This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2025 April 26 – May 3
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2025 April 26 – May 3
The constellation Hercules is up in the east after sunset, recognizable by the Keystone asterism that forms the legendary strongman’s body. He is usually pictured kneeling upside down in the sky, having a tête-à-tête with Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer, with his foot placed triumphantly on the head of Draco the Dragon. The Keystone is situated two-thirds of the way from Arcturus to Vega.
Hercules (Heracles in Greek mythology) was the result of one of Zeus’s many affairs with a mortal woman. Consequently, Hera (wife of Zeus) did whatever she could to have Hercules killed. As a baby Hercules strangled two snakes sent by her, and the Twelve Labours he performed were assigned by King Eurystheus, a representative of Hera.
Two globular clusters, M13 and M92, can be seen with binoculars in the constellation. M13, the finest globular cluster in the New Brunswick sky, is along the right side of the Keystone, two-thirds of the way from bottom to top. A line from the bottom right star of the Keystone to the middle of the top side, and extended not quite that same distance, will put you near M92.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise is at 6:20 and sunset will occur at 8:24, giving 14 hours, 4 minutes of daylight. Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:09 and set at 8:33, giving 14 hours, 24 minutes of daylight.
The Moon is new and at perigee this Sunday, resulting in extreme tides early in the week. The crescent Moon kicks off Astronomy Week by leading the Pleiades in evening twilight on Monday, separating the Pleiades and Jupiter on Tuesday, riding above Jupiter on Wednesday, and pairing with Mars near the Beehive star cluster on Astronomy Day next Saturday. Mercury is about 8 degrees to the right of the slim waning Moon this Saturday morning, brightening over the week but difficult to see with binoculars due to its low altitude in bright twilight. Perhaps Saturn will be an easier binocular target within a binocular view to the lower right of Venus, which is at its brightest this week.
The Saint John Astronomy Club meets in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre at 7 pm on May 3. Tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm on the YouTube channel and Facebook page of Astronomy by the Bay.