In April, the "Astronomical Theater" will launch two shows on the 11th, namely the extreme approach of Mars Saturn before dawn and the Pleiades accompanying the moon in the evening. As long as the weather is fine, interested members of the public can enjoy the "Stars Attract" and "Stars and Moon Group Photo".
Wu Luping, a Beijing starry sky photography enthusiast, photographed Venus, Mars, Saturn and the waning moon in Beijing in the early morning of March 28, 2022. (Photo courtesy of me)
Mars is the planet most similar to Earth in the solar system, and it is also a planet that carries the most dreams of mankind. This month, Mars will be visible in low south-east altitude just before sunrise, rising at about 4-5 a.m. and rising earlier the further back it goes. This month, Saturn will be visible low in the southeast, rising around 5 a.m. and rising earlier the farther it goes.
Manga production: Hu Yanzhu
In April, Mars and Saturn are getting closer and closer in the low sky before dawn, and on the 11th, the closest angular distance between the two is nearly the size of the apparent diameter of a Full Moon. Before sunrise, Mars appears in the southeast hand in hand with Saturn, but the horizon is somewhat low, and the observable time is less than 1 hour.
"Since the brightness of these two planets is 1.1 magnitude, it is not easy to find in the morning light, and the interested public is best observed with the help of binoculars or small astronomical telescopes, and those who like astrophotography can try to take pictures of them 'in the same frame'. Yang Jing, a member of the Chinese Astronomical Society and a director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society, reminded.
Beijing starry sky photography enthusiast An Jiu photographed the Pleiades star cluster in Lijiang, Yunnan Province on January 6, 2021. (Photo courtesy of me)
On the evening of the 11th, a thin crescent moon will appear in the northwest sky along with the famous open star cluster, the Pleiades (also known as the "Seven Sisters"). This celestial phenomenon is perfect for visual observation and photography.
Manga production: Hu Yanzhu
"This time is ideal, and the moon phase is more appropriate. Observations can be made from after sunset until around 9 p.m. If the interested public wants to clearly see the two 'next to each other', it is best to go to the suburbs or villages with less light pollution, so that the naked eye can directly see the Pleiades, which is not far from the Momei Moon and resembles a cluster of crystal blue 'diamonds'. Yang Jing said.
Dai Jianfeng, a starry sky photography enthusiast in Chongqing, photographed the Pleiades with the moon in Karamay, Xinjiang, on April 22, 2023. (Photo courtesy of me)
It is understood that there will be many Pleiades with the moon or even lunar occultation of the Pleiades this year, in addition to this time, the lunar occultation of the Pleiades in the early morning of October 20 is also worth looking forward to, and it will be visible in most parts of the mainland.