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¡SkyCaramba! In April 2014,
three objects will be at opposition. Opposition is when an object is
opposite the sun in the sky. So when the sun goes down,
the object in opposition goes up. And it stays up all night long.
Mars is at opposition on the 8th.
You'll see the red planet in Virgo, somewhat close to the bright white star Spica.
Don't confuse it with Arcturus, a bright orange star in the same region of the sky.
Unless you're in a place with a severely light polluted sky, you won't have trouble
finding Mars, Spica, and Arcturus with the naked eye.
The moon passes by on the 13th when Vesta, the fourth asteroid
ever discovered, is at opposition.
It's too bad the moon will be almost full because all that moonlight's going to make
it hard to see.
The same is true of Ceres when it's at opposition two nights later.
Besides plenty of darkness, you need a telescope or binoculars to see Vesta
and Ceres. Maybe a total lunar eclipse will help. That happens on the night of
the 14th to the morning of the 15th depending where you are in the world.
In any case though, Mars, Ceres, and Vesta will be up pretty much all night
all month long. So if the weather, your job, or
anything else keeps you from stargazing on one night, just go out and look
another night. Here's a simulated view toward Virgo for April.
You see mars starting near Spica moving westward.
The bright start it's close to on the last night of April is called Porrima.
If you watch this video on YouTube, you can pause it
at any date you want so you can get familiar with what to expect when you
look at the sky.
And here's a simulated view that zooms in on the two asteroids.
Look at the section of sky in your telescope or binoculars and try to take
a mental snapshot.
Do it every night you can. As you get familiar with where the stars are,
it'll get easier to spot the asteroids moving among them.
You can also pause this part video on any date you wish.
Now remember, your telescope may give you a view that's upside down
left side right, or both. I hope you have a good view.
¡SkyCaramba!