{"id":30813,"date":"2022-03-31T10:38:03","date_gmt":"2022-03-31T10:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/?p=106587"},"modified":"2022-03-31T10:51:14","modified_gmt":"2022-03-31T10:51:14","slug":"see-a-beautiful-planetary-parade-in-the-sky-throughout-april-2022","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/see-a-beautiful-planetary-parade-in-the-sky-throughout-april-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"See a beautiful planetary parade in the sky throughout April 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Pete Lawrence\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 31 March 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Throughout April and springtime 2022, there are going to be multiple opportunities to observe planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus in the sky from the northern hemisphere, making for a fantastic planetary parade perfect for beginners, kids and seasoned astronomers.<\/p>\n

Here we\u2019ll reveal which planets are going to be visible in the sky, which planets will appear side-by-side, when and where to see them and, if you scroll down further, how to photograph them.<\/p>\n

Close meetings in the sky between planets, Moons, stars and other celestial objects are known as conjunctions<\/a>, and are great events to observe with the naked eye or through binoculars.<\/p>\n

Indeed, conjunctions with the Moon can be an opportunity to use our lunar companion as a jumping-off point, helping you star-hop<\/a> to a star or planet that might otherwise be tricky to locate.<\/p>\n

After all, most people should be able to find the Moon in the morning or evening sky.<\/p>\n

T<\/span>here are a number of interesting morning meetings of planets in April 2022, ending with a spectacular conjunction <\/span>of Venus<\/a> and Jupiter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mercury<\/a> will also be a planet to keep an eye on in April, but will appear in the evening sky from mid-month onwards. For more info on this, read our guide to observing the planets in April<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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As April 2022 progresses, Mercury becomes an evening object, visible after sunset. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Throughout this guide we\u2019ll be stating the magnitudes of the planets in question, which is simply how astronomers talk about the apparent brightness of a celestial object. For help understanding this, read our guide to stellar magnitude<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At the start of April<\/strong>, mag. \u20134.2 Venus rises above the east-southeast horizon, 80 minutes before sunrise.<\/p>\n

The bright planet lies near to mag. +0.9 Saturn<\/a> and +1.1 Mars<\/a>. This dimmer pair appears southwest (right, as seen from the UK) of Venus in the dawn twilight.<\/p>\n

As the mornings pass, Venus heads east, leaving the group.<\/p>\n

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A view of Uranus near the Moon as it will appear through 7\u00d750 binoculars on 3 April 2022.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

On 3 April<\/strong>, a 6%-illuminated waxing crescent Moon<\/a> sits close to Uranus, which is always close to the naked-eye threshold from a dark-sky location.<\/p>\n

On the evening of 3 April<\/strong>, Uranus will appear 1.1\u00b0 from the Moon\u2019s centre.<\/p>\n

On the morning of 5 April<\/strong>, Mars and Saturn appear just 19 arcseconds apart with Venus 7.3\u02da to the northeast (where 5\u00b0 is about the width of your 3 middle fingers held out at arm\u2019s length).<\/p>\n

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Using your hand outstretched at arm\u2019s length, your fingers can be used to estimate degrees of distance in the night sky.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Mid-month, Jupiter enters the scene. On 14 April<\/strong>, Venus rises 70 minutes before sunrise, with mag. \u20131.9 Jupiter rising 30 minutes after Venus.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re really getting into the swing of things now, don\u2019t forget you can also observe the Lyrid meteor shower<\/a> with the naked eye. The Lyrids\u2019 peak activity occurs on the night of 22\/23 April.<\/p>\n

On 24 April<\/strong>, t<\/span>here\u2019s quite a parade of planets forming in the morning sky with, in order of greatest apparent distance from the Sun, Saturn, Mars, Venus and Jupiter all in a line.<\/span><\/p>\n

This planetary parade is sure to be quite exceptional, providing you can get a clear view.<\/p>\n

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View Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Saturn and the Moon together on the morning of 24 April 2022. This illustration depicts the view from southwest England, looking east-southeast at around 05:20 BST. Credit: Stellarium<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coming back to Venus and Jupiter and their tango throughout April, over the remainder of the month both planets appear to converge.<\/p>\n

On the morning of 27 April<\/strong>, Venus and Jupiter appear 3.4\u02da apart, 4\u02da north of a slender 13%-illuminated waning crescent Moon.<\/p>\n

Both planets appear 2.5\u02da apart on 28 April<\/strong>, 1.6\u02da apart on 29 April<\/strong>, and 41 arcminutes apart on 30 April<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The closest approach is on 1 May<\/strong>, when Venus and Jupiter are separated by 22 arcminutes.<\/p>\n

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Venus and Jupiter are visible in the morning sky late April, approximately 30\u201345 minutes before sunrise. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

However, viewing the pair won\u2019t be as straightforward as their impressive individual magnitudes suggest, and this is due to low altitude.<\/p>\n

The best strategy is to catch Venus early in the month and stick with it.<\/p>\n

At the month\u2019s end, Venus and Jupiter rise an hour before the Sun and it should be possible to spot them 30\u201345 minutes before sunrise.<\/span><\/p>\n

As an extra challenge, both planets can be seen in broad daylight; Venus with the naked eye, Jupiter with optical assistance.<\/p>\n

Using Venus as a guide provides an opportunity to observe Jupiter in daylight.<\/p>\n

By using a driven equatorial mount, you can pick up Venus in the early morning and stay with it until after sunrise.<\/p>\n

However, care must always be taken when observing planets close to sunrise or sunset, or during daylight hours, as catching a glimpse of the Sun through binoculars or a telescope could seriously damage your vision.<\/p>\n

If in doubt, don\u2019t attempt it!<\/p>\n

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Mercury sets approximately two hours after the Sun at the end of April, a time when it will appear near to the Pleiades open cluster. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Another planet to keep an eye out for towards the end of April and into May will be Mercury, which makes its way past the Pleiades<\/a> open star cluster over a series of nights.<\/p>\n

If you begin observing the Pleiades on 27 April<\/strong> and take a look every evening until 2 May<\/strong>, you\u2019ll see Mercury saddle alongside the star cluster, changing its position bit by bit, night after night.<\/p>\n

If you fancy photographing any of these planetary meetings, read on for our full astrophotography<\/a> guide.<\/p>\n

Photographing the planetary conjunctions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

How can you make a photograph of Venus and Jupiter look like anything other than a pair of dots in the sky?<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the geometry of this alignment will help. If you have a wide-field setup, the pair\u2019s low altitude will allow you to incorporate some horizon in the shot.<\/p>\n

Plus, the proximity of Venus to Jupiter on 1 May<\/strong> means it should be possible to capture both planets as discs through a telescope.<\/p>\n

Venus will be showing a 68%-illuminated disc with an apparent diameter of 17 arcseconds on this date; Jupiter\u2019s disc will be 35 arcseconds and accompanied by the Galilean moons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Brightening dawn skies present unique issues for astrophotographers, because you need to adapt to conditions on almost a minute-by-minute basis.<\/p>\n

The low altitude will mean you need to consider foreground <\/span>objects carefully too, in case a conjunction moves behind a tree.<\/p>\n

Equipment<\/strong><\/h3>\n