What’s Up in the April Sky
April’s Evening Planets:
Bright Venus will be up until 11 PM moving between Taurus the Bull and Auriga the charioteer. Uranus is in Pisces the Fish until 9 PM and earlier every night until 7 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, Cancer, Perseus, Draco, Virgo, Leo, Hydra, and Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).
April’s Morning Planets:
Mercury will be up as of 6 AM moving between Aquarius the Water bearer and Pisces the Fish. Red Mars will be in Capricornus the Sea-Goat as of 4 AM. Find Jupiter in Sagittarius the Archer until sunrise as of 4 AM and earlier every night. Saturn will be in Capricornus the Sea-goat the Archer as of 4 AM and rising earlier every night. Neptune is in Aquarius the Water bearer as of 6 AM. Dwarf Pluto are in Sagittarius the Archer as of 4 AM and lingering all night.
April’s Morning Stars:
The Summer Triangle of Vega in Lyra the Harp, Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, and Altair in Aquila the Eagle will be up until sunrise. Look for reddish Antares in Scorpius the Scorpion, Arcturus in Boötes the Herdsman, and Spica in Virgo the Maiden, along with the stars of constellations Leo, Hercules, Serpens, Libra, Cassiopeia, Ophiuchus, Cepheus, Pegasus, Andromeda, Draco, and Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).
April’s Skylights:
- April 1 First Quarter Moon at 6:20 AM
- April 7 Moon at perigee (221,800 miles away) closest to Earth in 2020
- April 7 Full Moon, largest Super Moon, at 10:35 PM
- April 13 Moon line up with Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, predawn
- April 14 Last quarter Moon at 6:55 PM
- April 22 Lyrid meteor shower peaks- predawn
- April 20 Moon at apogee (252,600 miles away)
- April 22 New Moon at 10:25 PM
- April 30 First Quarter Moon at 4:40 PM
Resources
Download Ken Graun’s April 2020 sky chart for reference and observing ideas.
Another equally helpful resource is Skymaps monthly evening sky charts available for different hemispheres. Download April’s The Evening Sky Map.
