Astronomy - USA (2020-04)

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Path of Venus

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TAURUS

36 ASTRONOMY • APRIL 2020

Venus meets the

Seven Sisters early

this month in a spectacular

show that will appeal to visual

observers and photographers

alike. It’s the main planetary

attraction until the predawn

hours, when Jupiter, Saturn,

and Mars will dominate the

morning sky. And in the third

week of the month, the April

Lyrid meteor shower makes a

fine return during the dark of

the Moon.

As April opens, a dazzling

Venus hangs in Taurus the

Bull, just 1.7° below the

sparkling Pleiades star cluster

(M45). Over the course of a few

days, the planet closes in on the

sisters. Shining at magnitude

–4.6, Venus overpowers the star

cluster in brilliance, but the

Pleiades holds its own as a star-

studded region. Give yourself a

treat and grab binoculars to

stare at the sight for a while. It’s

one you’ll never forget.

On April 3, Venus lies closest

to the Pleiades, nestled just 16'

from Alcyone, the brightest star

in the cluster. It’s a cosmic

engagement ring, sparkling

with a radiance hard to match

with any terrestrial jewels.

Venus is the first object to

become visible in the western

sky after sunset as twilight

descends. Sunset occurs near

7:30 p.m. loca l daylight time,

and Venus stands at nearly 45°

altitude due west. Watch as

nightfall advances and each star

in the Pleiades pops into view.

By 8 p.m., many cluster stars

will be visible, particularly

through binoculars.

The Hyades star cluster,

along with reddish Aldebaran,

soon join the scene with

Taurus. Then comes Orion;

high above these two constella-

tions, Gemini the Twins stands

watch. An eight-day-old gib-

bous Moon stands 6° below

Pollux on April 1. It moves far-

ther along the ecliptic into

Cancer the Crab by April 2, and

into Leo April 3.

Venus continues its climb

through Taurus as April pro-

gresses. By April 17 it stands

10° due north of Aldebaran. A

crescent Moon returns to the

scene April 25 and 26, after a

full lap of Earth. It’s 3.5° north

of Aldebaran on April 25, and

Venus stands 10° higher. The

following evening, Venus stands

7° to the right of the waxing

crescent Moon in eastern

Taurus. The elegant pairing is

joined by the V-shaped Hyades

below it, with Orion to its

southeast, hugging the horizon.

Through a telescope, Venus

undergoes changes that are

caused by a combination of its

orbit around the Sun inside that

of Earth and its diminishing

distance from our planet. All

month it shows off a delightful

crescent, starting April 1 at 46

percent and slimming down to

25 percent April 30. Its apparent

diameter swells from 26" to 39"

Venus slides through the Seven Sisters

APRIL 2020

Venus slips

past two star

clusters

THE SOLAR SYSTEM’S CHANGING LANDSCAPE AS IT APPEARS IN EARTH’S SKY.

BY MARTIN RATCLIFFE AND ALISTER LING

SKY THIS MONTH

Visible to the naked eye

Visible with binoculars

Visible with a telescope

Venus passed through the Pleiades star cluster April 3, 2012. Exactly eight

years later, the brilliant planet puts on a repeat performance. ALAN DYER

Be sure to watch Venus as it skims the dipper-shaped Pleiades (M45) in early

April, appearing among the cluster’s stars on the 3rd. The planet reaches

greatest brilliancy late in the month. ALL ILLUSTRATIONS: ASTRONOMY: RICK JOHNSON