Night Sky Highlights for April-June 2021

Solar System

Partial Solar Eclipse in Connecticut
Thursday, June 10 at Sunrise
Sunrise: 5:17 am
Maximum eclipse: 5:33 am
Eclipse ends: 6:32 am
When the Sun rises this morning, it will be about half covered by the Moon. About 15 minutes later, we will reach maximum eclipse in Connecticut, with about 80% of the Sun covered. An hour later, the eclipse will end. To see this unique event, you will need to have a safe solar filter or use the pinhole projection method. You will also need clear skies and an unobstructed view of the horizon to the east and northeast. Remember not to look directly at the Sun without a safe solar filter as it can cause permanent eye damage!

Mercury
If you want to observe Mercury with the naked eye or a telescope, a good opportunity will be in mid-May, when the planet will make a nice appearance in the western sky right after dark. It will be 2 degrees north of the crescent Moon on May 13, and 0.7 degrees south of Venus on May 29.

Venus
Venus will be lost in the glare of the Sun for most of April, but then it will start to become visible low in west after sunset in May. It will be 1.5 degrees south of the Moon after sunset on June 12, but they will be very low in the western sky.

Mars
At about magnitude 1.6 to 1.8, Mars will be easy to find in the southwest sky on April and May evenings, but by June it will be low in the west after sunset and harder to spot. It will be only about 4″ in diameter, so don’t expect to see much other than a small reddish disk through a telescope.

Jupiter
The giant planet drifts from Capricornus into Aquarius, rising in the east well after midnight in April and May, and around midnight in June.

Saturn
Saturn will be in Capricornus, about 15 degrees to the west of Jupiter. It also rises after midnight in April and May, but just before midnight in June.

Uranus
It will be difficult or impossible to observe Uranus this spring because it will be close to the Sun or lost in the glare of twilight.

Neptune
Neptune is in Aquarius, too close to the Sun for easy observation in April. During May and June it will be possible to spot this planet with a telescope in the early morning hours. To find it, you will need a go-to scope or a finder chart such as the one in this article from the Sky & Telescope website:

www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/planets/ice-giants-neptune-and-uranus/

Deep Sky Objects

For deep-sky observers, springtime is usually considered prime time for observing galaxies. The Coma-Virgo galaxy cluster is high in the sky, and this relatively nearby galaxy group (about 50 million light years away) offers numerous targets for those with telescopes of all sizes. The galaxies listed below are just a small sample of the more interesting galaxies that can be found with backyard telescopes. Click on the links to get star-hop charts to help in locating these objects.

Messier 64, the Black-eye Galaxy
Galaxy in Coma Berenices
This galaxy has one of the easiest dust lanes that can be seen through amateur telescopes. Look for a bright nucleus that is partly surrounded by a curving dust lane that does look a bit like a black-eye. This galaxy is not part of the Coma-Virgo cluster but much closer, about 13 million light years away. Star-hop chart

Messier 94
Galaxy in Canes Venatici
This nice bright target is one of the easiest galaxies to spot with a small telescope. It has a very bright center surrounded by tight spiral arms that can be seen with larger scopes. Star-hop chart

Messier 98 and 99
Galaxies in Coma Berenices
Both of these spiral galaxies are prominent members of the Coma-Virgo cluster. M99 is a face-on galaxy so it appears round with a brighter center. With medium to large amateur scopes, its spiral arms can be discerned. M98 is roughly edge-on so it is seen as an oblong patch of light. Both galaxies are about magnitude 10, so they can be seen with even small telescopes. Star-hop chart

Messier 100
Galaxy in Coma Berenices
After observing M98 and M99, try looking for this somewhat more difficult target about 2 degrees to the northeast of Messier 99. Like M99 it is a face-on spiral, but its low surface brightness makes it harder to spot. Star-hop chart

Messier 105, NGC 3384, and NGC 3389
Galaxies in Leo
These three galaxies form a tight triangle and can easily fit in a single telescopic field of view. Messier 105 has a circular shape, and it is bright (magnitude 9.3). To its northeast is oblong NGC 3384 (magnitude 10), and south of NGC 3384 is NGC 3389 (magnitude 12). (The numbering of the NGC objects in inconsistent: They are listed as NGC 3371 and 3374 in some charting software.) Star-hop chart

NGC 4889 (Caldwell 35) and NGC 4872
Brightest galaxies in the Coma Galaxy Cluster
This rich galaxy cluster should not be confused with the Coma-Virgo cluster, as it is much farther away. If you can find the elliptical galaxy NGC 4889 (not that difficult at magnitude 11.5) , you are looking at a galaxy that is a whopping 250 million light years away! Just 7′ to the west is another elliptical galaxy, NGC 4872 (magnitude 11.8). With a large scope (say 10 inches or larger), several other members of this galaxy cluster can also be seen. Star-hop chart