Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - April 2022

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APRIL 2022 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 26THE CARIBBEAN SKY: FREE SHOW NIGHTLY!The Sky from Mid-April to Mid-Mayby Jim UlikSpock: Fascinating. This atmosphere is remarkably similar to your twentiethcentury. Moderately industrialized pollution, containing substantial amounts of carbonmonoxide, and partially consumed hydrocarbons.Dr. McCoy: The word was smog.— Star Trek, Bread and Circuses (1968)Are we alone in the universe? One way to check for life is to analyze theatmospheres of almost 5,000 exoplanets discovered to date. Do atmospheres of theexoplanets (planets that orbit stars outside the solar system) contain oxygen,methane or water? Are there signs of pollutants similar to those generated on Earth?The study of those atmospheres can help us to furtherunderstand the future of Earth’s atmosphere.The total lunar eclipse in January 2019 provided anopportunity to demonstrate the process of analyzingatmosphere during Earth’s transit across the Sun. Theinstrument used was the NASA/ESA Hubble telescope.The Hubble is too sensitive to face the Earth’s atmospheredirectly while the Earth is backlit by the Sun. Thecomposition of the gasses encompassing Earth wasascertained through spectrum readings. Hubble recordeddata from the reflected light off the lunar surface duringthe eclipse. Watch for the lunar eclipse on May 15th.Saturday, April 16thFive planets line up in the eastern sky before sunrise.Saturn, Mars, Venus, Neptune and Jupiter can be foundriding along the Sun’s ecliptic. Saturn is the first planetto rise, before 0300 hours. Jupiter will follow, rising inanother hour. There is also a conjunction betweenJupiter and Neptune. Jupiter, named after the Romanking of gods, will dominate the sky near the Roman godof the sea, Neptune.Looking west this morning around 0500 the Moon isapproaching its full phase. The Full Moon will appear as theSun sets this evening just in time for any party celebratingthis monthly event. Left or south of the Moon is Spica, the16th brightest star in the night sky. Actually Spica is atleast a two-star system. However, there could be at leastfour making up that bright blue point of light in theconstellation Virgo.Friday, April 22ndThe last time comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher crossedEarth’s orbit was May 11th and 12th, 1861. With anorbital period of about 416 years it won’t pass near Earthagain until about 2276, plus or minus five years. Earth’sannual pass through this debris field occurs every April16th through 25th. The peak shower event tonight occursafter 2300. The number of meteors radiating out of thenortheast sky could total 90 per hour. Shooting stars will radiate out of theconstellation Hercules near the star Vega.Saturday, April 23rdThis morning the Moon will join the lineup of five planets in the eastern sky. Theonly change over the last eight days has Neptune halfway between Jupiter andVenus. The Moon reaches third quarter this afternoon.Sunday, April 24thKeep an eye out in the southern sky after sunset. The pi Puppid meteor showerpeaks tonight. This shower can produce up to 40 meteors per hour, but only alimited number may be visible above 10 degrees north.In the western sky at dusk Mercury can be seen below the Seven Sisters. SomewhatM. KORNMESSER (ESA/HUBBLE), NASA IMAGE 1higher is the double star Aldebaran. If you have a clear view of the horizon and a pairof binoculars you might be able to spot comet C/2021 O3 after it made its closestapproach to the Sun. In five days C/2021 O3 will intersect Mercury’s orbit. Mercurywill reach that point on May 6th.Sunday, April 24th through Wednesday, April 27thOver the next five days the Moon will gradually shift towards the east. The Moonmakes a close approach to Saturn on April 24th. On April 25th it will split thedifference between Saturn and Mars. One day later the Moon will be between Marsand Venus. A lunar triad will occur on April 27th. The Moon will be in close proximityto Venus and Jupiter. Of course this all is visible in the eastern sky before dawn.Hubble telescope reading the composition of Earth’s atmosphereduring a lunar eclipse.Thursday, April 28thThe alpha Scorpiids meteor shower peaks tonight. Meteors will radiate out of thesky near Antares in the constellation Scorpius. While Antares rises after 2000 thebest time to look for shooting stars is after 2200 when the star is high above thehorizon. This shower is active April 20th through May 19th.—Continued on next pageBOAT PAINT & STUFFTime Out Boat Yard Saint MartinNext to the French BridgeANTIFOULING SPECIALIST:PPG Amron COPPERCOATPermanent Antifouling(10 years and more…)Fiberglass + Epoxy & Polyester ResinsEpoxy primer + Polyurethane Top CoatPhone: + (590) 690 221 676info@boatpaintstuff.comwww.boatpaintstuff.com
— Continued from previous pageFriday, April 29thMercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation or separationfrom the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since itwill be at its highest point above the horizon in the eveningsky. The bright star above or east-southeast of Mercury isAldebaran. Halfway between these two objects asteroid 2017UK52 passes close to Earth. This is the closest approach of aknown asteroid this period.Saturday, April 30thThe bright object in the east this morning before dawn is theunion of Jupiter and Venus. The two planets will remain veryclose through May 1st. In the following days, Jupiter willgradually rise higher in the sky while Venus shifts its positiontowards the north.The partial solar eclipse that takes place today cannot beseen in the Caribbean. It will only be visible from SouthAmerica south of Bolivia into Antarctica.Monday, May 2ndA sliver Moon and Mercury have taken up position betweenAldebaran and Pleiades. They all can be found low in thewestern sky after sunset.Friday, May 6thEarth is now passing through the remnants of comet 1P/Halley. Most of the meteors impacting Earth’s atmospherecan be seen early before sunrise. The number of meteors fromthe eta Aquariids shower can range from 40 to 85 per hour.They will appear to come from the line of planets in theeastern sky.A stream of meteors will radiate out of the eastern sky thisevening from the constellation Libra. This constellation islocated west of Scorpius. These meteors are part of the MayLibrids. The number of meteors from this shower is variablefrom year to year. It is possible to catch a glimpse of a fewshooting stars from May 1st through May 9th.The Moon makes a close approach to Pollux in the eveningsky. The red giant star Pollux is actually part of a multiplestar system. Pollux is the bright object located north of thecrescent Moon.Monday, May 9thThe Moon’s gradual eastern progression places it nearRegulus tonight. The Moon is one day past first quarter andbright, but you may still be able to pick out Regulus. The“Heart of the Lion” star is located south of the Moon.Friday, May 13thThe Moon entered Virgo on May 11th. On its four-daypassage through this constellation it will make a closeapproach to Spica. That connection occurs tonight. The bluegiant star, shining over 12,000 times brighter than the Sun,is positioned south of the Moon.Sunday, May 15thThe Earth will block direct sunlight from reaching the Moontonight. The Earth’s shadow will begin to slide over the Moonaround 2130 this evening. Or, more accurately, the Moonmoves into Earth’s shadow. In two hours totality begins. Thetotal lunar eclipse will last for about one hour and 20minutes. The only light reaching the Moon is refractedthrough Earth’s atmosphere. Shorter blue wavelengths arescattered away by Earth’s atmosphere. Longer red wavelengthsof light pass through. That is why lunar eclipses appear redand sunsets are red/orange.* All times are given as Atlantic Standard Time (AST) unlessotherwise noted. The times are based on a viewing position inGrenada and may vary by only a few minutes in differentCaribbean locations.Jim Ulik sails on S/V Merengue.Above: Lineup of the planets on April 16th at 0520.Below: Planetarium view of the Moon, planets and meteor showers at 0500 on April 23rd.IMAGE 2 BACKGROUND PHOTO BY JIM ULIK IMAGE 3APRIL 2022 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 27GRENADINESSAILS& CANVAS • BEQUIAServices provided:NEW SAILSSAIL REPAIRSU/V COVERS& FOAM LUFFSBIMINI, DODGERS& AWNINGSDINGHY COVERSUPHOLSTERYTRAMPOLINESSTACKPACKS &LAZY JACK SYSTEMSBEST CUSTOM-MADE DINGHY CHAPSTel: (784) 457-3507 / 457-3527 (evenings)e-mail: gsailsbequia@gmail.com VHF Ch16/68CENTENARIO & CO.S.A.• YACHTS AGENT FOR PANAMA• CANAL TRANSITCLEARING IN/OUT• ALL PANAMANIANFORMALITIES & REGISTRATIONEdificio 791-X La Boca Ancon,Balboa Panama, Republic of PanamaTel: (+507) 6676-1376 Erick Galvezinfo@centenarioconsulting.comwww.centenarioconsulting.comBest recommended agent in Panama by cruisers!
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Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - April 2022

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