For those of you who remained in the castle over the break, I hope that it was peaceful, with plenty of time for star-gazing. For those returning, welcome back! April is going to bring us some more beautiful sights, which means there is plenty to discuss.
The last Full Moon took place on March 25th, and the main phases upcoming this month are as follows:
| Third/Last Quarter | New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon |
| April 2nd | April 8th | April 15th | April 23rd |
Focusing on the sky to the north, you might notice that the constellation of Cygnus is starting to become more easily visible above the horizon, and this is particularly noticeable in the early part of the night. Nearby lies the constellation of Lyra, which is a small constellation that was first listed by Ptolemy all the way back in the 2nd century.
Lyra, though small, is intriguing because its brightest star is Vega, or α Lyrae, which is also the second bright star in the northern hemisphere, and the fifth brightest star in the sky overall. Furthermore, not far from here in Hercules, you should be able to locate a bright globular cluster, Messier 13, or M13. You may recall that last month’s article depicted the open cluster of M44, and you should be able to see how a globular cluster differs from an open one.
- Globular cluster, Messier 13, in Hercules 2. Open Cluster, Messier 44, in Cancer
If bright stars and clusters are not quite enough to encourage you to be on the lookout for Lyra and its neighbouring constellations, perhaps this will! Beginning on April 14th and continuing until April 30th, peaking on April 22nd and 23rd, the Lyrid meteor shower will be taking place. At the shower’s peak, the Full Moon will make the viewing conditions unfavourable, but there is nothing to stop the eager amongst us from trying to catch a glimpse in the early morning skies throughout the month.
The April Lyrids will be fast and bright meteors, and around 18 meteors per hour could be visible under optimum conditions, but there have been years when this particular annual meteor shower is much stronger. In 1982, around 90 per hour were observed and all the way back in 1803, as many as 700 per hour! For the April Lyrids, the source is the Comet Thatcher, which leaves particles of dust and debris in its wake. While outside the Earth’s atmosphere, these pieces of debris are known as meteoroids and, upon entering the atmosphere, they become known as meteors. They travel at such high speeds and most are so small that they burn up and disintegrate upon entry, which is what we are actually seeing when we watch a meteor shower or ‘shooting stars’.
This will not be the only meteor shower I will discuss in upcoming months and, in fact, the η-Aquariids are also beginning on April 19th. However, these will be best viewed in early May. As you may already be aware, meteor showers are named after their closest constellation, such as the Perseids (Perseus) and Leonids (Leo).
Finally, and earlier in the month, there was a total solar eclipse due on April 8th, and you may be wondering why I chose to discuss an annual meteor shower first. A total solar eclipse is an extremely rare occurrence but, in the case of this one, we will not see a total solar eclipse here in the UK. The path of totality, which describes the areas in which a person will best be able to see a total solar eclipse, runs through Mexico, the USA and Canada. Due to our position, we will be able to view a partial solar eclipse from the UK instead, and it is expected to last for almost an hour here in Scotland!
3. Diagram of a solar eclipse
A word of caution to all; never look directly at the Sun, as you risk severe and lasting eye damage, and this includes during solar eclipses. Approved solar eclipse glasses are available for purchase in many places but there is an inexpensive and effective option. All you need is a piece of paper and a piece of card, and you can create your very own pinhole projector. If you need help creating or using a pinhole projector, or even a box projector, I am only an owl away.
Alex J. Halsey
