Mercury to shine in early April

Mercury can be seen very low in the WNW in the evening twilight but will be lost by mid-month. Venus can be seen with difficulty very low in the E in the morning twilight. Mars will be very low in the W in the evening twilight but will be lost after mid-month. Jupiter will be in the SE after dark and transits near 1am. Saturn rises in the ESE after 1am and can be seen in the S near 5am.

On Friday April 14, the Sunshine Coast Astronomy Club will welcome Francesca Crema to the Sechelt Arts Centre.  Francesca is only 17 years old and is the youngest recognized astronomy lecturer in Canada. Francesca   will speak on the study of photometry, the measurement of light, and spectroscopy, the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation.

On April 6 and 7, Mercury will be at its greatest elongation and shines at magnitude 0.2, a full one and a half mags brighter than Mars. With clear skies Mercury will be visible with the naked eye. On April 11 we will have a full moon that, depending on where you live, has a different description. The Pink moon, the Egg moon and the full Fish moon (to celebrate the Shad spawning) are common names. On April 22 the Lyrid meteors are with us again and will be best seen in the pre-dawn hours. The first of our annual public outreach events falls on April 22 when Earth Day is celebrated around the world. The Sunshine Coast Astronomy Club will celebrate Earth Day in Roberts Creek with an information booth and telescope display. Visitors and families are welcome. On April 30 Venus achieves its greatest morning brilliance for 2017, a beacon-like 4.7.

Breaking News: In late February NASA announced the discovery of seven new Earth-sized Exoplanets, three of which are in the habitable zone. At about 40 light years (235 trillion million miles) from Earth the system of planets is relatively close to us in the constellation Aquarius. Because they are outside of our solar system these planets are known as Exoplanets.