Early each morning between April 24 and 27, a beautiful, waning crescent moon will glide past a row of planets, passing Saturn, then Mars, and finally, on April 27, the crescent moon will be grouped with Jupiter and Venus low in the sky. Neptune will partake in this dance, too, but will be hidden from the unaided eye between the two bright planets. In another do-si-do, Venus will pass within 1/100th of a degree of the dim, blue planet shortly after noon that day. Unfortunately, the bright sun and blue sky will obscure our view of that particular moment in this hemisphere.
Each month, Rancho Mirage Library and Observatory astronomer Eric McLaughlin spotlights a notable celestial event. For information about the observatory, visit ranchomiragelibrary.org.
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