What’s Up in the April Sky

April’s Evening Planets

Bright Venus will be up between Pisces the fish and Taurus the Bull until around 9 PM. Jupiter will be in Libra the Scales at 11 PM and rising earlier every day until 9 PM by the end of the month.

April’s Evening Stars

The Winter Triangle will be up until around 10 PM, and setting earlier every night: Sirius, the brightest star viewed from Earth is in Canis Major the Great Dog, Betelgeuse is in Orion the Hunter, and Procyon is in Canis Minor the Small Dog. Spot Capella in Auriga the Charioteer, Arcturus in Bootes the Herdsman, Regulus in Leo the Lion, Spica in Virgo the Virgin, and bright Castor and Pollux in Gemini the Twins. Also find the stars of constellations Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Hercules, Perseus, Draco, Virgo, Leo, Libra, Hydra, and Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).

April’s Morning Planets

Find Jupiter will be in Libra the Scales until sunrise. Saturn will be in Sagittarius the Archer as of 2 AM and rising earlier every night. Neptune is in Aquarius the Water bearer as of 5 AM in the second half of the month.

Mercury will be in in Pisces the Fish as of 5 AM starting the second week of the month. Mars and dwarf Pluto are in Sagittarius the Archer as of 2 AM and lingering all night.

April’s Morning Stars

Spot the Summer Triangle of Vega in Lyra the Harp, Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, and Altair in Aquila the Eagle as of 1 AM and earlier every night. Look for reddish Antares in Scorpius the Scorpion, Arcturus in Bootes the Herdsman, and Spica in Virgo the Virgin, along with the stars of constellations Leo, Hercules, Ophiuchus, Libra, Cassiopeia Draco, Cepheus, Sagittarius, and Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).

April Skylights

April   2 Mars is 1° south of Saturn, dawn
April   8 Moon at apogee (251,100 miles away)
April   8 Last quarter Moon at 3:15 AM
April 13 Mercury is stationary, midnight
April 15 New Moon at 9:57 AM
April 17 Saturn is stationary
April 20 Moon at perigee (229,100 miles away)
April 21 Mars, Saturn, Antares, Jupiter, and Spica line- predawn
April 22 Lyrid meteor shower peaks- predawn
April 22 First Quarter Moon at 5:45 PM
April 29 Mercury at greatest western elongation
April 29 Full Moon at 8:58 PM

Times given in EDT.