April and May’s Astronomical Events
As we near the end of our school year, we are coming up on one of the best parts of summer… late night stargazing! It’s almost that time of year when it becomes ‘socially acceptable’ to simply sit outside and admire the stars above us. With the astronomical events we’ve seen already, it is probably a good sign that the coming months hold even more breathtaking sights to see. Just this past month, we experienced a solar eclipse, a passing comet and the Pink Moon! Looking forward to next month, we are in for a bright meteor shower, and a special Saturn sighting.
On Monday, April 8 around 3:30 pm, the solar eclipse was visible from Toronto… though it may have been covered by clouds for some unlucky viewers. Even so, the sky got dark for a couple of minutes when the moon passed in front of the Sun. We hope everyone who was able to see the eclipse enjoyed it, and we thank Summerhill Optometry for their generous donation of eclipse glasses! For those who missed the spectacle, get excited for the year 2144, the next time we’ll have the chance to see this special eclipse!
On the night of April 21, 12P/Pons-Brooks or the ‘Devil Comet’ reached perihelion. Perihelion is the point in its orbit at which the comet is closest to the Sun. The Devil Comet lit up parts of the sky with a bright, colourful hue. Though not visible to the naked eye in Toronto, stargazers were able to spot the comet through their telescopes and watch it illuminate the night sky.
Finally, since the old white/gray moon was getting repetitive, we got to see the Pink Moon! While not technically pink, its name symbolizes the blossoming of spring and flowers in the coming months. This month’s full moon rose on the night of April 23 and, though looked like any other moon, it marks the start of spring and good things on the horizon
As we look ahead to May, there are a few astronomical events to be on the lookout for. First, on the night of May 5, the Eta Aquariid meteor shower will reach its peak, during which we can see around 10-30 meteors per hour! Then, on the last night of the month, we will be able to see the moon near Saturn in the Aquarius constellation. The astronomical events of these past months will be hard to beat, but we can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for us!
To stay up to date with May’s moon phases, reference this calendar:
