Starwatch for April 2023
Written by John Del Re on April 10, 2023
Hello! I’m Karl Hricko of United Astronomy Clubs of NJ and the National Space Society, bringing you the April Starwatch for WNTI-The Sound of Centenary
I feel it tugging on my body. I’m being pulled into an area of space that’s curved in on itself. I can now see the back of my head. If I continue, my feet would stretch out, and I’ll resemble a spaghetti noodle. It’s almost as if I were Alice in Wonderland.
I’m falling into …a black hole. If it’s not rotating, I’ll be crushed from side to side, and pulled out into a single string of atoms. If the hole is rotating, I could bypass its dense singularity. Now it gets curiouser and curiouser. I may find myself entering a wormhole. This could lead me into another part of the universe or time. So it could be a time machine, or a quick way to get to somewhere else in this or another universe. Well here I go – into a rotating black hole- even though my name is not … Alice.
Although we can’t see Black Holes, we can see the light reflected from our planets. To the west at dusk, we can see Venus above Mercury, both in Aries. Continuing our gaze to the right in the southwest, Mars is seen among the Gemini twins. Later at dawn, Saturn is watered by Aquarius as you look to the southeast. Jupiter does a vanishing act this month.
So this month, try not to get too close to a Black Hole, as you observe our shining planets.
Until our next Starwatch – Don’t forget to check out … What’s up in the night sky!
