Lighting Advice for Borrego Springs
You can help protect Borrego's night sky from the increasing problem of light pollution.
Making small improvements to lighting can lead to huge improvements in the quality of our dark night sky.
courtesy Yorkshire Dales UK National Park Authority
Sky Calendar: March and April 2024
By Dr. Randolph Baron
March 25 Mon | Look for Mercury 17 degrees above western horizon at sunset |
March 25 Mon | Full “Worm” Moon rise at 7:39 p.m. |
March 31 Sun | Sunrise 6:33 p.m., Sunset 7:05 p.m. |
Early April | Sunrise 6:32 a.m., Sunset 7:06 p.m. PD T |
April 8 Mon | Great American Total Solar Eclipse! (see below) |
April 10 Wed | Conjunction of 2 day old Moon and Jupiter visible western horizon at dusk |
April 22 Mon | Lyrid meteor shower (see below) |
April 23 Tues | Full “Pink” Moon rising 7:27 p.m. |
Early May | Sunrise 5:56 a.m., Sunset 7:28 p.m. |
The planets in April and May
Venus will be too close to the rising Sun to be seen safely in April and May.
Saturn will be a morning planet in April and May while Jupiter will be lost
in the glare of the setting Sun in April and will pass behind the Sun in May.
Mars will be a difficult planet to observe best seen as a morning object along
the eastern horizon just before sunrise.
Total Solar Eclipse: On Monday, April 8th, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon crosses the face of the Sun and completely blocks the Sun for several minutes. From Borrego Springs this will appear as a partial solar eclipse that begins at 10:05 a.m. Maximum eclipse occurs at 11:13 a.m. when 63% of the sun’s diameter will be covered by the moon. The eclipse will end at 12:25 p.m. It is never safe to look at a partial eclipse at any point and must be viewed with solar eclipse glasses! An interesting effect to take note of during a partial eclipse is to stand under a leafed out tree and note the multiple crescent images on the ground. The tiny spaces between leaves act as pinhole cameras producing images of the Sun on the ground. This is a cool sight!
The Lyrid meteor shower is one of the oldest recorded meteor showers with ations going back to around 687 B.C. The moon will be a hindrance this year being almost full, so only the brightest meteors will be seen The shower is visible from around April 16th to April 25th but the peak is expected in the predawn hours of April 22nd.
Is Your Home Dark Sky Friendly?
You can reduce light pollution by ensuring that your exterior lighting is neighbor, and dark sky friendly.
Most people will find that a few simple changes can lead to home lighting that is both beautiful and functional,
without contributing to excessive light pollution. The International Dark Sky Association has a Dark Sky
Friendly Home Certification for just that purpose!
Learn more