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planet Saturn nearby, now nearly at its best for 2013 and nearly closest to Earth until the year 2023. The star Arcturus - brightest star in the constellation Bootes the Herdsman - is also nearby, a bit farther away, as shown on the chart at the top of this post.
• As seen from some parts of the globe (S. Central America, Caribbean, N. South America, S. Africa, Madagascar), the moon will occult - cover over - Spica for a portion of the night tonight. Click here for more information on this occultation.
• You'll see the full moon even closer to Saturn tomorrow night, on April 25, the night of a partial eclipse visible from Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Saturn will come closest to Earth for the year in just four more days - on April 28. This is Saturn's yearly opposition, when it appears opposite the sun, as Earth flies between the sun and Saturn. Saturn is always generally closest to us at opposition, and this 2013 opposition of Saturn brings the planet closer to Earth than it will be again until the year 2023. Why? The reason has to do with Saturn's own 30-year orbit around the sun. Its orbit isn't circular, but instead elliptical, meaning its distance from the sun changes over a long cycle. Thus Saturn's distance from us at each yearly opposition also changes.
• Saturn shines east of the star Spica on the sky's dome in 2013, and the presence of this bright star makes Saturn fairly easy to spot this year. By the end of April 2013, when the moon drops out of the evening sky, Saturn and Spica will be more visible against a darker sky background. So keep an eye on them, and, when the moon is out of the way, be sure to note the beautiful contrast of color between golden Saturn and sparkling blue-white Spica.
(Continued on page 15)
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