What’s Up in the Night Sky – April 2026

from In-The-Sky.org

Moon Phases

Full – April 1 – Full Pink Moon

Last Quarter – April 9

New Moon – April 17

First Quarter – April 23

Close Encounters

April 3: Mercury is at greatest western elongation and shows a half-disk in the morning near sunrise.  It will be a difficult view with Mercury only 10° above the horizon at sunrise.

April 4: The sungrazing comet C/2026 A1 MAPS makes its closest approach to the Sun of around 1.8 million miles. If the comet survives its close encounter it MAY be visible April 11 in Cetus for a very brief window at sunset.

April 6: The Moon and Antares have a close encounter in the evening. Parts of the southern hemisphere will see the Moon pass in front of Antares.

April 13: Mars and Neptune have a very close conjunction in the early morning, predawn sky. Mars passes 20 arcminutes north of Neptune. Both will fit in the eyepiece of a telescope but are only 20° from the Sun.

April 13: Around midnight local time Omega Centauri (the brightest globular cluster in the sky) is at its most favorable for viewing from the St. Louis area.  Have a very low southern horizon and be away from city lights. Use binoculars or a telescope to tease out this faint fuzzball from the southern horizon.

April 14: The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) in Canes Venatici is near the zenith around local midnight.

April 16: The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (M83) in Hydra is near the zenith around local midnight.

April 17: The globular cluster M3 in Canes Venatici is near the zenith around local midnight.

April 19: The 2-day-old Moon passes a bit more than 4 and a half degrees north of Venus in the western sky at sunset.

April 20: The 4-day-old Moon is close to Beta Tauri in the evening. Parts of the southern hemisphere watches the Moon occult the star.

April 22: The Moon and Jupiter are at conjunction, separated by about 3 and a half degrees.

April 22: The Lyrid meteor shower peaks on this night. Look for meteors once the radiant point in Hercules rises above the horizon around 8:45pm.  See meteor shower info below.

April 23:  The Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) in Ursa Major is near the zenith around local midnight

April 24: The first-quarter Moon passes slightly more than one degree from the Beehive Cluster (M44) in Cancer.

April 25:  The Moon occults Regulus in our area. The Moon covers Regulus at 7:07pm (during daylight) and uncovers Regulus at 8:18pm (during twilight). The Moon will be 9 days old and 75% waxing gibbous.

Major Meteor Showers – from https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-shower-calendar/

The Lyrid meteor shower is active between April 16 and April 25 with the peak in April 22.  The zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) is estimated at 18 at locations with pristine viewing conditions. These meteors usually lack persistent trains but can produce fireballs. The 6-day-old Moon will not interfere with viewing. The parent body has been identified as comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher).

The eta Aquariids meteor shower is active from April 19 through May 28 with a peak on May 8. The Moon will be waning gibbous (84% illuminated and will severely affect the 10-30 ZHR.

Planet Watch for April 15, 2026

Mercury is a morning object but is not visible as it is only about 3° above the horizon at sunrise.

Venus becomes visible above the western horizon in the evening as the Sun sets and will remain visible until a little after 9pm with a low western horizon.

Mars is not visible this month as it is on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth. Mars’ next opposition is February 19, 2027.

Jupiter rules the night and is visible high near the zenith as the Sun sets and is observable until around 2am. Jupiter is still bright at magnitude -2.2 and continues to accompany nearby Castor and Pollux in Gemini.

Saturn finished its most recent apparition and is not visible. Saturn is on the other side of the Sun from Earth and will next be visible in the morning sky in late May.

Uranus is too close to the Sun for viewing, ending its current apparition. Uranus will next be visible in the early morning sky in June.

Neptune is too close to the Sun for viewing, ending its current apparition.

What’s Up in the Night Sky – March 2026

from In-The-Sky.org

Moon Phases

Full – March 3 – Full Worm Moon

Last Quarter – March 11

New Moon – March 18

First Quarter – March 25

Close Encounters

March 2: Regulus and the Moon are nearing conjunction as the early morning Sun begins to rise.

March 3: A total lunar eclipse takes place in the early morning. Totality runs from 5:05am through 6:03am. The Moon sets before the partial phase ends. Have a good western horizon to get the most of the event. No clouds will also help.

March 7: Venus and Neptune are less than 4.5 arcminutes apart in the evening twilight sky. They fit in the field of view of a telescope but Neptune will be washed out by the bright Sun only 14° away.

March 8: Venus and Saturn are in conjunction, separated by only 1 degree.  The Sun washes out the view as it is still above the horizon at their closest approach.

March 8, 2am: Daylight Savings Time begins. Spring forward one hour.

March 10: The Moon passes below Antares for a close conjunction in the early morning hours. The Moon occults Antares for parts of Antarctica and New Zealand.

March 12/13: The Moon and Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki) have a close conjunction around local Midnight.

March 14: Mars and Mercury have a conjunction in the brightening morning sky. Mars passes about 4° below Mercury. This will be difficult to see as they are both about 14° from the Sun.

March 20: The March Equinox takes place at 9:48AM CDT. Days become longer than night until the Summer Solstice on June 21^st.

March 23: The Moon and the Pleiades have a close approach in the early morning western sky before sunrise.

March 25: Saturn is at solar conjunction, on the far side of the Sun from our vantage point. This ends the current apparition and begins the next.

March 26: The Moon and Jupiter are in conjunction, separated by nearly 4 degrees.

March 27: Mercury is at its highest altitude in the morning sky for this apparition. At 11° above the Sun it will be difficult to observe.

March 29: The Moon and Regulus have a close conjunction in the evening eastern sky. Regulus will be occulted over portions of India, the Middle East, northern Africa, and Europe.

Major Meteor Showers – from https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-shower-calendar/

The next major meteor showers are the Lyrids and the eta Aquariids which begin activities in mid-April.

Planet Watch for March 15, 2026

Mercury recently passed behind the Sun and will be a morning object in a week or so.

Venus is about 10 degrees low in the western sky after sunset. Observe as Venus continues to rise in the evening sky until its maximum altitude in early June.

Mars is lost in the Sun’s glare as it passed superior conjunction on January 9, 2026. Mars’ next opposition is February 19, 2027.

Jupiter is high in the eastern sky as the Sun sets and is observable until around 3am. Jupiter is still bright at magnitude -2.4 and continues to accompany nearby Castor and Pollux in Gemini.

Saturn is faintly visible in the southwest after sunset and is only 9° separated from the Sun.

Uranus is an early evening object in the southwestern sky. It sets around midnight local time. Uranus shines faintly at magnitude 5.8 in Taurus.

Neptune is not observable as it is only 7° from the Sun. It reaches superior conjunction on March 22, 2026.