Here is What You Can Spot in the Night Skies in April

Posted: April 5, 2022 2:46 pm

The April night skies will light up with a number of astronomy events. The good news is that the temperatures finally begin to warm up in April during most parts of the country, making it more comfortable to get outside and enjoy the ample stargazing opportunities.

The bad news is that April is one of the cloudiest months of the year, often obscuring the views of those celestial objects.

Here is what you will want to put your nighttime calendar over the next few weeks.

April 4-5 – Mars-Saturn Conjunction

If you have been out to check out the night skies in the last week, you may have noticed the Mars-Saturn conjunction. This conjunction includes Venus, Mars, and Saturn aligned together in the early morning sky. The trio of planets will continue to gather together through the first week of April before drifting apart.

You best bet for seeing the three planets bunched up together one last time is on the morning of April 5 at about one hour before the sun comes up. Mars and Saturn will glow just to the right of Venus, an easy planet to spot in the morning sky due to its immense brightness.

April 16 – Full Pink Moon

You will not want to miss the full pink moon that will rise on Saturday, April 16. Despite its name, the moon does not actually look pink. The names comes from a pink flower known as the wild ground phlox that generally shows up in April.

Other names for the full pink moon include the Budding Moon, the Breaking Ice Moon, the Super Maker Moon, and the Frog Moon. Regardless of the moniker that you assign it, this moon is sure to be a sight to see on April 16.

April 21-22 – Lyrid Meteor Shower

As the first meteor shower since early January, it is no surprise that many avid stargazers are particularly excited about the return of the Lyrid meteor shower in the middle of April. This shower is set to peak during the overnight hours of April 21 and into the early hours of April 22.

The Lyrics typically produce about 15 to 20 meteors each hour. You will find the best luck catching them in action if you head out to look between midnight and 2 am before the moon rises and obscures the shooting stars. The light from the moon will make it more challenging to see some of the dimmer meteors that ride with the Lyrids.

Fans of shooting stars streaking across the sky will be happy to learn that you will not have to wait as long for the next meteor shower. The Eta Aquarid meteor show is set to peak just two weeks after the Lyrids wrap up.

April 30 – Black Moon

An unusual lunar event is set to close out the month of April when what is known as a black moon rises in the sky. This term is used to describe the second new moon in just one calendar month. This contrasts from a blue moon which is used to describe the second full moon in one calendar month.

The last time there was a black moon was in July of 2019. The next one will not happen until December 2024, speaking to its uniqueness on the astronomy calendar.

Looking Ahead to the Next Total Solar Eclipse

April 2022 is also significant in astronomy circles, as it marks the two-year mark until the much-anticipated full solar eclipse that will thrill much of the nation on April 8, 2024. The 2024 solar eclipse will last twice as long as the that captivated much of the nation on August 21, 2017.

The path of totality will also go through more populated areas, including the cities of Dallas and Cleveland.

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