April Skies

- By James Edgar

March 31, 2025

The first-quarter Moon on the 5th is 2 degrees north of Mars. By the 12th, the Moon is full, the smallest in 2025, as it is at apogee the following day (406,295 km distant). Also on the 12th, the bright star Spica is a mere 0.3 degrees away, occulted in the Southern Hemisphere. On the evening of April 16, Antares is 0.4 degrees north of the Moon, also a Southern Hemisphere occultation. Last quarter is on the 21st. By the 24th, Venus is 2 degrees north of the crescent Moon, while Saturn is 2 degrees south – could be a good early morning photo op. Also on that morning, Mercury is 4 degrees south, hugging the horizon – use binoculars from a location with a clear eastern horizon. Even Neptune gets in the picture, if you have a very good telescope! All four planets are clustered together in the morning twilight. New Moon is on the 27th; with the Moon at perigee of 357,118 km, causing large tides in coastal areas. By the 29th, the Moon is back among the stars of the Pleiades (M45). Jupiter is 5 degrees south on the 30th.

Mercury comes into view early in the month, but considered a poor apparition for northern viewers, as the speedy planet is too close to the horizon. It’s a great apparition for viewers in the Southern Hemisphere. The Moon glides by on the morning of the 24th.

Venus is now the Morning Star, rising shortly after 5 a.m. It, too, is plagued by the shallow ecliptic angle in the early days of April, remaining visible for only an hour or so. It might be fun to see if you can track it into the daytime sky – it can be done. Later in the month, it reaches 41 degrees elongation from the Sun, beginning to round the curve of its orbit away from us. The brightest planet is joined by the Moon on the 24th and Saturn on the 28th.

Mars, still hanging around the Gemini twins, gradually slides eastward into Cancer, The Crab. The first-quarter Moon shares the scene on the 5th. The Red Planet reaches aphelion on the 17th, the furthest from us in its orbit, and not a very good telescopic target.

Jupiter remains close to the Hyades in Taurus, The Bull, making for good evening views. The Moon is 6 degrees north on the 2nd, and again on the 30th.

Saturn comes out from behind the Sun early in the month, but viewing suffers from a shallow ecliptic angle. Saturn’s rings will be backlit as the Sun is behind the planet from our viewpoint. The crescent Moon and Venus are clustered with Saturn on the 25th

Uranus is gradually dropping southward on the ecliptic following sunset. Too close to the Sun for viewing late in the month.

Neptune is among the stars of Pisces, The Fish, but, again, suffering from the low ecliptic angle. Even telescopes might not be enough to see the distant planet.

The Lyrid meteors peak in the early morning of the 22nd.