Archive for year: 2022

Highlights:  Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, December Moon 

Focus Constellations: Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Camelopardalis, Auriga, Gemini, Taurus, Aries, Pisces, Andromeda, Pegasus, Cygnus

• Comet Journals 

Comet C/2020 V2 (ZTF) is between Polaris and the tail of Draco and will pass Polaris before Christmas. It It is at 10th magnitude and should maintain that brightness until after it passes perihelion in May, 2023. It will be closest to Earth in September, 2023.

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is between Hercules and Bootes. It is currently at 10th magnitude, and will brighten in December. It is expected to reach naked eye visibility as a Christmas comet and achieve maximum brilliance when at perihelion on January 13 or when closest to Earth in early February.

• Mars Landers

Why should we devote so much effort to study Mars? Most of the meteorites which bombard Earth are thought to come from the Asteroid Belt and some come from impacts on Mars which blast material into space. Mars is closer to the Asteroid Belt than Earth, indicating that bombardment was more thorough. Meteorites often contain abundant organic molecules including amino acids – the building blocks for proteins. In addition, some meteorites contain abundant water and carbon dioxide ice. Billions of years ago, Mars was probably the recipient of vast quantities of the above components from the nearby Asteroid Belt. Our landers and rovers have provided abundant evidence that Mars weather was much milder and that it had running water, lakes, and possibly oceans where these components may have formed the building blocks for the first life in the Solar System. Life on Earth may have even come from debris blasted off of Mars by later impactors from the Asteroid Belt!

• Meteor Showers

The best December showers for the northern hemisphere are the Geminid (12/14 – 2 days before last quarter Moon) and Ursid (12/22 – waning crescent Moon). The former is one of the best showers of the year, rivaling the August Perseids. Minor showers include the Chi Orionids (12/2) and Monoceratids (12/9) which will have to contend with glare from the gibbous Moon, and Coma Berenicids (12/20) which will occur during the waning crescent Moon phase.

December 14: Geminids. Active December 7 – 17, Radiant 7h28m +33°, ZHR 120, 35km/sec. Waning gibbous Moon. Progenitor: possibly minor planet 3200 Phaethon 

December 22: Ursids. Active December 17 – 26, Radiant 14h28m +76°, ZHR variable, up to 50, 33km/sec. Waning crescent Moon. Progenitor: Comet 8P/Tuttle.

• Planet Plottings

 All the planets are in the evening sky in December when Mercury (-0.5 to +1.2), Venus (-3.8), and the Sun all move through Ophiuchus and Sagittarius together. Early in the month, Mercury and Venus set about a half hour after the Sun and move higher in the western sky and set later each evening throughout the month. Mercury is at greatest eastern elongation (20°) on the 21st and is 1.4° from Venus on the 29th. A very thin waning crescent Moon passes both on the 24th. 

Saturn (+0.8) is in the south-southwest in Capricornus. It sets 4 hours after Venus on the 1st. The waxing crescent Moon and Saturn set slightly less than 2 hours after Venus on the 26th. Neptune (+7.9) in Aquarius and Jupiter (-2.4 to -2.2) in Pisces are in the southwest evening sky in December and set with the waxing gibbous Moon about an hour after Midnight EST on the 1st. They set with the waxing crescent Moon an hour before Midnight on the 31st. Uranus (+5.6 to +5.7) and Mars (-1.8 to -1.2) rise in the late afternoon in Aries and Taurus on the 1st, respectively and set during dawn. On the 31st, they rise in the mid-afternoon and set after everyone is in bed. They can be found near the waxing gibbous Moon on the 5th and 8th respectively. Mars (-1.3 to -1.8) is at one of its best oppositions in years on December 1st, appearing higher above the horizon than it was during recent oppositions. After sunset, the bright reddish orange planet dominates the eastern and southeastern sky and joins brilliant Jupiter in the south.

• • December Moon

The New Moon of December in Sagittarius on the 23rd at 5:17AM EST follows the northern Winter Solstice which is at 4:48PM EST on December 21st (mid-summer in the southern hemisphere). The New Moon is the start of Lunation 1237 which ends 29.65 days later with January’s New Moon in Capricornus on the 21st at 8:53PM EST. The Full Moon is in Taurus on the 7th at 11:08PM EST. The December Moon is the “Moon before Yule.” It was called the “Oak Moon” in Medieval England and for Celts it was the “Cold Moon”. In China, it is the “Bitter Moon” and Colonial Americans called it “Christmas Moon”. Anishnaabe (Odawa and Ojibwe) first people recognize the 12th Moon as “Manidoo-Giizisoons” (Little Spirit Moon). Earth Haven Farm in Ontario documents the cultural teaching which explains the cycle of life and nature of the 12th Grandmother Moon of Creation as follows: “The twelfth moon of Creation is the Little Spirit Moon, a time of healing. By receiving both vision of the spirits and good health, we may walk the Red Road with purest intentions, and we can share this most positive energy with our families and friends for the good of all.”
Lunar Apogee (maximum lunar distance) in December is on the 11th at 7:28PM EST, when the Moon will be at a distance of 252,195 mi. (63.64 Earth radii). Lunar Perigee distance (minimum lunar distance) is 222,619 mi. (56.17 Earth radiil) on the 24th at 3:27AM EST. The waxing gibbous Moon appears to pass Neptune and Jupiter on the 1st, Uranus on the 5th and brilliant Mars on the 7th. The waxing crescent Moon passes Venus and Mercury on the 24th, Saturn on the 26th and Neptune on the 28th. On the 29th, it passes Jupiter.

Highlights:  Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, October Moon 

Focus Constellations: Ursa Minor, Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Camelopardalis, Ursa Major, Hercules, Lyra, Cygnus, Pegasus, Andromeda, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Auriga

• Comet Journals

Comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) is in southern hemisphere skies below the claws of Scorpius in October.

It was closest to Earth at 168 million miles on July 14, 2022 and will reach perihelion at 8th magnitude on December 19, 2022. It will return to northern skies next autumn. Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is between Hercules and Bootes. Although quite dim at 11th magnitude, it may reach naked eye visibility as a Christmas comet and achieve maximum brilliance when at perihelion on January 13 or when it is closest to Earth on February 2.

• Mars Landers-

The Perseverance science team published their first peer-reviewed paper on Moxie, detailing the results of the seven oxygen generation runs completed in the rover’s first year on Mars. Perseverance is continuing its examination of the foot of the 3.5 billion year old delta in Jezero Crater where it has already collected four samples for eventual return to Earth. These samples include including sandstone and mudstone with organic molecules and sulfate minerals. The geologic diversity of these samples already carried in the rover is so good that the rover team is looking into depositing select tubes containing the samples near the base of the delta for future retrieval. After depositing the cache in two months, the rover will continue its delta explorations.

Insight lander has detected seismic waves from four space rocks that crashed on Mars in 2020 and 2021. Not only do these represent the first impacts detected by the spacecraft’s seismometer since InSight touched down on the Red Planet in 2018, it also marks the first time seismic and acoustic waves from an impact have been detected on Mars. Combined with the 1300 marsquake seismic waves so far detected, these waves provided additional information about the nature of the rocks and layering inside of Mars.

After some issues with the robotic arm early in the month, Curiosity continued climbing through the difficult terrain of Mt. Sharp in mid-September. The rover is currently surrounded by buttes separated by a mix of large rocks and sand making for very difficult navigation as it moves between sites where it utilizes its multiple instruments for observation while teetering at odd angles due to rocks under the wheels. September closed with the rover approaching Canaima, its next drilling target.

• Meteor Showers

The Draconid (10/8), Taurid (10/10). Delta Aurigid (10/11), Epsilon Geminid (10/18), Orionid (10/21), and Leo Minored (10/24) meteor showers are all minor northern hemisphere showers except for the Draconids and Orionids. The former contends with the glare of the waxing gibbous Moon and the latter will be best observed before dawn, when the waning crescent Moon is rising and Orion is in the southwestern sky.

October 8: Draconids. Active October 6 – 10, Radiant 17h28m +54°, ZHR 20, 20km/sec. Waxing Gibbous Moon. Progenitor: Comet 1P/Giacobini-Zinner. 

October 21: Orionids. Active October 2 – November 7, Radiant 6h20m +16°, ZHR 25, 66km/sec. Waning Crescent Moon. Progenitor: Comet 1P/Halley.

• • Planet Plottings

 Jupiter (-2.8 to -2.7) in Pisces and Neptune (+7.8) in Aquarius are in the eastern sky after sunset in October. Saturn (+0.5 to +0.7) is higher in the southeast in Capricornus. Uranus (5.6) rises at 8:30PM EDT in Aries in early October and at 6:30PM EDT on the 31st. Mars (-0.6 to -1.2) rises about 10:30PM in Taurus on the 1st and 9:00PM EDT on the 31st. Mercury (+1.4 to -1.1) and Venus (-3.8) are morning planets in Virgo. The former passed through inferior solar conjunction in late September and the latter reaches superior conjunction on the 22nd. Venus will not be visible this month but Mercury puts on quite a show during October’s first two weeks. It rises just before the Sun on the 1st and almost an hour before sunrise after the 1st week. It reaches greatest eastern elongation (18 degrees) on the 8th and is brightest on the 16th after which it rapidly falls into the glow of sunrise.

• • October Moon

October’s New Moon in Virgo on the 24th at 6:49AM EDT is the start of Lunation 1235 ending 29.54 days later with that of November in Scorpius on the 23rd at 5:57 EDT. The New Moon of October will partially eclipse the Sun in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Western Asia. October’s Full Moon is in Pisces on the 9th at 5:59AM EDT. It can be the “Harvest Moon” if it occurs closer to the Fall Equinox than that of September which was the “Harvest Moon” this year. It was called the “Blood Moon” in Medieval England and for Celts it was the “Harvest Moon”. In China, it is the “Kindly Moon” and Colonial Americans called it “Hunter’s Moon”. Anishnaabe (Odawa and Ojibwe) first people recognize the 10th Moon as “Binaakwe-giizis” (Falling Leaves Moon), and the folks at Earth Haven Farm in Ontario say that the cultural teaching explaining the cycle of life and nature of the 10th Grandmother Moon of Creation is that: “this is a time when Mother Earth is honored with the grandest of colors. As all of Creation makes their offerings to her, we become aware of all the miracles of Creation before us and our spiritual energies are once again awakened.”
Lunar Perigee distance (minimum lunar distance) is 229,488 mi. (57.90 Earth radiil) on the 4th at 12:34PM EDT. Lunar Apogee (maximum lunar distance) in October is on the 17th at 6:20AM EDT, when the Moon will be at a distance of 251,238 mi. (63.79 Earth radii). Another Lunar Perigee occurs at a distance of 228,845mi. (57.74 Earth radiil) on the 29th at 10:36AM EDT.
The waxing gibbous Moon appears to pass Saturn on the 5th, Neptune on the 7th, and Jupiter on the 8th. The waning gibbous Moon passes Uranus on the 12th and Mars on the 15th. The waxing crescent passes Mercury and Venus on the 24th and 25th respectively. The passages of Uranus and Mercury are near occultations.

Highlights:  Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, August Moon 

Focus Constellations: Ursa Minor, Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Camelopardalis, Ursa Major, Canes Venatici, Coma Berenices, Bootes, Corona Borealis, Hercules, Lyra, Cygnus

• Comet Journals

C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) is the brightest August comet at 8th magnitude. It is moving southward below Ophiuchus and will be in Scorpius by month’s end. It was closest to Earth at 168 million miles on July 14, 2022 and will reach perihelion on December 19, 2022. It is expected to remain at its current brightness until November when it moves into southern hemisphere skies. C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is a 12th magnitude comet between Hercules and Bootes. What distinguishes it from numerous other current 11th and 12th magnitude comets is the possibility that it may reach naked eye visibility as a Christmas comet and reach maximum brilliance when at perihelion in early January.

• Mars Landers

The Perseverance rover, at the foot of a delta on the edge of Jezero Crater, confirmed long distance observations made when it first landed about one mile away from its current location. Close up images reveal sedimentary structures and sediments consistent with deltaic deposition. Furthermore, large one meter boulders in the uppermost layers indicate that a long period of gradual deposition by a small river leading into the lake that filled the crater was followed by a period of flash flooding before the lake dried up. Finer grain layers below the flash flood deposits provide ideal targets for sampling for organic material which drifted down the river and settled into the delta.  

The Insight rover seismometer received an extended lease on life into the autumn when mission scientists decided that ~1500 marsquakes so far recorded justified further investigation into possible magma movement in the mantle.

For the past 10 years, the Curiosity rover traveled across the Martian terrain, looking for clues to the planet’s potentially habitable past. Gizmodo notes that “the car-sized robot drove through a transition zone, going from an area that may have once hosted lakes on the surface to one that signifies drier conditions for the Red Planet. NASA’s Curiosity rover observed the change higher up on the 3.4-mile-tall (5-kilometer) Mount Sharp which is the central peak in Mars’ Gale Crater, where the rover is exploring for signs of ancient water. At its base, Curiosity collected evidence for clay minerals that formed from lakes and streams that once ran through the crater. But higher up on the mountain, those streams had seemingly dried up, leaving sulfate rich sand dunes above lake sediments.”

Meteor Showers

August is the month of the renowned Perseids, the reliable meteor shower emanating from Perseus. Predawn hours provide the most meteors/hour because observers are on the leading face of the Earth as it orbits into the meteor stream. Mornings preceding the peak are best viewing because the almost full moon (and its glare) sets before sunrise. Each day before full moon provides an extra hour of dark sky.

August 12: Perseids. Active July 17 – Aug. 24, Radiant 3h13m +58°, ZHR 50+, 59km/sec. Waning Gibbous Moon. Progenitor: Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. 

August 17: Kappa Cygnids. Active August 6 – August 20, Radiant 19h13m +53°, ZHR 5, 23km/sec. Waning Gibbous Moon. Progenitor: Comet ?.

• • Planet Plottings 

The pre-dawn sky in August displays a six planet lineup in the southern sky. On July 31, Saturn (+0.4 to +0.3) in Capricornus, the leader, rises in the east about 9PM EDT followed by four more planets before 3:00AM EDT on the 1st. Venus (-3.8) in Gemini finally makes its appearance two hours before sunrise when the six planets span the sky. From Venus near the east-northeast horizon look to the south to Uranus (+5.8 to +5.7) and Mars (+0.2 to -0.1) slightly higher in the east in Aries, followed by Jupiter (-2.5 to -2.7) in Cetus, Neptune (+7.8) in Pisces and, finally, Saturn low in the west-southwest. At 5:00AM EDT on the 1st, Mars and Uranus will be within less than 1.5 degrees of one another in Aries. Saturn reaches opposition on the 14th when it will be visible all night and is best observed at midnight in the south. Mercury (-0.5 to +0.5) is the only planet restricted to evening skies in August as it moves through Leo and into Virgo and sets slightly more than an hour after sunset. It reaches maximum eastern elongation at noon on the 27th. 

• • August Moon

The New Moon of August in Leo on the 27th at 4:17AM EDT is the start of Lunation 1233 which ends 29.57 days later with the New Moon of September in Virgo on the 25th at 5:53PM EDT. August’s Full Moon in Capricornus is on the 11th at 9:36PM EDT. It is called The “Grain or Green Corn Moon”. It was the “Corn Moon” in Medieval England. Celts called it “Dispute Moon”, and in China, it is the “Harvest Moon”. Colonial Americans called it “Dog Day’s Moon”, a term descended from ancient Egyptians who invented the solar calendar which starts the year with the helical rising (rising with the Sun) of the Dog Star— Sirius. This preceded the annual flood which fertilized fields and signaled the start of planting season.
Of 13 Grandmother Moons during each year, Anishnaabe (Odawa and Ojibwe) first people recognize the 8th Moon as Manoominike-giizis (Ricing Moon). According to the folks at Earth Haven Farm in Ontario, this Grandmother Moon is the Thimbleberry/Strawberry or Sturgeon Moon. The cultural teaching explaining the cycle of life and nature for the Thimbleberry Moon of Creation is that: “it’s purpose is to protect the Sacred Circle of Life by allowing us to recognize and understand the teachings that come from the Spirit World.”
Lunar Perigee distance (minimum lunar distance) is 223,587 mi. (56.42 Earth radiil) on the 10th at 1:09PM EDT, only 32.27 hours before Full Moon. This means that we have a large and bright SUPERMOON, not as spectacular as those in June and July, but still very impressive. Lunar Apogee (maximum lunar distance) in August is on the 26th at 6:22AM EDT, when the Moon will be at a distance of 251,915 mi. (63.57 Earth radii). The waxing gibbous Moon appears to pass Saturn on the 11th. The waning gibbous Moon passes Neptune on the 14th, Jupiter on the 15th, and Uranus on the 18th. The waning crescent Moon passes Mars on the 19th, and Venus on the 25th. After New Moon, the waxing crescent passes Mercury on the 29th.

Highlights:  Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Summer Solstice, Planet Plotting, June Moon 

Focus Constellations: Ursa Minor, Ursa Major, Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Camelopardalis, Lynx, Leo Minor, Leo, Coma Berenices, Canes Venatici, Bootes, Corona Borealis, Hercules, Lyra

• Comet Journals

C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) is at 8th magnitude in Ophiuchus. It will be closest to Earth on July 14, 2022, and will reach perihelion on December 19, 2022. It is a huge comet, possibly reaching naked eye visibility near perihelion or even rivaling 1997’s Hale-Bopp.

45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova (2022) is at 8th magnitude in Gemini and Cancer in June. It passed through perihelion on April 26 and was closest to Earth on May 11.

• Mars Landers

The Perseverance rover is at the foot of a delta on the edge of Jezero Crater. It is adjacent to Hawksbill Gap which provides access to a gently sloping ramp which the rover is preparing to attempt to ascend to reach the top of the delta. The delta lies at the mouth of an ancient river valley. The valley leads uphill to a network of valleys which evidently drained a vast watershed, bringing sand, silt, and possibly organic debris to be deposited in the delta at the edge of a huge lake which filled the crater billions of years ago when Mars was warmer and wetter. 

“The little red rover is covered with dust, but sturdy and staunch it stands… On April 24, 2022, on day 1211 of its mission, the Insight rover took what mission scientists believe is a final selfie. They retracted the robotic arm to its “retirement pose” in May due to the lack of energy available from the dust covered solar panels. 

The Curiosity Rover has been traversing highly dissected elevated terrain beyond the upper boundary of the Greenheugh Pediment. It is working its way around numerous buttes as it approaches Gediz Vallis, a deep valley which cuts into the elevated rock layer and may provide safe passage for further ascent of Mt. Sharp.

• Meteor Showers

Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3, discovered in 1930, has a 5.33 year orbit. Each of the subsequent passages close to the Sun has broken the comet into 1000’s of fragments including dozens of chunks followed by a stream of debris which normally produces the minor Tau Herculid shower on June 9. Earth passed through the fragments in the hours after midnight on the 31st. The meteor shower emanating out of Bootes briefly produced 30 – 40 meteors per hour and did not produce the desired storm of 1000 meteors per hour in the moonless western sky . 

June 15: June Lyrids. Active June 11 – 22, Radiant 18h32m 35°, ZHR variable, 31km/sec. Waning Gibbous Moon. Progenitor: Unknown. 

June 27: June Bootids. Active June 22 – July 2, Radiant 14h56m 48°, ZHR variable, 18km/sec. Waning Crescent Moon. Progenitor: Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke.

• Summer Solstice

On the 21st, at 5:14AM EDT, Earth will be positioned in its orbit so that the north pole leans precisely toward the Sun, lighting up the northern hemisphere and providing the longest day and shortest night for northerners. 

• • Planet Plottings 

The pre-dawn sky in June provides early risers with a planet plethora. Mercury (+2.7 to -0.6) in Taurus, Uranus (+5.9 to +5.8) in Aries, Venus (-3.9 to -3.8) in Aries and Taurus, Mars (+0.7 to +0.5) in Pisces, Jupiter (-2.1 to -2.3) in Pisces and Cetus, Neptune (+7.9) in Pisces, and Saturn (+.07 to +0.6) in Capricornus are arrayed in order before dawn above the eastern to the southern horizon. Mercury is closest to the eastern horizon and brightens as it approaches maximum western elongation from the Sun on the 16th, after which it drops in the glow of sunrise. In early June, Uranus is slightly south and above Mercury and Venus is next. Venus appears to drop below Uranus on the 11th, then follows Mercury into the sunrise in late June. Mars and Jupiter are in close proximity in Pisces in early June, then they grow will brighter with Jupiter moving higher each morning. Neptune and Saturn, in Pisces and Aquarius respectively are higher than and farther south of Jupiter. From the 18th to the 27th, the waning Moon appears to slide by each of the morning planets, from Saturn high in the south to Venus and Mercury low in the east.

• June Moon

The New Moon of June in Gemini on the 28th at 10:52PM EDT is the start of Lunation 1231 which ends 29.63 days later with the New Moon of July in Cancer on the 28th at 1:54PM EDT.

The Full Moon of June in Ophiuchus is on the 14th at 7:52AM EDT. It is called The “Fruit Moon”. It was the “Rose Moon” in Colonial America and the “Dyan Moon” in Medieval England. Celts called it “Moon of Horses”, and the Chinese call it “Lotus Moon”. Of 13 Grandmother Moons during each year, the Anishnaabe (Odawa and Ojibwe) first people recognize the 6th Moon as Odemiini-giizis (Strawberry Moon) in the western dialect or Baashkaabigonii-giizis (Blooming Moon) in the eastern dialect. According to the folks at Earth Haven Farm in Ontario, this Grandmother Moon is the Strawberry Moon and the cultural teaching that explains the cycle of life and nature for the Strawberry Moon of Creation is that: “The medicine of the strawberry is reconciliation. It was during this moon cycle that communities usually held their annual feasts, welcoming everyone home, regardless of their differences over the past year, letting go of judgment and/or self-righteousness.” 

Two Lunar Apogees (maximum lunar distance) in June are on the 1st at 10:00PM EDT, when the Moon will be at a distance of 252,395 mi. (63.69 Earth radii) and on June 29 at 2:00AM when the Moon will be at a distance of 252,637 mi. (63.74 Earth radii). Lunar Perigee distance (minimum lunar distance) is 222,099 mi. (56.04 Earth radiil) on the 14th at 7:24PM EDT, 11.5 hours after Full Moon. The proximity of Full Moon and perihelion produces a larger and brighter Full Moon – a Supermoon!

The waning gibbous Moon appears to pass Saturn on the 18th and Neptune on the 20th. The waning crescent Moon passes Jupiter on the 21st, Mars on the 22nd, Uranus on the 24th, Venus on the 26th, and Mercury on the 27th.

Highlights:  Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, April Moon 

Focus Constellations: Ursa Minor, Ursa Major, Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Camelopardalis, Perseus, Auriga, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Lynx, Leo Minor

• Comet Journals

C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) is in western Hercules in April. It will be closest to Earth on July 14, 2022, and will reach perihelion on December 19, 2022. It is at 9th magnitude and may reach naked eye visibility near perihelion. C/2019 L3 (ATLAS) is in Gemini at 10th magnitude in April. It reached perihelion on January 9 and was closest to Earth on January 6. C/2021 O3 (PanSTARRS) is an 11th magnitude Oort Belt comet in Cetus. In late April, if it survives passage through perihelion on April 20, it will move into Aries and possibly approach naked eye visibility. It may be seen after sunset above the west northwest horizon in late April, and could be brightest when closest to Earth on May 8.

• Mars Landers

On March 14, after sampling Ch’ał-type rocks at a hill called Santa Cruz, Perseverance began its journey to the delta on Jezero Crater’s edge. The 3 mile trip involves covering more distance in a single month than ever achieved by any Mars rover. Perseverance‘s companion, the Ingenuity helicopter, completed its 21st flight, so NASA extended its mission through September. Ingenuity will scout for the rover when it reaches the 130 foot high delta and attempts to reach promising sampling sites in the rough terrain.

The InSight lander survived the latest Martian dust storm, emerging from “safe mode” on January 17.  Science instruments came back online on February 15. InSight’s solar panels now produce almost as much power as before the storm, enabling the lander to continue science operations into the summer. Curiosity Rover surmounted rough terrain on the rock layers that cap Greenheugh Pediment in the first part of March. As it approaches the Gediz Vallis Ridge, the rover is currently traversing an area on the pediment with numerous sharp, angular rocks which have been sandblasted by windborne sand and silt.

• • Meteor Showers

Although the Lyrid Meteor shower is April’s best northern hemisphere shower, it will have to compete with the glare of the waning gibbous Moon. The Pi Puppids are a Southern Hemisphere shower.

April 22: Lyrids. Active Apr 16-25, Radiant 13h00m -04°, ZHR 5 – 10, 30km/sec. Waning Gibbous Moon. Progenitor: C/1861 G1 (Thatcher) April 23: Pi Puppids. Active 15-28, Radiant 7h20m -45°, ZHR 0 to 40, 18 km/sec. Waning Gibbous Moon. Progenitor: Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjelleru.

• • Planet Plottings 

Mercury (-1.8 to +0.6) in Pisces and Taurus, and Uranus (+5.9) in Aries are evening planets in April. Mercury is brightest after Superior Conjunction with the Sun on the 2nd and appears higher in the western sky each evening until Greatest Eastern Elongation on the 29th when it is 21 degrees from the setting Sun. On the 17th, it is less than 2 degrees NNW of Uranus in Aries. 

Mars (+1.1 to +0.9) in Capricornus and Aquarius is getting brighter in April as Earth and Mars move closer to their December Opposition. After the April 2nd clustering of Venus, Mars, and Saturn in the eastern sky less than an hour before sunrise, Mars will be 0.3° south of Saturn (+0.9) on the 4th. Neptune (+8.0 to +7.9) in Aquarius is near the eastern horizon in the predawn sky in April. It is next to Jupiter (-1.9 to -2.0) on the 12th and Venus (-4.2 to -4.0) passes by on the 27th when both are slightly above the waxing crescent Moon. Venus approaches Jupiter on the 30th when all three are in the predawn eastern twilight below Mars and Saturn which are farther south.

• April Moon

April has two New Moons. The first in Pisces on the 1st at 2:24AM EDT is the start of Lunation 1228 which ends 29.59 days later with the second New Moon of April in Aries on the 30th at 4:28PM EDT. The second New Moon introduces Lunation 1229 which ends on May 30. This 2nd Nee Moon also produces a partial solar eclipse in southern South America, Antarctica, and over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.The Full Moon of April is on the 16th at 2:55PM EDT. It is in Virgo and is the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. The Sunday following the first full moon after the equinox is when Easter occurs which can be as early as March 22 and as late as April 25. This year it is April 17. 

The April Full Moon is called Egg, Grass,  or Thunder Moon. It was the “Planter’s Moon” in Colonial America and the “Seed Moon” in Medieval England. Celts called it “Growing Moon”, and the Chinese call it “Peony Moon”. Of 13 Grandmother Moons during each year, the Anishnaabe (Odawa and Ojibwe) first people call it the “Sugarbushing Moon” (Iskigamizige-giizis) – western dialect or Pokwaagami-giizis (Broken Snowshoe Moon) – eastern dialect. According to the folks at Earth Haven Farm in Ontario, the 4th Grandmother Moon is the Pink Moon or Sucker Moon and the cultural teaching that explains the cycle of life and nature for the Sucker Moon of Creation is that in April: “Sucker goes to the Spirit World in order to receive cleansing techniques for this world. When it returns to this realm, it purifies a path for the Spirits and cleanses all our water beings. During this time we can learn to become healers.” 

Lunar Apogee (maximum lunar distance) is on April 7 at 3:11PM EDT, when the Moon will be at a distance of 251,306 mi. (63.41 Earth radii). Lunar Perigee distance (minimum lunar distance) is 226,890 mi. (57.25 Earth radiil) on the 19th at 11:13AM EDT. 

A waning crescent Moon appears to pass Mercury on the 1st and Uranus on the 3rd. It passes Saturn on the 24th, Mars on the 25th, Venus and Neptune on the 26th, and Jupiter on the 27th.