Things to look at this month.

by: Dave Flynn

Here are some things to look forward to in the next month or so:

• Lyrids Meteor Shower - Expected to peak during the evenings of April 22nd and 23rd as the earth passes through the trail of comet Thatcher.  Look between the constellations Lyra and Hercules for the center of this shower.  The forecast indicates about 20 meteors per hour with peaks of as much as 100 per hour.

• International Dark Sky Week - During the new moon week of April 13th-18th, help reduce light polution by keeping your outdoor lighting to a minimum.  Check out the International Dark-Sky Association at darksky.org for ways to help raise awareness on the effects of light polution.

• Jupiter - The giant planet is starting to head into the western horizon but will still be around for a few months.  June 30 brings a sunset conjunction with Venus that should be spectacular.

• Messier Marathons - April brings the beginning of Messier season with all of our favorite summer galaxies and clusters starting to show up.