch window.

https://spaceflightnow.com/

Although I missed the Falcon 9 launch last Monday I was able to see it in orbit.  The International Space Station transited across the sky above my house Tuesday evening at 9:25pm MDT.  It was mainly cloudy with scattering of sucker holes (small regions between the clouds of clear sky).  The bright ISS was directly above our house and I observed it through 15x70 binoculars with a 4.4° field of view.  Within 5° of the ISS was a dimmer object moving at the same speed, chasing the space station.  This was the dragon capsule approximately 14km behind the ISS getting ready to dock with supplies.  Later that evening it successfully docked with the station.  The docking is shown in the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Yv3vRKApcQ

Dragon Capsule Docking (Image Credit: NASA)

However, not all is lost.  April has some great sights.  The Lyrid meteor shower will peak on April 22 and, assuming a clear sky, we should be able to catch some around that date.

Also, mark your calendars right now for the biannual Fish Creek Star Night taking place on April 21 from 7-10pm MDT.  This is one of our favourite events!  At this free event, there will be plenty of inside activities for children and hands-on crafts.  Outside, there will be members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada - Calgary Centre with Telescopes and Binoculars to showcase the wonderful Spring sky.  There are many great objects in the sky at this time of year so bring the kids out and enjoy a free night of learning.  Details are found below.

http://calgary.rasc.ca/fishcreek2018a.htm

Also, save the date on May 5 for the Ralph Klein Park Star Night.  This event pulls in many people for another free night of learning and sky viewing.  Details are found below.

http://calgary.rasc.ca/rkp_2018a.htm

Let's hope for the snow to clear and the weather to become seasonal so it will be easier to access the sky!  Stay tuned to our facebook page for the latest in space news and local astronomy activities around Calgary!

https://www.facebook.com/simonjastronomy/