Southern Skywatch April, 2014 edition is now out!

Evening sky on  Wednesday April 9 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 21:00 pm ACST in South Australia. Mars is close to the bright star Spica. Saturn forms a triangle with the two brightest stars of Libra. The insets show the telescopic views of Saturn and Mars at this time (although you will need a good telescope to see Mars in this detail).


The asteroids Vesta and Ceres are just below Mars, and easily visible in binoculars.  Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen).

The April edition of Southern Skywatch is now up. It is a busy month this month.

There's a bit of planetary action this month with Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars meeting the Moon and two bright asteroids at opposition, not to mention eclipses.


Jupiter sinks towards the north-western horizon in the early evening  is also near the Moon on the 6th-7th.

Mars is now obvious in the eastern evening sky. Mars is at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest, on the 9th, and is readily distinguishable as the bright red/orange object above the evening horizon. Mars is near the Moon on the 14th.

Saturn climbs higher in the evening sky and is close to the Moon on the 17th.

Venus is close to the crescent Moon on the 26th.

Mercury is lost in the twilight after the first week of the month.


The asteroids Vesta and Ceres come to opposition on the 13th and 15th respectively, Vesta is (just) visible to the unaided eye. 

There is a total eclipse of the Moon on the early evening of the 15th.

There is a partial eclipse of the Sun on the afternoon of the 29th.