As you read this, the new moon will have just crossed nearly in front of the sun. That happened at 11:52 UTC (6:52 CDT) today. So you won’t see the moon in our sky today. This image is from early this morning, from the GOES-19 satellite, in geostationary orbit. The satellite – equipped to hide the sun’s brightness behind an obscuring disk – captured by an edge of Earth and also the moon. This weekend, the young moon will reappear in our sky, near blazingly bright Venus. Look west after sunset. Video via NOAA/GOES.
Lyrid meteors now! How and when to see them
We’re moving inside the Lyrid meteor stream in space. So you could see a Lyrid meteor any time now. Want to see more meteors this year? In this video, EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd shares 5 easy tips to help you make the most of this beautiful annual sky show. When to watch, where to look, how to avoid light pollution, and simple tricks to improve your chances of spotting more meteors – no telescope required.
Join EarthSky’s Marcy Curran in a video preview of the constellations, planets and astronomical events to watch out for this month. Highlights include a meteor shower and, hopefully, a bright comet!
All-sky chart showing bright Jupiter and even-brighter Venus after sunset in April. Each day, Venus will ascend higher in the western twilight. Jupiter will move closer to the western horizon. They’ll have a spectacular close encounter in June. You can’t miss these 2 worlds. They outshine all the stars! Chart via EarthSky.View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Marcy Curran submitted this image taken on April 12, 2026, from Wyoming. Marcy wrote: “I am looking forward to the upcoming pairing of Venus and Jupiter in June. Venus is finally rising above the evening twilight so it’s visible on our all-sky camera. Tonight, April 12, Venus and Jupiter were 64.25 degrees apart. I hope to catch them occasionally as they gradually move toward each other over the next few months. On June 7 and 8, they’ll be approximately 3 times the width of a full moon apart. Watch for future updates when I get some more shots of them.” Thank you, Marcy. Here’s a photo taken on April 4, when they were 76 degrees apart.
April 18 and 19 after sunset: Moon, Venus, Aldebaran and the Pleiades
On the evenings of April 18 and 19, check out the pretty waxing crescent moon. It’ll hang low in the western sky after sunset. And it’ll be near the brilliant planet Venus. Look for them about an hour after sunset. On April 18, it’ll make a close pass by brilliant Venus. Then on the next evening, it’ll lie near the famous Pleiades star cluster, also known as the 7 Sisters. The bright orange giant star Aldebaran is nearby. The Pleiades star cluster and Aldebaran are in the constellation Taurus the Bull. They’ll set before midnight. Also, look for the delicate glow of earthshine on the unlit side of the moon. That’s light reflected off the Earth. Chart via EarthSky.
All-sky chart showing 3 planets low in the east shortly before sunrise from mid-to-late April. The brightest will be Mercury. Saturn and Mars are much dimmer than Mercury. Mercury will descend and slip away by early next month. Meanwhile, Mars and Saturn will continue to ascend and be visible before dawn later this spring. Note that these planets lie along the path the sun travels in the daytime (the green line on our chart). Chart via EarthSky.
The mid-April daytime planet parade
Planet parades are popular on social media. They aren’t that unusual, though, because the planets always follow a line across the sky. Here’s a sphere chart showing the daylight view – around noon on April 15 – of the sun and all 5 bright planets in our solar system. Of course, you won’t be able to see the planets during the day. Even though we can’t see them, they are there along the ecliptic (the green line). The ecliptic is the path the sun takes across our sky. You’ll find the moon and planets follow that path as well. So in April, Mercury, Mars and Saturn are rising and setting before the sun. And Venus and Jupiter are following the sun, so you can still spot them for a while after the sun sets. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
It’s time for the zodiacal light
EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd will help you spot the zodiacal light, sometimes called “false dusk” or “false dawn.” She explains what causes it, when and where to see it and why it’s one of the most magical sights in the night sky. Plus! Lotsa photos! Watch here or on YouTube.
We receive so many amazing photos every month from EarthSky community members across the globe. Enjoy a few of our favorites of the zodiacal light in this video. Watch here or on YouTube.
The moon’s orbit around Earth isn’t a circle. But it’s nearly circular, as the above diagram shows. The moon will reach perigee – its closest point to us in its elliptical orbit around Earth – at 7 UTC on April 19, 2026. Then it’ll be 224,706 miles (361,630 km) away from Earth. Diagram by Brian Koberlein. Used with permission.
April 20 morning, Southern Hemisphere: Tight trio of planets in the morning twilight
On the morning of April 20, viewers in the Southern Hemisphere will see 3 planets – Mercury, Saturn and Mars – bunched together low on the eastern horizon. Look for them around dawn or at the beginning of morning twilight. Mercury will easily be the brightest and easiest to spot of the 3 planets. Observers in the northern latitudes may not be able to spot the planets that morning. Chart via EarthSky.
April 20 evening: Moon, Venus and the Pleiades
On April 20, about 90 minutes after sunset, the waxing crescent moon will hang near Venus. The bright star Aldebaran and the delicate Pleiades star cluster will lie between them. They’ll set around midnight. Chart via EarthSky.
April 21 and 22 evenings: Moon, Jupiter and twin stars
On the evenings of April 22 and 23, the waxing crescent moon will lie near bright Jupiter and the twin stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux. They’ll set after midnight. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
April 22: Lyrid meteor shower
Lyrid meteors radiate from near the bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra the Harp. You don’t need to identify Vega or Lyra in order to watch the Lyrid meteor shower. But you do need to know when the radiant rises. It’ll rise in the northeast before midnight. The best time to watch is after midnight and before dawn – in a moon-free sky – on the morning of April 22.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Lorraine Boyd captured this view from New York on November 9, 2024. She wrote: “Peeking through tree limbs at the first quarter moon (50% illumination), just after sunset.” Thank you, Lorraine. This month’s moment of 1st quarter moon will fall at 2:32 UTC on April 24, 2026. That’s 9:32 p.m. CDT on April 23. A 1st quarter moon rises around noon your local time and sets around midnight. Watch for a 1st quarter moon high in the sky at sundown.
April 24 and 25 evenings: Moon, Regulus and the Sickle
On the evenings of April 24 and 25, the waxing gibbous moon will be near Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion. Regulus is the bright dot at the bottom of a backward question-mark pattern of stars known as the Sickle. They’ll set several hours after midnight. Chart via EarthSky.
Late on the evenings of April 28, 29 and 30, the waxing gibbous moon will be near Spica, the brightest star in Virgo the Maiden. The star might be hard to see in the moon’s bright glow. You can also catch them before dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
If you’re out stargazing on any April evening, look for these stars and constellations high overhead in the evening sky. Give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. And consider heading to a dark-sky site for the best views of the stars.
You can use the Big Dipper to locate Leo the Lion. Draw an imaginary line southward from the pointer stars in the Big Dipper – the 2 outer stars in the Dipper’s bowl – to point toward Leo the Lion. The brightest star in Leo is Regulus. Under darker skies, you’ll see Regulus marks the bright dot at the bottom of the backward question mark that forms Leo’s Sickle. It’s also an asterism and part of Leo the Lion.The Spring Triangle is an asterism with 3 bright stars at its corners: Arcturus, Spica, and Regulus. All 3 stars are in different constellations. And some stargazers speak of the Spring Triangle as including Denebola instead of Regulus. Image via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
April evening planets
In the first half of April, brilliant Venus will be low in the west, near the Pleiades star cluster and the orange star Aldebaran. By month’s end, Venus has climbed higher, moving between the Pleiades and Aldebaran. It’ll set about 90 minutes after sunset on April 1. And it’ll set about 2 hours after sunset on April 30. The waxing crescent moon will be near Venus on April 19. Chart via EarthSky.As darkness falls, Jupiter will shine brightly high in the sky. And it’ll be near the twin stars of Gemini, Castor (the slightly dimmer one) and Pollux (the slightly brighter one). The moon and Jupiter make a lovely pair on April 22. Jupiter will set about 3 hours after midnight on April 1. And it’ll set about an hour after midnight by month’s end. Chart via EarthSky.
April morning planets
In early April, for the Northern Hemisphere, Mercury will lie very low above the eastern horizon shortly before sunrise. The twilight will compete with and may hinder your ability to spot the little planet. Observers in the Southern Hemisphere will have a better view of Mercury this month. And on April 3, 2026, Mercury will reach greatest elongation – when Mercury is farthest from the sunrise (28 degrees) – on our sky’s dome. Chart via EarthSky.By late April, for the Southern Hemisphere, Mercury will lie close to the horizon shortly before sunrise and will slip away in early May. However, Saturn and Mars will be climbing higher each day, becoming more visible in the morning sky. Chart via EarthSky.
Sky dome map for visible planets and night sky
Here is the sky dome view for April 2026. It shows what is above the horizon at mid-evening for mid-northern latitudes. The view may vary depending on your location. Image via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar.
Meet Marcy Curran, our voice of the night sky on EarthSky YouTube. Check out her popular short videos in the Sky category on our YouTube channel. When she's not making videos, Marcy is an EarthSky editor, helping to keep our night sky guide up-to-date and just generally helping to keep the wheels turning around here. Marcy has enjoyed stargazing since she was a child, going on family camping trips under the dark skies of Wyoming. She bought her first telescope in time to see Halley’s Comet when it visited the inner solar system in 1986. She co-founded her local astronomy club and remains an active board member. Marcy taught astronomy at her local community college for over 20 years. She and her husband live in Wyoming, in a rural location, with an all-sky camera and super-good horizon views! And, their observatory will soon be ready to photograph the night sky.
“I can sometimes see the moon in the daytime” was a cosmic revelation that John Jardine Goss first discovered through personal observations at age 6. It shook his young concept of the universe and launched his interest in astronomy and stargazing, a fascination he still holds today. John is past president of the Astronomical League, the largest U.S. federation of astronomical societies, with over 24,000 members. He's earned the title of Master Observer and is a regular contributor to the video series, “Global Star Party.” He has authored the celestial observing guides “Exploring the Starry Realm,” and “Carpe Lunam,” and “Take Your First Steps, an Introduction to Amateur Astronomy.” John also wrote for twenty years the monthly stargazing column, Roanoke Skies, for the Roanoke Times, and currently writes a bimonthly column, Skywatch, for Blue Ridge Country magazine. He has contributed to Sky and Telescope magazine, the IDA Nightscape, the Astronomical League’s Reflector magazine, and the RASC Observer’s Handbook.
Our Editor-in-Chief Deborah Byrd works to keep all the astronomy balls in the air between EarthSky's website, YouTube page and social media platforms. She's the primary editor of our popular daily newsletter and a frequent host of EarthSky livestreams. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
Kelly Kizer Whitt - EarthSky’s nature and travel vlogger on YouTube - writes and edits some of the most fascinating stories at EarthSky.org. She's been writing about science, with a focus on astronomy, for decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine and made regular contributions to other outlets, including AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club. She has nine published books, including a children's picture book, Solar System Forecast, and a young adult dystopian novel, A Different Sky.
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