[Science, Education, Culture and Health] In April, the sky is "starry": the handle of the bucket points to the east, and the world is spring
China News Service, Nanjing, April 1 (Xu Shanshan) According to news from the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on April 1, it is the spring season again, and the "Celestial Theater" is also "starry". This month, the Pleiades star cluster will accompany the moon, Mars and Saturn will be extremely close, bright comets, Lyrid meteor shower and other celestial phenomena will appear one after another.
"On the night of April, the Big Dipper hangs high and the handle points to the east, which means that the vibrant spring is coming as scheduled." Wang Kechao, director of science popularization at the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that in the eastern sky, Leo, Virgo, Boötes, etc. The constellations play a starring role, with the bright Spring Curve and Spring Triangle becoming the brightest signs in the sky.
Spring is the perfect time to appreciate the "Galaxy Arch Bridge": in April, the Milky Way rises earlier and earlier on the eastern horizon, maintaining its arch shape for a long time after midnight, crossing the night sky, which is extremely spectacular. The "Galaxy Arch Bridge" in spring has a low profile and good angles, and is very popular among astronomy enthusiasts.
On the evening of the 11th, in the low sky in the northwest, a thin crescent moon accompanied the Pleiades star cluster at close range, performing a romantic "fairy tale of stars and moon". "This year, the Pleiades star cluster will accompany the moon several times, and there will even be a celestial phenomenon where the moon occults the Pleiades star cluster. Since the moon phase when the Pleiades star cluster accompanied the moon this time is very thin, it will be the most beautiful one this year and is worth looking forward to." Wang Kechao explain.
The Lyrid meteor shower, which is active in mid-to-late April, will also arrive as scheduled and decorate the night sky. Wang Kechao said that the maximum moment of this year's Lyrid meteor shower will occur around 15:00 on April 22, Beijing time, and it is more suitable for observation on the night of the 21st and 22nd. However, the moon phase in these few days is close to the full moon, which has a great impact on observations.
When the sweet meteor shower hits, the romantic picture of "the stars depend on each other" is also worth looking forward to. In April, Mars and Saturn are getting closer and closer in the low sky before dawn, reaching their closest point on the 11th; in the western sky in the evening, Jupiter and Uranus gradually get closer, and they are closest on the 20th; before sunrise on the 29th, Mars and Neptune are extremely close, which is worth Observation.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, which returned to the solar system this year after a 71-year journey, has recently attracted attention. After entering April, its brightness will gradually increase, and it will pass perihelion on the 21st and reach the position closest to the sun. Wang Kechao reminded that this may be the first comet visible to the naked eye this year, but due to factors such as the horizon, there are still certain challenges for the public to observe and photograph this comet. (over)