Astronomy - USA 2021-04)

ARI

CET

FOR

SCL

GRU

PsA

AND

TRI

PEG

SGE

LAC

AQR

MIC

CrA

SGR

SCT

AQL SER

LY R

CYG

VUL

ANT

CRT HYA

LEO

LMi

UMa

SCO

OPH

HER

CEN

CRV

COM

CVN

BOÖ

CrB

SER

VIR

LIB

LUP

PSC

Path of the Sun (ecliptic)^

Path

of^ t

he^ M

oon

Celestial equator

Moon phases Dawn Midnight

Sun

Asteroid Metis reaches

opposition April 4

Cer

es

Jupiter

Saturn

Neptune

Vesta

Pluto

14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23

Mercury Mars

Venus

Ceres

Mars

Earth

Neptune

Saturn

Pluto

Venus

Jupiter

Jupiter

Ceres

Solar conjunction

is April 6/7

Mercury

Superior conjunction

is April 18

Uranus

Solar conjunction

is April 30

36 ASTRONOMY • APRIL 2021

THE PLANETS

IN THEIR ORBITS

Arrows show the inner

planets’ monthly motions

and dots depict the

outer planets’ positions

at midmonth from high

above their orbits.

To locate the Moon in the sky, draw a line from the phase shown

for the day straight up to the curved blue line.

Date

Magnitude

Angular size

Illumination

Distance (AU) from Earth

Distance (AU) from Sun

Right ascension (2000.0)

Declination (2000.0)

PLANETS

April 30

–1.3

5.6"

86%

1.207

0.310

3h16.4m

19°31'

April 30

–3.9

9.8"

99%

1.699

0.722

3h04.8m

16°58'

MERCURY VENUS

PATHS OF THE PLANETS

THE PLANETS IN THE SKY

These illustrations show the size, phase,

and orientation of each planet and the two

brightest dwarf planets at 0h UT for the dates

in the data table at bottom. South is at the top

to match the view through a telescope.