Astronomy

The Night Sky

OUR SKIES MAY BE A LITTLE LIGHTER NOW IN THE EVENINGS, BUT THERE IS STILL SO MUCH TO SEE!

Easter Sunday has moved again so we will explore a little about why Easter changes from year to year. We can also look out for a number of interesting meetings between a few planets, bright stars and the Moon throughout the month. April is the time to spot some bright fast meteors during the Lyrid shower and we have so much more news to look forward to from the surface of Mars as the lander Perseverance (hopefully) continues to explore the surface of the planet. Our constellation focus for this month will be Lyra and the bright star Vega - found in that constellation - will be our object of the month. We continue to explore some of the astronomy jargon in this article shining a light on the terms 'Constellation' and 'Asterism'. Lastly, I just wanted to mention the astronomy group I have started on Facebook. It is called 'Astronomy and Astrophotography France'. I hope to share - with any English speakers here - a little more of my love of the stunning skies here in France. I will be posting information about upcoming astronomical events, images, sketches and more so please do have a look and join us. I hope it could become a sort of online Astronomy Club for anyone with an interest in anything related to the night sky.

Easter Sunday : 4th April

The spring festival, now involving chocolate, rabbits, eggs and chickens is a moveable feast and has long been linked to Lunar cycles. This year Easter Sunday will be on the 4th which is one week after the full moon in March. The reason for this is linked to the Jewish lunar calendar. The time of the 'Passover' has been noted in the Bible and also honoured by Christians since the early centuries. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus was then seen as the perfect sacrifice during 'Passover' and this time was linked to the Hebrew calendar and the Moon phases. The Spring Solstice and the following full moon tell us when 'Passover' should be honoured. Full moon was on March 28th so the Sunday following that is Easter Sunday.

The Moon and Planets in April

The darkest skies and therefore the best viewing times will be during the week before and the week after 'New Moon'.

We’re very excited to have started up this group, a place to share experiences of the night sky in France, for English-speaking residents.

By Claire Wardlaw

Claire Wardlaw, originally from Edinburgh, lives in the Charente with her husband. Since their move nearly 6 years ago, Claire has become passionate about astronomy.

This is when the Moon is too close to the one another, but from our view point on you can easily see with the naked eye Sun to be visible to us and will occur on Earth they line up to form the well-known despite the fact that it is 26 light-years the 12th this month. This is known as Day patterns. An asterism is a popularly away. It is really a double star and its 1 in the Lunar phases cycle. On the known pattern or group of stars, often diameter is 2.64 times that of our sun. It mornings of the 6th and 7th a very pretty formed from stars in different is the fifth brightest star in the night sky crescent Moon will be visible close to the constellations. One of the easiest to spot and the second brightest in the northern planets Jupiter and Saturn. Look towards will be appearing in our skies as summer hemisphere. Vega is only about 450 the south-east just before 7am. The Moon approaches,the Summer Triangle. It’s million years old, a relative youngster. will be in the company of the bright star formed from three stars in three different Because the Earth wobbles on its axis, Antares (the 'alpha' star of the constellations; Vega, Denab and Altair. Vega used to be our North Star and in constellation Scorpius), in the south- These three stars are found in Lyra, about 12,000 years it will be again, so west on the morning of the 29th. It should Cygnus and Aquila and the triangle can look out for that.... Observations of the be a stunning view in the twilight around help us to navigate to many other star from 2006 were able to reveal that it 6am. During the evenings of the 15th to astronomical objects. is rotating very quickly, spinning once 17th, Mars will be seen close to a crescent Moon in the west around 10pm. On the night of the 17th it will be only 0.1 degrees Constellation of the Month : Lyra The bright constellation of Lyra or The every 12.5 hours. Meteor shower for April: The Lyrids from the Moon. Forming a sort of triangle Lyre sits close to the constellation of The best night, or 'peak' for viewing Lyrid around this pair you can also spot the star Hercules. Looking south it can be found meteors will be on the 22nd - 23rd. While Capella (above and to the left), the high in the east throughout the month. It the Moon will be brightening again by Pleiades (below and right) and the star is seen just on the edge of the now then - only four days before it is full - you Bellatrix (to the left). The returning can look out for Lyrids during other beautifully coloured stars Milky Way. nights prior to the peak when the moon Castor and Pollux can be The shape will be less of an interference. These seen forming a line with It has long been in our nature to of the particular meteors have a fairly moderate the Moon at midnight on the 19th, looking west. The full moon will occur find patterns and to create stories or myths to help us understand musical instrument The Lyre rate (expect around 18 per hour) but they are fast and could leave persistent trains. The region of the sky where they will seem on the morning of 27th much in the world around us may be a to eminate from is close to the this month. It will be little tricky constellation of Lyra. If you are planning 100% full at 4.30am if to see but an evening of meteor spotting, go out at you are up with the lark. It is also known you will be able to make out the central least half an hour beforehand to allow as The Pink Moon, not because it is pink parallelogram of stars which seem to hang your eyes to adjust to the darkness. A but because of the pink blossom of the from the constellation's alpha star of comfortable lounger chair positioned to phlox plant which flowers in early spring. Vega. In mythology the Lyre was give you as clear a view of a large part of Shining a light on astronomical jargon: 'Constellation' or 'Asterism' played by the mythical musician Orpheus during his journey into the Underworld. Lyra is ranked the 52nd the sky is ideal. Get your long-johns on and a glass of something warm and you are all set. Finding your way around the wonders of largest constellation. After Vega, the other our often beautifully clear skies here in notable stars of this constellation are; France can seem a little daunting at first. Sheliak -Beta Lyrae, Delta-1 Lyrae (a When I began exploring my passion of double star visible to the naked eye), astronomy six years ago the first pointers and the quadruple star Epsilon Lyrae (a I learnt were the brightest and most double double). If you can see this as a prominent constellations and asterisms. double with the naked eye it is supposedly It has long been in our nature to find proof of very good eyesight! With a patterns and to create stories or myths to telescope, it may be possible to spot the help us understand much in the world Planetary nebula of M57, otherwise around us. The night sky is thus full of known as The Ring Nebula. I hope to characters, animals, and surprising image this beautiful, apparent 'ring of objects - such as musical instruments - smoke' this year as Lyra moves across the which 'map' the expanses above. southern sky. Astronomers use these labels of constellations and asterisms to help point Object of the month: Vega the way and divide up sections of the sky. The star Vega shines brightly in the We now use 88 official constellation constellation of Lyra. Its magnitude is names which are given a rank in terms of 0.0. (the scale used to measure apparent comparative size. Each constellation brightness). Everything is given describes a named pattern of stars or area a brightness value relative to Vega. As we of the night sky around these stars. The move from Spring to Summer we can largest of the constellations is Hydra, the watch Vega travel across the skies as part smallest Crux. The stars in each of a pattern known as the Summer constellation are not necessarily close to Triangle. It is a bright, bluish star which

News in Brief!

On the 18th February this year N.A.S.A landed the ‘Perseverance Rover' on the surface of the planet Mars. I was glued to the live images coming from the control rooms as the seven month journey came to a tense ending. Ninety seconds after a successful landing the transit van sized scientific explorer sent back its very first images. How incredible to imagine this, the most sophisticated rover ever to be sent to the red planet. It is carrying seven instruments, two microphones and twenty three cameras. A 360 degree detailed panoramic image is being explored by the mission team. It is planned (at time of writing) that the helicopter which travelled on board the Perseverance 'Ingenuity' will make its first flight on the planet soon. More news and amazing images are expected from the rover during the coming weeks and months. Happy stargazing!