The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990, so this year is celebrating its 21st birthday. The images it has provided us with are beyond compare, we truly have seen further than ever before, almost as far back in time as the beginning of time! By way of celebrating this landmark anniversary, the Hubblesite have released this magnificent image of interacting galaxies Arp 273. If this has whetted your appetite for more, do visit the gallery at Hubblesite.

I'd like to quell any fears about the upcoming 'Rapture', supposedly to happen on 21 May. This date was recalculated by a preacher called Harold Camping from Oakland, California, USA, whose earlier prediction of 27 September, 1994 was proved incorrect. You might like to know that eminent scientist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton worked out from the Bible that the world wouldn't end before 2060, and I know who I prefer to believe! See you in June!

• 03: New Moon
• 04: Brand new crescent moon close to The Pleiades (M45)
• 06: Eta Aquarid meteor shower maximum
• 10: Mercury and Jupiter 2° apart
• 11: Venus and Jupiter 0.6° apart
• 17: Full Moon
• 22: Venus is 1.1° south of Mars
• 31: Moon and Venus 4° apart

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