THE SKY GUIDE CHALLENGE

Get to know northern Virgo, then snap or sketch asteroid 4 Vesta when it drops by

Minor planet 4 Vesta reaches opposition on 2 May, a time when, for the current period of visibility at least, the object is closest to Earth and at its brightest. As we approach opposition, towards the end of April is a great time to get acquainted with the patch of sky it’s going to pass through. If you’ve never seen a minor planet before, you can prep for the task by photographing the area during April. Alternatively, go old school and, using binoculars or a small telescope on a low power, make a sketch of the stars in the area. Sketching the stars will really get you connected to this patch of sky. The idea behind recording the star field early is that this will give you a reference frame…

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BBC Sky at Night United Kingdom (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025

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