APRIL KEY DATES

The fourth month of the year derives its name from Aprilis, the month of
opening according to the Romans. To the Dutch this month is Grasmaand, the
Grass month.  To some American Indians its the Grass moon month, and if you are
Welsh it is Ebrill. What ever it is called, to those who live in the Northern
Hemisphere its the first full month of Spring!!

April 1 First weather satellite, Tiros 1 is launched
        1960.
        Good Friday

      2 First photograph taken of the Sun. 1845

      3 First airplane flight over Mt. Everest.1933
        Easter Sunday, a date determined by the moon.
        Its the first Sunday after the first full moon
        after the vernal equinox.
        Daylights savings time begins in most states.
        Moon last quarter

      4 Largest group of sunspots on record. 1947

      5 Pioneer 11 is launched. 1972

      6 Greeks record a total eclipse of the Sun.
        648 BC.

      7 Compton Gamma Ray observatory is deployed.
        1991

      8 Vice President Johnson denies the the U.S.
        is trying to reach the Moon at the expense of
        other national programs.1963

      9 NASA selects first seven astronauts.1959

     10 200 inch mirror blank arrives in Pasadena
        CA. 1936

     11 Launch of Apollo 13. 1970
        Moon at apogee
        Full Earth, but you have to be on the Moon
        to view it!

     12 Gagarin becomes the first human to orbit.
        1961
        First launch of the Space Shuttle. 1981

     13 Best view of HalleyUs comet in 2000 years
        837 AD

     14 Christian Huygens, astronomer and brewmaster
        born on this date in 1629. An interesting
        combination of skills.

     15 Titanic sinks 2:27a.m. 1912
        A good night to go out and look for meteors.

     16 Wilbur Wright born. 1867
        Astronomy Day! For more information contact:
        Gary Tomlinson, Chaffee Planetarium,
        54 Jefferson S.E. Grand Rapids, MI 49503

     17 Jerry Mock becomes the first woman to fly
        solo around the world. 1964
     
     18 San Francisco Earthquake.1906 
        Asteroid Juno at opposition
        To see the 3rd asteroid to be discovered
        point your scope or binoculars to 13hr45mn
        and+ 0 45.9 and observe for several nights.
        Juno will be a 10 mag. dot that moved!
     
     19 Nemesis, the death star of the Dinosaurs
        first appears in print, Nature magazine
        1984
        Sun enters Aries astronomically speaking.
        Moon at first quarter
     
     20 Apollo 16 land on the Moon. 1972
        Sun enters Taurus astrologically speaking
     
     21 First passenger airservice begins.
        BOAC,London to Rome,1952
     
     22 First Earth Day is celebrated. 1970
        Lyrid Meteor Shower begins, too bad the
        Moon is near Full, this is one of the better
        showers of the year.
     
     23 "Gus" Grissom born. 1926
     
     24 First Earth crossing asteroid is discovered.
        1932.  We now know of almost 200 objects
        whose orbit crosses ours!
     
     25 Hubble Space Telescope is deployed.1990
        Full Moon
        Moon at perigee, watch out for the highest
        tides of the year if you live near an ocean.
     
     26 Chernobyl disaster occurs. 1986
        Moon just 3 deg from Jupiter tonight
     
     27 First nonstop ocean to ocean flight occurs.
        Panama,1913
     
     28 Newton publishes "Principia" 1686
        Considered one of the most important book
        of science ever published!
     
     29 Construction of the Spirit of St. Louis
        completed. 1927
     
     30 Brightest supernova in recorded history
        is seen in the constellation Lupus. 1006
        Jupiter at opposition
 
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