> FRESH/SKIES
By Steve Kates
Moon and Mars
DID YOU KNOW?
Turn your eyes to the skies during April and May for a stunning double feature! Our Arizona skies are fi lled with amazing objects and events in April, including two amazing sights for you and your family to enjoy. I call April 2014 the Month of Moon and Mars, as we get to see a total eclipse of the moon and another close passage of Mars. Sky watchers—get set, as these two astronomical events will be an amazing sight. In Arizona, we get to witness our first total lunar eclipse since December 2011 as the moon puts on this rare event for us. The moon moves into the Earth’s umbral shadow at 10:58 p.m. local Arizona time on the night of the 14th. You will notice that the left edge of the moon will slowly darken. Get out those cameras, as the best is yet to come! Totality begins for us at 12:07 a.m. on the 15th, and the moon stays deep in the Earth’s shadow for the next 78 minutes. This is the time that the moon may turn a deep orange color, as the Earth blocks out most of the sunlight that the moon gets. This amazing Chinese lantern in the sky is at maximum eclipse at 12:46 a.m., with the totality ending at 1:25 a.m. and the partial phases ending at 2:33 a.m. on the morning of the 15th. This all happens when the sun, Earth, and moon line up exactly at the same time, with the Earth as a barrier to sunlight on the moon. The April full moon is known as the Full Pink or Full Grass moon. The moon will ride low in the constellation of Virgo and be some three degrees away from the planet Mars. Mars will shine bright, as it passed opposition on April 8. Mars will be some 57,406,300 miles from us on this date, close enough to see the northern polar cap on Mars through your telescope. It will be summer in the northern hemisphere on Mars. Meanwhile, the May skies also offer up some great visual treats, with the planet Saturn returning to opposition on the night of May 10. Saturn will ride low in the southeastern sky at sunset in Libra. Those with small telescopes will get to see the rings open wide, making them easy to see. The moon in May is at first quarter on May 6, the Full Flower moon on the 14th, the last-quarter moon on the 21st, and the new moon on the 28th. Enjoy!
ONLY S ’ T A TH TAL! 85 TO
The fourth planet from the sun, Mars comes close to Earth every few years but never closer than about 35 million miles away. There are great weather extremes on Mars; winds are estimated to reach 350 mph during dust storms, and temperatures can drop to -225 degrees at night.
The sixth planet from the sun and second largest in the solar system, Saturn is named for the Roman god of agriculture. Saturn has upward of 62 satellites and is around 850 million miles from Earth. It’s made up of gases and would float in an ocean—if you had one big enough!
LUNAR ECLIPSE A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the shadow of the Earth. One can last for up to an hour and a half. There will be 230 lunar eclipses in the 21st century.
A radio and television personality, Steve Kates (aka Dr. Sky®) has been engaged in the science of astronomy for over 30 years. Tune in to the Dr. Sky Show on News Talk 92.3 FM, KTAR, on Saturday mornings at 3 a.m. for the full sky tour, or visit drsky.com.
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APRIL | MAY 2014 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM