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April Skies

Celestron Sky Portal App with permission

April is a superb time to watch four of the naked eye planets.

If you have noticed a brilliant gleaming star in the western sky the past few months, then you have probably seen the planet Venus which is the second planet from our Sun. It far outshines any other star in the Sky this month and is positioned high in the western sky in early evening and sets around midnight. Every eight years this same spectacle is seen in about the same place in the evening sky. You only have this month to observe Venus because it will be setting earlier each night until it disappears over the western mountains and then moves quickly to the morning sky.

The other three planets appear in the early morning sky before dawn. Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter form a nearly straight line in the southeastern morning sky. Mars is brightening as it slowly approaches the earth. Reddish Mars is seen to the left of yellowish Saturn at equal brightness. Whitish Jupiter is not far to the right of Saturn. Tomorrow morning these planets will be joined by the waxing crescent Moon forming a beautiful arrangement of the planets and the moon. Some wondrous wide angle photos can be made of such planetary arrangements with a colorful dawn accompanied by the majestic Utah Mountains in the background.

Our website is CVAS-utahskies.org.