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Volume 23 -- Issue 4
Planet Watch -- April 2017

Mercury is visible over the western horizon for about the first two weeks of the month but will be setting earlier and moving closer to the Sun and inferior conjunction on the 20th.
Venus reappears as a morning planet and daily becomes more visible over the eastern horizon as it moves westward away from the Sun.
click on graphic to see it larger Mars is over the southwest horizon at sunset and sets a couple of hours later. Watch for the 'Red Planet' to pass within a few degrees from the open star cluster the Pleiades around the 20th or 21st.
Jupiter is at opposition on the 8th and at opposition any outer planet rises near local time for sunset and and sets around local time for sunrise.
Saturn rises a few hours before sunrise local time and begins retrograde motion on the 6th among the stars of Sagittarius.

Dwarf Planet Ceres stays at 6th-7th magnitude during April and is located just to the east from the planet Mars, with the two coming the closest on the 5th.