April will be dominated by Saturn and Mars when Saturn reaches opposition and peak visiblity on April 15th, and when Mars, as darkness falls, will be 2/3rds of the way up from the southeastern horizon among the stars of Leo the lion. But check out Jupiter and Venus in the southwestern sky just after dark.
Look first for Jupiter quite low in the west during April’s first two weeks. At magnitude -2.1 it will be an easy target but only 15 degrees above the horizon an hour after sunset. It should be visibible until about 10 pm, though with each passing
night it will appear lower and lower. By April 15th it will only be 5 degrees above the horizon an hour after sunset, and will set shortly thereafter. By the end of the month it will be gone until it reappears in the eastern morning sky in June.
Well above Jupiter you cannot miss Venus at magnitude -4.5 just below M45, the famous Pleiades star cluster, also known as the 7 sisters and in Japanese, as Subaru. From April 1 to 3 Venus will appear to move through the stars in the Pleiades cluster, which will make an especially nifty sight through a pair of binoculars or a telescope set with low power eyepiece. Venus will remain east (left) of the Sun all through April, which means this dazzling planet will be on display until at least 11 pm (local daylight time).
And it will actually get brighter —– to magnitude -4.7—- by the end of April, because its orbit will bring it closer to Earth. In a telescope its phase will appear to change from half-lit to one quarter-lit.
Mars in Leo at magnitude -0.4 outshines Leo’s brightest star, Regulus, and will be as close to this star as 4 degrees at mid-month. Mars will be distinctly reddish in color, while the hot star Regulus will look a bluish-white color; offering quite a nice contrast.
Saturn rises on April 15th in the east as the Sun is setting in the west; a position we call opposition. Saturn will be at +0.2 magnitude, a full magnitude brighter than Spica, the brightest star in Virgo the maiden. Spica is 5 degrees slightly below and right of Saturn all month, and on the night of April 6/7, the Full Moon will be nearby both of them. Telescopic views of Saturn, its famous rings, and multiple moons are always impressive; to newcomers at an eyepiece as well as to long-time skywatchers.
From April 16 to 25, but especially with a peak on April 21/22, look for the Lyrid Meteor Shower. Look north to northeast, from 2 to 5 am, toward the constellation Lyra the harp. No Moon will be in the sky to conflict with this shower, which frequently produces 20 to 25 meteors per hour.
The Full Moon of April 6th is the first Full Moon of Spring after the March 20th Vernal Equinox. Therefore by ancient design, Easer is celebrated on the first Sunday after this Full Moon. This year, then, Easter Sunday is April 8th. This is why Easter has a changeable date of observance every year. Last quarter Moon will be on April 13th; New Moon April 21st; and 1st quarter is April 29th.
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