Current Night Sky: April 2020

The Moon & Planets: 
Venus passes through the Pleiades

During April 3-4, the brilliant planet Venus passes through the Pleiades star cluster. (The yellow circle represents the field of view of the region as seen through 8 x 50 binoculars.) (April 3, 2020, 10:00 pm EDT)

Comet C/2019 Y4

The Comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) has been brightening much more rapidly than expected. If this trend continues, it may soon become an naked-eye object.. It will be visible during April high up near the North Celestial Pole and Polaris. While the orbits of comets are predictable, their brightness is much less so; this comet may fizzle out, or become a memorable sight in the spring sky (April 3, 2020, 10:00 pm EDT).

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

There is a newly discovered comet – ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) – which may brighten to naked-eye visibility. It will be visible during April high up near the North Celestial Pole and Polaris. While the orbits of comets are predictable, their brightness is much less so; this comet may fizzle out, or become a memorable sight in the spring sky.

Meteors: 

The Lyrid meteors peak on April 22.

Phases of the Moon: 
First Quarter Moon April 1 6:21 am EDT
Full Moon April 7 10:35 pm EDT
Last Quarter Moon April 14 6:56 pm EDT
New Moon April 22 10:26 pm EDT
First Quarter Moon April 30 4:38 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