Jupiter and its four brightest moons are high overhead this month, with Mars and Saturn rising towards the end of the evening.  Bright moon Io will pass in front of Jupiter and emerge onto the dark background of space.  Mars is larger and brighter this month than at any time in the last 11 years.  The rings of Saturn are wide open and several bright moons are visible.

The Central Texas Astronomical Society will host a free public star parties 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. April 30 at Overlook Park near Belton.

CTAS members will provide telescopes to view the visible planets and a selection of stars, star clusters, nebulas, and galaxies.

The seven brightest stars in the constellation Ursa Major form an asterism known as the Big Dipper.  The Whirlpool Galaxy, M51, is located near the handle of the Big Dipper.  M51 is visually distinctive, being entangled with another Spiral Galaxy, NGC5195.  Another very beautiful Spiral Galaxy, M81, is also near the Big Dipper.  The Beehive Cluster, M44, is an open cluster of roughly 1000 stars located in the constellation Cancer.

Star parties are scheduled monthly, on moonless nights, which provide the best views of faint objects.  Moon phases don’t coincide with the calendar month, so the weekend of the month will vary.  Visit  centexastronomy.org for more information and directions to the site.

In the event of cloudy weather, a cancellation notice will be posted on the CTAS website homepage by 6 p.m.