What to Watch in April’s Night Sky

If you’re pining for more planet sightings, April is your lucky month. Our interstellar neighbors will bedazzle the night skies throughout the next few weeks, from moon-planet meetups in early April to a dreamy planet-moon pyramid just before May.

Add to that a meteor shower with potential for fireballs, and one of the year’s smallest full moons, and you’ll have all sorts of reasons to stay up late or rise early. Keep your stargazing binoculars handy and scout your favorite dark-sky park.

Here are the top night sky sights to watch for this month.

April 2: Crescent Moon Joins Jupiter

After sunset on April 2, look for the crescent moon and Jupiter in the western sky. The duo will appear within a palm’s width of each other, according to stargazing app SkySafari. You can watch them travel in tandem through a pair of binoculars until around midnight local time, when they dip below the western horizon.

April 5: Moon Meets Mars

The moon is making its rounds this month. On the evening of April 5, it will appear close to bright orange Mars in the southwest sky. You can catch the pair right after sunset; they’ll move through the sky together until dipping below the northwest horizon around 4 a.m. local time.

April 11-13: Pre-Dawn Glimpse of Venus, Mercury, and Saturn

Set your alarm early the weekend of April 11-13. Venus, Mercury, and Saturn will make a dazzling appearance above the eastern horizon roughly 30 to 40 minutes before sunrise each morning. Venus will rise first; given its brightness, it’s the easiest to spot. Saturn and Mercury will both be visible soon after. And while it’s nearly impossible to see, Neptune will also rise with this planet gathering, too. To catch the show, look for a spot with an open horizon to the eastern sky, such as a lake.

April 12: Full Pink Micromoon

At 8:22 p.m. ET on April 12, stargazers can enjoy one of the smallest full moons of the year. It’s a phenomenon known as a “micromoon,” and it’s the opposite of the buzzed-about supermoon. It occurs when the moon is at its farthest point from Earth. It will appear a touch dimmer and smaller than usual. Despite the “pink moon” nickname, this month’s micromoon won’t actually appear pink. That reference is associated with the arrival of the vibrant creeping phlox ground cover that appears in North America around this time, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

April 21: Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation

Mercury will reach its farthest distance from the sun, also known as its greatest western elongation, at 3 p.m. ET on April 21. This is the best time to view the swift planet, as the sun’s bright glare often obscures it. Watch for Mercury above the eastern horizon around 45 minutes before sunrise on April 21, as well as the mornings leading up to and after that. Like earlier in the month, Venus and Saturn will be visible around the same time, too.

April 22: Lyrid Meteor Shower Peak

The Lyrid meteor shower runs from mid to late April, with the peak of activity in the pre-dawn hours of April 22. It’s not the most dramatic show—it produces around 18 meteors per hour under dark skies, according to NASA—but the Lyrids are known for their fast and vivid shooting stars and potentially a few fireballs. For the best view, head to a dark-sky destination or stargazing hotel far from city lights. Keep your eyes on the constellation Lyra, particularly the bright star Vega. Staying up all night? Watch the eastern horizon before sunrise to catch Venus, Saturn, and Mercury, too.

April 25: A Moon-Planet Pyramid

Venus, Saturn, and Mercury are full of surprises this month, and they have one more awe-striking display in store. Before sunrise on April 25, the waning crescent moon, Saturn, and Venus will create a near-perfect pyramid above the eastern horizon, with Mercury also glowing nearby.