2018 Week 17: (April 22-April 28)

We are finally getting some spectacular weather for astronomy here in Calgary.  The snow is stating to melt and the sky becoming clear!  We had quite a successful evening at the Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre last night for the biannual Star Night.  Stay tuned for the upcoming Ralph Klein Park Star Night two weeks from now!

There are some great things happening in the sky this week.  The chart below highlights these great observing opportunities.

Date	Event
April 22	Lyrid Meteor Shower Peaks
April 22	First Quarter
April 23	Moon 1.9°S of Beehive (M44)
April 24	Regulus 1.2°S of Moon
April 28	Rothney Astrophysical Observatory Open House

This evening (April 22) the Lyrid Meteor Shower will radiate from a location pointed at with a line drawn through Epsilon and Alpha Lyrae.  Lyra will be in the northeastern sky around midnight.  The best time to see meteors will be after the Moon sets and the constellation reaches a higher location in the sky.  If you are casually looking at the sky this evening all you need to know is look northeast and hope for a meteor sighting!

Lyrid Meteor Shower Radiant

Although not as prolific as some of the other major showers we may be lucky to see 5-10 per hour from suburban Calgary.  The table below shows the approximate hourly rate based on observing location.

City	Suburbs	Rural	Optimal
3	5	10	18

The Moon will be at First Quarter during the shower and will fortunately be setting in the southwestern sky as Lyra rises in the northeast.

As the First Quarter Moon sets it will be in the constellation of Cancer and be less than 2° from the Beehive Cluster (M44) described in detail by clicking on the link.  This will be a beautiful sight even with a pair of simple binoculars.  If you have binoculars, point them at the Moon Sunday evening!

Beehive Cluster (M44)

With an exciting evening things calm down for the rest of the week.  The Moon will once again do a dance with the ecliptic star Regulus as it transits through Leo this Lunar Cycle.  See if you can see both close together on Tuesday evening!

As Spring finally arrives there will be many opportunities to attend public observing evenings.  The Rothney Astrophysical Observatory is hosting an open house this Saturday, April 28.  A host of astronomers will have their telescopes pointed at the sky to show you the wonders that lie therein.  Details about this amazing event can be found at the link below.

https://ucalgary.ca/rao/event/2018-04-28/astrophysics-cutting-edge-open-house

The following week we will be setup at Ralph Klein Park for a great free event.  This event is certainly kid friendly and well worth coming out to this beautiful facility to view the sky and learn many new things!