Dillon Beach, California, United States. Photo by Bryan Goff on Unsplash.
By Karen A. Bellenir
In optical terms, 20/20 refers to good vision. In sky terms, the year 2020 will bring many opportunities to see celestial marvels.
As the year starts, the planet Venus will sparkle in the western sky after sunset. April evenings will see it shine at its maximum brightness. By summer, the planets Jupiter and Saturn will be lined up in the constellation Sagittarius. As the year progresses, these two gas giants will draw closer and closer together until their great conjunction on December 21, 2020, an event that happens only once every twenty years. In the fall, Mars will be in position for excellent observing.
To be prepared to view these events and many others throughout the year, a good sky map will come in handy. You can download one for the current month from SkyMaps.com. Each monthly map will show you the locations of the visible constellations, identify stars and planets, and mark the locations of other significant objects. The map’s second page provides a list of things that can be observed without optical aid, things that can be viewed with binoculars (7x35 mm or bigger is best for astronomical observations), and some things for which a telescope is required.
If your night skies are washed out by light pollution, you may want to learn more about how the International Dark-Sky Association is working to protect the night sky and steps you can take to help preserve this wonderful resource.