Moonshine easiest to partake

Never let it be said that we don't listen to requests from our readers. Having just finished a series of the Top Ten Objects visible from a dark-sky location, a reader asked about items visible from a city location where light pollution knocks out most observable objects.

Well, the good folks over at "Beginners Guide To Astronomy" have put together such a list and almost all of them are visible now.

1. One of the best -- and easiest -- objects to view from a light polluted sky is the moon. It is hanging right up there and even the strongest of bright city lights cannot dim it and it is good in binoculars or a small telescope, it is even visible in the daylight sky.

Right now, the moon is approaching full which will in and of itself be one of the biggest sources of light pollution for the night sky. Right now it can be found in the eastern sky just after sunset but wait for an hour or two before viewing so the sky is nice and dark.

A good project for the beginning astronomer is to observe the moon each night -- or at least once a week--and notice the changes. I would recommend that such observations be kept in a journal along with drawings of what you observe.

The artwork doesn't need to be as good as Rembrandt, just record what you see. This might even prompt you to obtain a moon atlas with the names of the craters and maria when observing.

Or you could wait until the moon is new (May 6) to start your observations. Then you can follow it through all its stages. You might even want to answer the questions, Why does the moon have phases? and why do we always see the same face of the moon? and Is there a dark side of the moon?

Extra credit will be given if they are answered correctly.

One more suggestion, if you are going to observe the moon with a telescope, you might want to obtain a neutral density or Moon Filter. It will reduce a lot of the glare from the full moon and keep you from becoming "moon blind."

The moon is the closest celestial body to Earth thus very easily examined.

SKY WATCH: Full moon on Friday, April 22. This full moon is an apogee moon and as such is at its farthest distance for the entire year which will also make it the smallest full moon of the year.

It is at apogee a little more than an hour before it is full. Small speedy Mercury is at a good place for observing right now. Look in the west at least a half-hour after local sunset (about 13 degrees above where the Sun went below the horizon).

Binoculars are the best tool for finding it. Look for a very small, bright, pinkish dot. Mars and Saturn rise about midnight and are best viewed beginning an hour later--much more about them next week. On Monday, April 25, a bright moon will join the planetary pair for an early morning jaunt across the sky. For you astrophotographer think "photo op."

The annual Lyrid meteor shower will peak on the morning of Friday, April 22. With a zenith hourly-rate (ZHR) of only 18/hour, it is not something to write home about. On top of that throw in a just past full moon and the whole thing will probably just be a big wash.

NEXT WEEK: Watch a planet cross the Sun in May and more astronomical blathering.