This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2022 April 2 – 9 ~by Curt Nason
Although Orion and his two dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor, are slipping into the sunset, they are not the only pooches in the night sky. The small constellation of Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs is generally seen as a pair of stars well below the handle of the Big Dipper. They assist their master, Boötes, in chasing the celestial bears around the pole.
In one tale from mythology Boötes is Icarius, a vineyard owner who was taught the art of wine making by Bacchus. He introduced his shepherd neighbours to his product, and when they awoke with a hangover the next morning they thought they had been poisoned. In retaliation they killed Icarius and threw him in a ditch. His dogs, Chara and Asterion, sensed something was wrong, and when they eventually found their master they jumped into the ditch to die with him.
The brightest star in Canes Venatici is a double star called Cor Caroli, which means the Heart of Charles. Edmond Halley coined this because it was said to have shone brightly when Charles II returned to London after his defeat by Cromwell. The other naked eye star in the constellation is Chara, from the Greek word for joy. Halfway between Cor Caroli and Arcturus, the brightest star in Boötes, you can see a fuzzy patch with binoculars. This is the globular star cluster M3 from Messier’s catalogue. Galaxy M94 lies just north of the midpoint between Cor Caroli and Chara; and the much-imaged M51, Whirlpool Galaxy, is within the borders of Canes Venatici despite being near the handle of the Big Dipper.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:57 am and sunset will occur at 7:49 pm, giving 12 hours, 52 minutes of daylight (7:02 am and 7:53 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:43 am and set at 7:58 pm, giving 13 hours, 15 minutes of daylight (6:49 am and 8:02 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is new on April 1 and at first quarter on Saturday, April 9. Telescope users might see the Lunar X around 6 pm next Friday, just within the shadow a little more than halfway down. Mars and Saturn are in conjunction Tuesday, with Venus trailing them closely and Jupiter following by an hour. Over the month we can watch Venus close the gap toward Jupiter and Mars pull away from Saturn, spacing the planets out in a line by midmonth. Mercury is lost in twilight as it approaches superior conjunction next Saturday.
On Sunday evening at 8 pm, tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show via the Facebook page or YouTube channel of Astronomy by the Bay.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason.