Night Sky Highlights for April-June 2024
By Jim Mazur
Solar System
Solar Eclipse on April 8
This is the big astronomical event of the spring, and it has been getting publicity for years. Some of us will be traveling to a spot in the path of totality and hoping for clear skies. Here in Connecticut, the Sun will be about 90% covered at maximum eclipse. The exact times vary depending on your location, but for New Haven they are:
2:12 pm: Partial eclipse begins
3:27 pm: Maximum eclipse
4:37 pm: Partial eclipse ends
Conjunction of Moon, Jupiter, Uranus, and Comet Pons-Brooks
April 10 after sunset
This will be a unique conjunction of four objects, but it will take place right after sunset in the western twilight sky, and it is hard to say how many of these objects will be visible with or without a telescope. Jupiter and the 2.5-day-old Moon should be easy to see. At magnitude 6, Uranus should be visible through a small telescope once the sky gets dark enough. Comet Pons-Brooks may be about magnitude 4.5, but comets are notoriously hard to predict, and it could be challenging to see in the glow of twilight. All of these objects will be within a circle of less than 7 degrees, and they are certainly worth taking a look. Sunset is at 7:26pm. About 50 minutes later (about 8:16pm), Comet Pons-Brooks (the lowest of the four objects) will still be 12 degrees above the western horizon.
Mercury
Mercury will be low in the western sky after sunset at the end of June, getting higher in the sky through the first week of July. Otherwise it will be too close to the Sun to be seen this spring.
Venus
Venus will be hidden in the solar glare throughout the spring, but it will start to appear in the west after sunset at the end of June. It will get higher in the west during the summer.
Mars
Mars will be visible in the eastern sky before dawn throughout the spring. On April 11 it will pass within a degree of Saturn, making a striking display of two bright planets.
Jupiter
During April, Jupiter will shine brightly in the west after sunset, gradually getting closer to the Sun as the month progresses. It will pass behind the Sun in May, then reappear in the east in the predawn sky in June.
Saturn
As noted above, Saturn will pass close to Mars on April 11, when both can be seen low in the east before dawn. It will continue to be visible in the pre-dawn sky throughout the spring. By the end of June it will be rising in the east around midnight.
Uranus
Like Jupiter, Uranus will be in the western sky after sunset in early April, before it passes behind the Sun in May. A finder chart can be found at: https://theskylive.com/uranus-info
Neptune
Throughout 2024, Neptune will be trailing Saturn across the sky, lagging behind the ringed planet by less than an hour. At about magnitude 8, it can be found with binoculars or a small telescope. Here is a finder chart for Neptune: https://theskylive.com/planetarium?obj=neptune
Deep Sky Objects
Deep-sky observers think of spring as galaxy season because the many galaxies of the Coma-Virgo cluster pass through the southern sky on spring evenings. There is something for everyone. Some galaxies are bright enough to be seen in the smallest telescope, and others will challenge the largest backyard scopes. Of the 12 objects mentioned below, all but the last one should be visible with even a small telescope on a dark night.
Messier 51, Whirlpool Galaxy
Spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici
This is a face-on spiral galaxy with a nearby companion (NGC 5195). Through a small telescope, the bright nuclei of these two galaxies appear as a pair of fuzzy round patches, side by side. With a larger telescope, you can start to trace the shape of the Whirlpool’s spiral arms as the circle the nucleus. Star-hop chart
Messier 63, Sunflower Galaxy
Spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici
This galaxy gets its name from its mottled appearance in photographs. Through a small scope it can be seen as a long oval with a brighter center. It is about 27 million light years away. Star-hop chart
Messier 65, 66, and NGC 3628, the Leo Trio
Spiral galaxies in Leo
This is probably the most famous trio of galaxies in the sky. Messier 65 and 66 are a closely matched pair of bright oblong galaxies (magnitudes 9.2 and 9.0) about 0.3 degrees apart. They form an elongated triangle with the third galaxy, NGC 3628 (magnitude 9.5), which is about 0.6 degrees to their north. It is an edge-on spiral with a large dark dust lane cutting through its center. Star-hop chart
Messier 88 and 91
Spiral galaxies in Coma Berenices
Messier 88 is a large spiral galaxy that appears oblong through a telescope. Less than 1 degree to its east is Messier 91, a barred spiral. It has a small bright center that is easy to spot, but its faint spiral arms are much harder to see. Star-hop chart
Messier 95, 96, and 105
Galaxies in Leo
This is another nice trio of galaxies in Leo, though they are spread out a little more than the Leo Trio. M95 is a face-on barred spiral, and M96 is a classic spiral about 0.7 degrees to its east. Look 0.8 degrees north of M96 and you can find the elliptical galaxy M105. (To the east of M105, you might also spot two other galaxies, NGC 3371 and 3373.) Star-hop chart
Messier 106 and NGC 4248
Spiral galaxies in Canes Venatici
About 25 million light years away, M106 is the closest galaxy on this list. It is a large oval, magnitude 8.4, and with a large scope some structure in its spiral arms can be seen. Much more challenging is NGC 4248, a small elongated galaxy about 1/4 degree to its west (magnitude 12.6). Star-hop chart