Howdy Star Gazers and welcome to this episode
of Star Trails. I'm Drew and I'll be your guide
to the night sky for the week starting April
the 13th through the 19th. This week we welcome
a new comet to the morning sky. We'll take a
look at a pair of animal -themed constellations
that are hiding some intriguing deep -sky objects,
and the Lyrids meteor shower is on the horizon.
So grab a comfortable spot under the night sky,
and let's get started. Early risers are in for
a treat, because amateur observers have just
spotted a new comet. Comet C 2025 F2 also known
as Swan, was spotted just a couple weeks ago
on March 29th, using data from the Solar Wind
Instrument aboard SOHO, that's the Solar and
Heliospheric Observatory. It's currently lighting
up the morning twilight and is already brightening
fast as it heads towards its closest approach
to the Sun, which happens on May 1st. In the
pre -dawn hours, Comet Swan is visible low in
the east -northeast, not far from Alpha Rats,
the bright star in the corner of Pegasus. You'll
want binoculars or a small telescope for the
best view, but if it keeps brightening, we might
be able to see it with the naked eye by the end
of the month. This comet is glowing green thanks
to sunlight exciting carbon molecules in its
coma. A signature look for a comet nearing the
Sun. So if you're up early this week, find a
dark spot with a clear view of the eastern horizon
and try to catch a glimpse before sunrise. Prior
to its current journey, Swan had an orbital period
of about 70 ,000 years. Postperihelion gravitational
interactions are expected to extend its orbital
period to nearly 740 ,000 years. meaning it won't
return to the inner solar system for many millennia.
I'll keep you posted in the coming weeks as it
climbs towards peak brightness. Comets, as we
always say, are notoriously unpredictable, so
we'll be keeping an eye on this one. A little
closer to home, the moon is in transition this
week. Last night was the full pink mini moon,
and it's still nearly full tonight. As the week
progresses, the moon enters the waning gibbous
phase, with its illuminated portion decreasing
each night. By April 19th, the moon's illumination
will be approximately 64%. Jupiter still dominates
the evening sky after sunset, although the window
to observe this gas giant narrows as the days
lengthen. It's still a magnificent sight in the
western sky during twilight. Be sure to check
it out in a telescope if you can. Depending on
your instrument, you're likely to see some cloud
bands and its four Galilean moons. Mars, the
red planet, remains positioned near the twin
stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux, before moving
into the constellation Cancer. It's visible in
the evening sky, shining slightly brighter than
the twin stars. Mercury, Venus, and Saturn are
now targets for early risers. Before dawn, look
to the eastern horizon to spot them. Venus, in
particular, will be exceptionally bright and
hard to miss. This trio will be in a tight grouping,
clustered in an area of less than 10 degrees
for much of the month. As Mercury exited retrograde
earlier this month, it will start drifting away
from Venus and Saturn, which will be very close
to one another by month's end. Let's venture
farther out on a celestial side quest to view
some constellations. While the big players like
Leo, Virgo, and the Big Dipper tend to hog the
spotlight this time of year, there are a few
lesser -known constellations that deserve some
love. Tonight we're zooming in on two underrated
groupings, one in the southeast and one just
hanging out beneath the Dipper's tail. Let's
start low on the horizon with Corvus, the crow.
Corvus isn't flashy. In fact, it's made up of
just four main stars, forming a kind of lopsided
square. However, this constellation comes with
a dramatic backstory. In Greek mythology, Corvus
was Apollo's sacred bird. One day the god sent
the crow to fetch water and a cup, represented
by the neighboring constellation, Crater. But
the crow got distracted, some say by unripe figs,
others say he just flaked out, and he came back
late, making excuses. Apollo didn't buy it. As
punishment he flung the crow, the cup, and a
long water snake, that's Hydra, into the sky.
And there they sit to this day. Corvus forever
reaching for the cup, but blocked by the serpent.
You can catch Corvus rising in the southeast
around 9 or 10 p .m. Just look for a small boxy
pattern of stars beneath Virgo. The brightest
of the bunch is a blue -white giant star about
165 light years away. It marks the crow's wing.
And if you have a good telescope, check out the
antenna galaxies NGC 4038 and 4039, two galaxies
in the middle of a cosmic collision. They're
fusing together, flinging stars and dust into
wild arc shapes. They're not easy to spot. You'll
need dark skies and the right optics. Now let's
head northward for our next stop. Look just below
the handle of the Big Dipper, and you'll find
Canes Venetici, the hunting dogs. This constellation
has a quirky origin. Back in the 1600s, astronomer
Johann Hevelius meant to depict a Boides holding
a staff. But a printing error split the stars
off into their own constellation, and we got
the hunting dogs instead. They're usually imagined
as a pair, Asterion and Chara, chasing after
the Big Bear alongside their master, Boötes.
Canes' Venetici is subtle, there are no bright
star patterns, but it's hiding some deep -sky
treasures. The constellation's brightest star
is Cor Coralli, a binary system whose name means
Heart of Charles, in honor of King Charles I
of England. With binoculars or a small scope,
you might catch its companion star, a lovely
double, when seeing conditions are right. But
the real showstopper here is the Whirlpool Galaxy,
M51. Just about 31 million light years away,
this face -on spiral galaxy is actually interacting
with a smaller companion, creating these incredible
tidal tails and swirling arms. It's a favorite
among astrophotographers and a great galaxy to
spot with a decent backyard telescope. Also tucked
in here is the Sunflower Galaxy M63 with its
delicate spiral structure, and the Cat's Eye
Galaxy M94, a compact galaxy with a bright core
and faint ring. This patch of sky is basically
a galaxy playground. Before we wrap up this week's
tour of the night sky, I want to give you a heads
up because something special is on the way. Starting
in mid -April, we enter meteor shower season,
and the first major shower of the year is right
around the corner. I'm talking about the Lyrids,
which will peak on the night of April 21st into
the early morning hours of April 22nd. There's
something extra special about the Lyrids. They're
one of the oldest meteor showers ever recorded.
Chinese astronomers documented them more than
2 ,700 years ago, around 687 BCE. That means
people have been watching these same bits of
celestial debris burn up in the sky since before
the rise of the Roman Empire. So, what are we
actually seeing when we catch a meteor streaking
across the sky? Every meteor shower is the result
of Earth passing through the debris trail of
a comet, and the Lyrids are no exception. These
meteors come from Comet Thatcher, a long period
comet that orbits the Sun about once every 415
years. As the comet travels through the solar
system, it leaves behind tiny bits of dust and
rock. When Earth crosses that path in April,
some of these particles slam into our atmosphere
at high speed, about 110 ,000 miles per hour,
and they burn up, creating the bright streaks
we call meteors. The Lyrids aren't the most prolific
meteor shower of the year, but they're a solid
mid -tier performer, typically producing 15 to
20 meteors per hour at their peak under dark
skies. But every once in a while they surprise
us. Back in 1982, sky watchers saw a burst of
90 meteors per hour. Earlier outbursts in the
1920s and 1800s were even more dramatic. So while
a big outburst isn't guaranteed, it's always
a possibility. And that unpredictability makes
watching the Lyrids a little more thrilling.
The shower gets its name from the constellation
Lyra, because that's where the meteors appear
to radiate from. More specifically, the radiant
point is near Vega, one of the brightest stars
in the sky. You don't need to find Vega to enjoy
the show. Meteors can appear all over the sky,
but knowing the general area helps you orient
yourself. Look to the northeast after midnight
and give your eyes about 20 minutes to adjust
to the darkness. This year, there's one thing
to keep in mind. The moon will be in a waning
gibbous phase just a few days past full. That
means it'll rise late in the evening and brighten
the sky quite a bit, potentially washing out
the fainter meteors. But don't let that stop
you. Even with moonlight, the brighter lyrids
can still shine through, and some leave behind
glowing trains that linger for a second or two,
like contrails. The Lyrids peak around April
21st, but you'll be able to see them before and
after the peak period. To get the best view,
try to find a dark spot away from city lights.
Lie back with a wide view of the sky. There's
no need for a telescope or binoculars. Be patient.
Meteors often come in clusters, so you might
wait 10 minutes with nothing and then get a sudden
flurry. And here's another fun fact. Since the
Lyrids were observed more than 2 ,000 years ago,
every meteor you see from this shower is part
of a cosmic tradition that spans human history.
It's the same sky, the same dust, and the same
sense of wonder. If you found this episode helpful,
let me know and feel free to send in your questions
and observations. The easiest way to do that
is by visiting our website, StarTrails .Show.
This is also a great way to share the show with
friends. Until next time, keep looking up and
exploring the night sky. Clear skies everyone!