Watch Mars Pass M35

Looking West after sunset April 23, 2021 as seen from Denver and mid-northern latitudes

This weekend Mars will slowly overtake the open cluster M35 in the early evening sky. Look for it low in the sky underneath Gemini, directly above Orion. You’ll be able to see Mars apparent motion as its path brushes next to M35 with small steps each night, you’ll be able to clearly track its nightly progress relative to the cluster.

Watch out for latent Lyrid meteors in the pre-dawn sky this weekend, while we’re past the peak activity there are usually a few stragglers as the activity level drops back down in the few days after the peak.

We need your help! Standley Lake Stargazing is raising funds to bring science and astronomy to more venues this summer with our Community Telescopes 2021 fundraiser! You can donate directly and help by sharing the word about the campaign at this link:

www.standleylakestargazing.com/fundraising

Join Standley Lake Stargazing for “How Do You Weigh a Galaxy?” Wed. April 28 @ 6:00 PM (Mountain Time) to learn how astronomers uncover the masses, distances, composition and other surprising measurements of large and distant objects, from the Moon to the Milky Way! Email register@standleylakestargazing.com to sign up. 

Stay well, and clear skies!