Current Night Sky: April 2018

The Moon & Planets: 
Moon, Saturn, and Mars

In the predawn sky of April 7, the waning gibbous Moon joins Saturn (appearing here to its immediate lower left) and Mars (to lower left of Saturn) to form a striking trio (April 7, 2018, 5:35 am EDT: one half hour before sunrise).

Lyrid meteor sky chart

The annual Lyrid meteor shower peaks on the night of April 22. After the First Quarter Moon sets around 2 am, even some of the fainter meteors may be visible. Though the shower's radiant – the apparent direction the meteors come from - lies in Lyra, the meteors can appear just about anywhere. Under dark skies, you can expect to see about 15-20 meteors per hour (April 22, 2018, 10:00 pm EDT).

Evening Planets (after sunset): 
  • Venus, W
Morning Planets (before sunrise): 
  • Jupiter, SW
  • Saturn, S
  • Mars, S
  • Neptune, E
  • Mercury, E
Comets: 

There are no comets brighter than magnitude 8 visible this month.

Meteors: 

The Lyrid meteors are active during the last two weeks of the month, with a peak on April 22. The Moon will not be a factor, so this should be an excellent display.

Phases of the Moon: 
Last Quarter Moon April 8 3:18 am EDT
New Moon April 15 9:57 pm EDT
First Quarter Moon April 22 5:46 pm EDT
Full Moon April 29 8:58 pm EDT

Text, graphics, and animations by John Sheff. Graphics courtesy of Starry Night(©) Pro Plus 7 / Imaginova(©) Corp. Starry Night images are used with permission from Imaginova Corp. Starry Night is a registered trademark of Imaginova Corp. Star charts generated by Starry Night Pro Plus 7 © Imaginova Corp. All rights reserved. www.StarryNight.com