Never pass up a chance to sit down or relieve yourself. -old Apache saying

Sunday, April 1, 2018

April stargazing

We are finally getting clear nights here on South Padre Island. Now it really pays to keep looking up.






Stargazing Summary
The constellations of spring begin to dominate the evening sky this month. Leo, the celestial lion, stands in good view at nightfall and leaps high across the south later on. Virgo follows the lion across the sky, with their brightest stars, Regulus and Spica, respectively, separated by more than 50 degrees — more than five times the width of your fist held at arm's length.

More stargazing information
 »

Radio Program Highlights
If you want to start hearing the StarDate program in your area, you can request a station to carry our program by emailing the request to stations@stardate.org.

April 2-8: Long face. The V-shaped face of Taurus, the bull, spans dozens of light-years, and we'll have details. We'll also talk about planets that orbit some of the stars that outline the face. Join us for the bull and much more, right here.

April 9-15: Big boat. An ancient boat sails low across the southern sky at this time of year. You won't find it on any starcharts, though, because it's been chopped apart to make three constellations. Join us for the Argo and much more.

April 16-22: Moon meanderings. The Moon passes several bright companions this week, including the "evening star," the eye of the bull, and a stellar crab. Join us for the Moon, plus a small planet in the dawn sky and much more, right here.

April 23-29: High-tech. New observations of the universe are generating so much data that astronomers just can't handle them all. So they're turning to artificial intelligence and other technologies to help them out. Join us for this and more.

April 30-May 6: Setting sail. The launch window opens this week for the next mission to Mars, and we'll have details. We'll also talk about an important date in ancient calendars, and about a star with an odd "twinkle." Join us for these and more.

Program schedule »

Hear StarDate every day on about 400 radio stations in the United States. Find an affiliate »

Coming Up in StarDate Magazine
Our Summer Reading Issue is up next. We'll bring you excerpts from new books in astronomy and space science. Additionally, we'll have summer skywatching tips and charts, plus the latest astronomy news.

Subscribe today

Observatory Trains National Park Service in Skywatching Programs
The University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory has entered into a  partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) to train park rangers in bringing the wonders of the night sky to their visitors. The observatory also will create outreach programs for the park service.

Read more »

About SkyTips
SkyTips is a monthly email newsletter for visitors to McDonald Observatory and StarDate Online. Each issue features stargazing highlights, upcoming StarDate radio program descriptions, and other news. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends and family.

SkyTips is a publication of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory Education and Outreach Office, 2515 Speedway C1402, Austin, TX 78712. Reproduction of SkyTips content is permitted with proper credit given to McDonald Observatory.

also

April 22/23: Lyrid Meteor Shower

The Lyrid meteor shower is expected to peak between April 22 and 23. A First Quarter Moon may make viewing conditions difficult.

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He's always watching

He's always watching