TRAC Action Plan: April 2024
- Category: Action Plans
- Author: JM
- Published: 03 Apr 2024
- Last updated: 07 Apr 2024
Total Solar Eclipse (08 Apr)
The #1 Astronomical Event of 2024
On 08 Apr, a rare total solar eclipse (TSE) will take place over the skies of the US, Mexico, and Canada. The Moon will pass directly between the Earth and the Sun in the middle of the day, causing the entire sky to darken for around four minutes.
A TSE is the most incredible astronomical phenomenon we can ever hope to witness during our life. For most people, it's a once in a lifetime event.
Tens of millions of people are expected to view the eclipse. We'll get to see some stunning photos and videos from those lucky sky watchers!
TRAC Eclipse Party
NASA will be live-streaming the eclipse from various places across the US. If you're free at 19:15 on Monday, 08 April, I plan to get a few screens rigged up so we can watch the event as it happens. Hopefully, you'll be able to get a sense of how it would feel to see an eclipse firsthand.
I'll also have a table set up with a globe, 'moon', and 'sun' to demonstrate exactly how the eclipse works, so you can see why it's a fairly rare event, and why it's only visible for a short period of time from a narrow strip along the Earth's surface.
Light refreshments will be provided!
Eclipses Closer to Home
A partial solar eclipse may just about be visible from the UK, but only in the west. This is when only a small part of the Moon passes in front of the Sun. Unfortunately, Rainham is too far east, so it will be a normal day for us.
If you're wondering when we'll next be able to enjoy a total solar eclipse from the UK, the answer is 23 Sep 2090 – another date for your diary!
Comet 12P – a.k.a The 'Devil Comet'
TRAC Tracks a Comet
Observing Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is our number one goal for April.
Periodic Comets
The "12P" part means it was the 12th periodic comet to be discovered, and "Pons" and "Brooks" are the surnames of the two co-discoverers.
12P is one of the brightest known periodic comets and is touted to be the best comet of 2024. Currently, it's hurtling towards the Sun at around 30 times the speed of a military fighter jet!
The comet is made of ice, dust, and rock and is approximately twice the size of Mount Everest. Most of the time, it lives in the outer Solar System where it's freezing cold. As it gets closer to the Sun, the comet heats up, and some of the ice is vaporised. The dust and vapour form a bright tail stretching behind the comet for many millions of kilometres into space.
Our Observations
The comet makes its closest approach to the Sun on 21 Apr, but we'll aim to see it before then for two reasons. Firstly, the comet is gradually getting lower in the early evening sky with every day that passes, making it harder to see on the horizon. Secondly, in spring, the sun sets two minutes later each day, so the comet will soon get lost in the skyglow.
We saw comet 12P on 30 Mar and 01 Apr, but on both occasions, the view was far from spectacular. It wasn't visible to the naked eye, and through the telescope, it appeared as a dim smudge in the sky.
The smudge was the comet's tail, and the ever so slightly brighter region was the body of the comet. This might be the best we can do, given the local conditions. But at least we can say we saw a comet!
Hopefully, we'll be able to achieve a clearer view on our next observation attempt near the start of April, before the comet gets too low in the sky.
We Might Be Lucky
There's also a small chance the comet could have a sudden outburst of material and grow much brighter in the sky. A similar event occurred in July 2023. Since then, it's been dubbed the 'Devil Comet' because the outburst caused the comet's tail to change shape. The prong-shaped tail is now said to resemble the horns of the Devil! Sounds rather chilling!
Planets
April is disappointing when it comes to planets. Jupiter is starting to lose altitude in the west. By the end of the month, it will no longer be visible until it comes back into view in the autumn.
Uranus is a possible target if we get crystal clear skies near the start of April. If it doesn't work out, don't worry; we'll get another shot at seeing Uranus from October onwards.
Lunar Observations
April 2024 Lunar Calendar
- Last Quarter Tue 02
- New Moon Mon 08
- First Quarter Mon 15
- Full Moon Tue 23
Stargzing & Satellite Spotting
Around the date of the new moon is the best time to do some stargazing and satellite spotting. While the full moon is a stunning sight to behold, it's so bright that it washes out the sky and makes fainter objects impossible to see. Clear, moonless nights are crucial for stargazing.
If we keep our eyes peeled, we might be able to see some SpaceX Starlink communication satellites this month, or maybe even some space junk – remnants of old rockets and satellites left in orbit.
Weather Outlook
Most people in the UK are preoccupied with the weather, and an interest in astronomy takes that obsession to a whole new level!
The forecast is scandalously unreliable. Sometimes the outlook is dire, yet the evening turns out quite calm and clear. The flip side of this is that often the weather is forecast to be splendid yet turns out to be less than ideal – and that's putting it mildly! Judging when to venture out can be a difficult call to make. Success in astronomy is never a sure thing.
Now that spring has arrived, hopefully we'll get a few more clear nights – even better if they coincide with the weekends. That's all we're asking for. I don't think that's too much to ask, do you?
Website Update
The website is now up and running at "www.astronomyclub.co.uk". Right now, it only shows a basic holding page. Building the website is a huge project. We need to make it look professional as it might be reviewed by officials at Medway Council when I seek permission to be entrusted with a key to the park.
Being able to stay in the park for longer in the evenings is critical to the success of our astronomy group.
Seeing something faint and low in the sky (like the comet) is almost impossible from the street. The houses and trees block our view, and even the telephone wires that criss-cross the road get in the way. The street lights are also far too bright and seriously degrade our views.
We need to be able to stay in the park a little longer without having to worry about being locked or needing to pack up in a hurry. Some of us have already nearly been locked in there four times in the past fortnight!
Summary
We must double our efforts to see the comet; it won't hang around for ever! We just need the weather to co-operate with us for one evening.
If you've read this far, then I'm impressed. Hats off to you! I promise to try to make next month's plan more succinct. I got carried away this time, but it does mean I've run out of time to write the questions for the Easter exam – so there will be no astronomy exam this month! Yay!
Let me know if you have any ideas for the website.
Hope to see you out there soon!
James M
TRAC Team Leader
03 Apr 2024 – Rainham, Kent
TRAC is an amateur astronomy group based in Rainham (Kent) in the United Kingdom.
On clear nights, you'll find us outside, observing stars, planets, moons, galaxies, satellites, meteors, and comets.
This action plan is specifically tailored for our location, schedules, optical equipment, level of experience, personal interests, and local sky conditions.
Unless stated otherwise, all magnitude values refer to apparent magnitude and have usually been rounded to one decimal place.
We welcome any questions, feedback, or suggestions you may have. Please let us know if anything is unclear or if you notice an error, inaccuracy, or typo. Contact us via email.
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