LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – For the past few months the night skies have been dominated by two brilliant planets, Jupiter and Venus.
Jupiter is high in the night sky when you look toward the south. It is by far the brightest object in that portion of the sky.
In previous articles we have discussed various features of Jupiter. New information suggests some of Jupiter’s 60-plus moons may contain water.
Europa and Ganymede are two of Jupiter’s largest moons and the most likely source of water.
Europa has a craggy ice crust that suggests the existence of water underneath. There is also some evidence of ice geysers shooting from the surface.
Ganymede is the largest moon in our solar system. It’s even bigger than the planet Mercury. Beneath its 100-mile-thick ice surface astronomers suspect there is a warm, salty ocean.
Venus is the other bright planet, hovering above the western horizon.
Thanks to an atmosphere of nearly 97-percent carbon dioxide, it is the hottest planet in our solar system – even hotter than Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun.
When viewed through a telescope, Venus displays phases just like our Moon (quarter, half, etc.).
Aside from these two bright planets, April skies display the constellation Leo the Lion at its best.
High in the southern sky, this constellation represents the Nemean lion from Greek mythology. Subduing Leo was the first of 12 labors performed by Hercules.
Within Leo is the “Leo Triplet,” three galaxies visible through a telescope of moderate size.
John Zimmerman is a resident of Lake County, Calif., and has been an amateur astronomer for more than 50 years. For more information about astronomy and local resources, visit his Web site at www.lakecountyskies.com .