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APRIL SKY

New Moon: Saturday, Apr 5 — First Quarter: Saturday, Apr 12
Full Moon: Sunday, Apr 21 — Last Quarter: Monday, Apr 28

Location of Planets when it FIRST GETS DARK:
Mars is in the west but near the top of the sky in Gemini.
Saturn is in the east but near the top of the sky in Leo.
Jupiter rises in the southeast around 2:30 a.m. in Sagittarius.
Venus rises about 30 minutes before the Sun in the east.

Constellations visible when it FIRST GETS DARK:
Rising in the east: Serpens
At the southern horizon: Hydra
At the top of the sky: Leo
Setting in the west : Taurus

Clock position of the bowl of the Big Dipper when it first gets dark is 1:00 o'clock.

Meteor Shower: The Lyrids peak around April 22. During this shower, 20 meteors per hour can be seen.

Want a really nice star chart of the night sky
that also details celestial events?
Visit SkyMaps.

MAY SKY

New Moon: Monday, May 5 — First Quarter: Sunday, May 11
Full Moon: Monday, May 19 — Last Quarter: Tuesday, May 27

Location of Planets when it FIRST GETS DARK:
Mars is halfway up the western sky in Cancer.
Saturn is close to the top of the sky in Leo.
Jupiter rises in the southeast around 1:30 a.m. in the morning in the constellation Sagittarius.
Venus is to close to the Sun and cannot be seen.

Constellations visible when it FIRST GETS DARK:
Rising in the east: Ophiuchus
At the southern horizon: Corvus
At the top of the sky: Coma Berenices
Setting in the west : Gemini

Clock position of the bowl of the Big Dipper when it first gets dark is 11:00 o'clock.

Meteor Shower: The Aquarids peak around May 5. During this shower, 60 meteors per hour or one a minute can be seen .

Finally, Science Fiction that has real science!

“Time-driven as it is, Moonquake is a fast-paced story
that is never boring. The author is very effective at mixing technological issues with human narratives. Fans of hard science fiction will eat this up like addictive candy.”
—Ben Nault, President, Tucson L5 Space Society, Moon Society, Tucson Outpost



Moonquake
by Dr. Alan Binder

328 pages. $7.99. Ken Press. Paperback.
Read Chapter Excerpt
Orders: (520) 743-3200.
Signed copies available.

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A SCIENCE-FICTION novel by Dr. Alan B. Binder who was the catalyst and brains behind the Lunar Prospector space mission to the Moon. He is the noted discoverer of water at the lunar poles. In this, his first science fiction novel, NASA has blown it again with another shuttle disaster. They are put on a short leash to establish the first lunar base. But, it is difficult for a moving behemoth to change direction. As might be expected, the moonbase does not meet the approval of everyone involved. Normally this might be okay but space is fraught with many unknowns and dangers so it is better to err on the side of robustness than “adequate.” Things get shaken up a bit and there is a race to avoid death.