As we wait for comet Hale-Bopp to make its much-heralded appearance, North American viewers were treated to the unexpected visit of another comet, comet Hyakutake, discovered by an amateur astronomer on Jan. 30. Hyakutake became an easily visible circumpolar comet during the last few days of March giving viewers a spectacle that will last during the month of April.

Watch as comet Hyakutake gradually descends on the northwestern horizon during the month of April. A year from now, comet Hale-Bopp will arrive in the northern hemisphere skies and promises to be the brightest comet in 20 years. “It will be an easy naked-eye object, even for people surrounded by city lights,” predicts astronomer Michael A’Hearn of the University of Maryland.

FOCUS ON THE PLANETS

Mercury will be easily visible from mid-April until the end of the month. Look for the innermost planet low in the west about an hour after sunset where it will be well below, and to the right, of VENUS. Venus may be found high on the western horizon where it will be visible even before sunset. The first of April will feature a very close approach of Venus to the Pleiades star cluster, a sight you will not want to miss. MARS will be lost in the glare of the sun during the entire month. JUPITER comes into view after 1 a.m. and may be found reigning in the south in the early morning hours where it outshines any star in the region. SATURN remains hidden in the sun’s glare until mid-month and then rises very low in the east about an hour and a half before sunrise. URANUS and NEPTUNE are to the east of Jupiter in the constellation of Sagittarius where telescopic viewers should be able to locate them, particularly Neptune, at month’s end. PLUTO rises about 10 p.m. in the east but will require at least an 8-inch telescope to find it.

FOCUS ON A CONSTELLATION

The sun enters Aries on April 18 making it the constellation of the month. Aries was the site of the vernal equinox from 1800 B.C. to 1 A.D. and is still known as the First Point of Aries even though the equinox now occurs in Pisces. Because it was the first house of the zodiac, the Egyptians saw Aries as Ra, who was the beginning of all things, the god of fertility and life with the body of a man and head of a ram. In Greek mythology, Aries is the Ram of the Golden Fleece sought by Jason on his epic voyage. It is far older than this, however, with the Babylonians mentioning the Goat as early as 4500 B.C. Tradition has it that the sun was located in Aries when the tribes of Israel were released from bondage in Egypt. Aries is a rather nondescript collection of three stars in the shape of a triangle with none brighter than second magnitude.

APRIL EVENTS

1. Sunrise, 5:17 a.m.; sunset, 6:02 p.m.

3. Venus is within half a degree of the Pleiades. Look for this close approach. For most viewers in North America, the moon will rise tonight in a total eclipse. Eclipse totality will occur at 6:26 p.m. and rises about 15 minutes before so that the moon should appear with a dark reddish cast due to sunlight filtering through the shadow.

4. Full moon, 7:08 p.m. The full moon of April is known as the Grass Moon or Egg Moon.

7. Easter, normally calculated as the first Sunday after the full moon, on or after the vernal equinox. Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead one hour as this is the first Sunday in April.

9. Moon in last quarter, 7:36 p.m.

13. Look to the west tonight for brilliant Venus with Aldebaran to its lower left and the Pleiades to the lower right respectively. Mercury lies far below and slightly to the right of Venus.

17. New moon, 6:50 p.m.

18. Sun enters Aries on the ecliptic.

19. Sun enters the astrological sign of Taurus but astronomically has just enterd Aries.

20. Astronomy Day. Yeah!

25. Moon in first quarter, 4:40 p.m.

30. May Eve. A cross-quarter day marking the midpoint between the first day of spring and the summer solstice. Sunrise, 5:27 a.m.; sunset, 7:39 p.m.

Clair Wood is a science instructor at Eastern Maine Technical College and the NEWS science columnist.