Seeing stars: Upcoming astronomical events
Apr. 15—Following the excitement of the total solar eclipse that passed across North America last week on April 8, it is worth discussing some of the other celestial events scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.
The peaks of two separate meteor showers will take place in the next three weeks, according to the American Meteor Society. The Lyrids meteor shower will peak on the evening of Monday, April 22, as Earth passes through debris from comet Thatcher. This shower will be less than ideal viewing, with a nearly full moon interfering with the spectacle. The Eta Aquariids, however, will peak the evening of May 4 when the moon will only be 14% full. This shower features particles from Halley's comet. The American Meteor Society also cites predictions that the 2024 shower will be more active than usual. Those looking to witness the showers should seek out dark, clear conditions away from city lights that could outshine the meteors. The Lyrids shower will be visible in the southern sky and the Eta Aquariids shower will be visible in the southeast.
The Farmer's Almanac says that April 23's night sky will feature a striking full Pink Moon, predicting peak illumination at 7:49 p.m. The full moon will be visible just above the horizon in the east.
The Farmer's Almanac also says that at 5:15 a.m. on Wednesday, May 1, Saturn, Mercury, and Mars will all be visible in the eastern sky, though Mars will likely be faint and difficult to see without binoculars or a telescope.
In other exciting news, NASA is scheduled to launch its Advance Composite Solar Sail System no earlier than April 24 as part of Rocket Lab's "Beginning of the Swarm" mission. Part of the mission will be to demonstrate the system's ability to use the pressure of sunlight for transportation in the same way that a boat's sail uses wind. Effective solar sail systems could reduce or eliminate need for traditional rocket propellant, according to NASA.
