2017 Week 15: (April 9-15)

It is Week 15 in 2017 and there are some great things to see in the sky!  Jupiter just recently reached opposition on April 7, 2017 and will not again until May of 2018.  Take the time to see Jupiter in our southern sky throughout the month of April.  It will be very close to practically Full Moon this upcoming Monday!  The chart below highlights the astronomical events for the week.

Date	Event
Apr 9	Mercury stationary
Apr 10	Jupiter 2°S of Moon
Apr 11	Full Moon
Apr 12	Venus stationary
Apr 14	Uranus in conjunction with Sun

Also if you have not had the opportunity to witness Mercury your time is running out.  It will be at inferior conjunction with the Sun on April 20.  It is currently racing toward the twilight, you may only have a couple more days to see it set shortly after the Sun on the western horizon.

The Moon will be full just after midnight on April 11 so hope for no clouds to see it.  If you suffer from insomnia perhaps wish for clouds to block out the extra overnight light.  I am hoping to image the Full Moon this cycle as the previous months it has been quite cloudy at that time.  The Full Moon offers the best chance to see all the maria and ejecta lines scattered throughout our nearest celestial neighbour.  Look especially near the bottom of the Moon for the famous crater Tycho.  The ejecta lines from this crater seem to spread across the entire face of the Moon.

With Jupiter being near opposition I am  hoping to take some pictures and catch the Great Red Spot when it faces us the evening of April 9 and 11.  The image below is my first real attempt at imaging the Solar System's largest planet, unfortunately the Great Red Spot was on the far side.  Jupiter rotates about once every 10 hours, meaning days on the planet are only that long.  I find it amazing that an object so large rotates that quickly.

Jupiter

The week after this there will be an annual meteor shower known as the Lyrids, stay tuned for more information!