The biggest astronomical event of the year takes place in April. The total solar eclipse, which unfortunately will not be seen from Brazil, will cover the skies of North America on the 8th. See this and other events expected for the month of April in the Astronomical Calendar of Digital Look.
See below our February astronomical calendar with the most important events. Please remember that all dates, times and geographical references consider an observer based in Brasília, and may be slightly different depending on your position in the country.
read more:
April Astronomical Calendar
2 April: April’s waning moon arrives at 00:14.
April 8: The Moon will cover the Sun in a Total Solar Eclipse that can be seen from various regions of North America, allowing millions of people to observe the phenomenon, which results in an almost perfect coverage of the star. Unfortunately, the event will not be seen in Brazil.
The phenomenon is the same as that recorded in 2017, but there are some differences. This year’s Total Solar Eclipse will be visible in cities and more densely populated areas, allowing 31.6 million people to watch the phenomenon, compared to 12 million in 2017.
April 8: The new moon arrives at 3:20 pm.
9th April: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the first pair of WorldView Legion Earth observation satellites for Maxar Technologies. Maxar plans to deploy six commercial high-resolution WorldView Legion remote sensing satellites in a mix of sun-synchronous and medium-inclination orbits.
April 15th: The Crescent Moon arrives at 4:13 pm.
April 22nd and 23rd: The Lyrid meteor shower, considered by many to be the first of the main meteor showers that occur every year, has a maximum expected for the 22nd and 23rd, when the chances of seeing “shooting stars” will be greater. However, it has been active since the 15th, with an end scheduled for the 29th.
This is the first meteor shower to occur after the “drought” that occurs after the Quadrantids, which peaks on January 3. And it is because this period ends and also because the Quadrantids rain is practically not visible from Brazil that, for many, Líridas is considered the first of the great meteor showers of the year.
April 23: The Full Moon arrives at 8:48 pm.
Scheduled for April, but no date:
- First flight of the Angara A5 rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome launch site, payloads to be announced.
- The first of 2 launches for the European Commission of the Galileo satellite constellation. The launch must take place on a Falcon 9 rocket.
Tags: Total solar eclipse meteor shower astronomical calendar
