Virtual astronomical phenomena in April

In April there are many interesting astronomical phenomena such as the eclipse of April 26, meteor shower on April 21-22, Saturn near Earth most in April 28th.

Admire the mysterious red light

This eclipse will be observed in a large area covering half of the globe including Africa, Europe, Asia, Indian Ocean and Australia. The Vietnamese people can observe this whole phenomenon. Moonlight is not uncommon, but it is not always possible to observe the lunar eclipse, so this is also a good opportunity for astronomers to admire the mysterious red light of the Moon. .

The true moon occurs when the Sun, Earth and Moon lie on a straight line, the Moon enters the shadow region of the Earth and receives only a fraction of sunlight. For this reason the Moon is light red when the half-moon and dark red eclipse occurs when the total or partial eclipse. In this partial eclipse in April, a small portion of the Moon will be dark red, the rest in the dark and light red areas.

Partial lunar images were taken from Diamond Head, Oahu, Hawaii on June 4, 2012.

For this partial eclipse, the biggest drawback is the short time. The start of the first lunar month is about 2h54, reaching the maximum will be around 3h08 and ending this phase is about 3h21 on April 26. However, the observer can observe the half-moon eclipse starting from around 1: 03 until the Moon dives to the western horizon at more than 5:00 on the same day.

However, the advantage of this lunar eclipse is that it occurs in the early morning, because at this time the air is often clearer and the light is less and it will facilitate the observation.

Observe the lunar eclipse as well as observe the Moon normally, no protective equipment is required. In particular, with good observation conditions, astronomers can completely use the camera or camera to record this beautiful moment.

Saturn will be near the Earth most of the year

Not only the lunar eclipse, but also in this April there are many other astronomical events. Night 21, dawn April 22, 2013, Lyrids meteor shower will reach its peak. This is not a big meteor shower but it can still be observed if the weather is not rain, cloud cover and light pollution.

On April 28, 2013, Saturn will be closest to Earth in the year, when the Earth reaches its position directly on this planet. This is an opportunity for astronomers to observe this planet. If we observe with the naked eye we only see a small yellow spot in the sky. To admire the shape of the planet and its special belt, the observer needs the support of a small telescope.

Dang Vu Tuan Son (VN young TVH Club).