ASTRONOMY PICTURE

OF THE DAY

APRIL 4, 2009

Star Party on Planet Earth

EXPLANATION

As twilight sweeps around planet Earth tonight (April 4), many amateur astronomers will set up their telescopes for a 24-hour global star party. The planetwide star party is part of 100 Hours of Astronomy (100HA), a project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009. To join the party, members of the public can find a nearby organized event or planned webcast by consulting the schedules on the 100HA website. What could you see through a telescope tonight? For starters, a bright Moon will shine in the evening sky, offering telescopic observers spectacular views of impact craters, mountains, and lava-flooded mare. Tonight’s other celestial targets include the crowd pleasing planet Saturn surrounded by its own moons, its rings tilted nearly edge-on.

Image Credit & Copyright

Babak Tafreshi (TWAN)