Head's up! (Or should it be "Wake up!") fellow sky watchers!
There will be a spectacular celestial event taking place
just before sunrise during this first full week of April!
According to a post at EarthSky. com from science writer Kelly Kizer-Whitt,
the planets of Mars and Saturn are heading for a beautiful conjunction
on the mornings of April 4th and 5th 2022.
A conjunction happens when the two planets have the right ascension on the
sky's dome which will happen at 22UTC (World Time Clock) on April 4th.
That's when Mars will swing 0.3 degrees south of Saturn. Sky watchers will
be able to see the planets on the East- Southeastern horizon shortly before sunrise.
These two planets will hover near the equally dazzling "Morning Star"
which is better known as the planet Venus.
Although the two planets will look similar, Mars will give off
a normally reddish cast at magnitude 1.0, while lovely, ringed
Saturn will shine with a golden light at nearly the same
brilliance at o.9. According to Ms. Kizer-Whitt, the pair
will be within a 1/2 degree of each other, or about a full moon's
distance apart, on the mornings of April 4th and 5th.
Since I normally "get up with the chickens" each day (only in my
situation, instead of a cackle my wake-up call is the persistent meowing
of a rambunctious, early rising house cat) I hope the skies are clear
this week where I'm at and where you are, my gentle readers!
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