Poster’s Note: The text for this month’s installment from Dee Sharples, “The Sky In April 2025,” is provided below. Those wishing to listen to the article can click on the audio link below.
The Lyrid meteor shower peaks on Tuesday, April 22nd. The best time to view the meteors is late on the night of Monday, the 21st and into the early morning hours of the 22nd. Look east for the radiant which is the area of the sky from which the meteors will appear to originate. It lies just to the upper right of the bright star Vega. Vega and the radiant will rise for the next several hours affording plenty of time to observe before a rising, waning moon begins to brighten the sky at 4:00 a.m. The meteors are created by debris left behind by Comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher) which was first discovered passing through our solar system on May 5, 1861. It’s a long-period comet and is expected to return around the year 2283. If you’re observing from a dark sky location away from light pollution, you should be able to spot about 18 meteors per hour.
The planet Jupiter is a bright object in the evening sky shining at magnitude -2.0. Look for it fairly high in the western sky one hour after sunset. While Jupiter may appear bright, the planet Venus will be even brighter, shining brilliantly at magnitude -4.7 low in the eastern sky before sunrise on Wednesday, April 30th. It will be unmistakable! Remember, when quoting the magnitude (brightness) of a planet or star, the lower the number, the brighter the magnitude.
In the early morning on Saturday, April 12th, Venus will point the way to the planets Mercury and Saturn 30 minutes before sunrise in the eastern sky. Mercury at magnitude +0.1 and Saturn at magnitude +1.2 will resemble two fairly dim stars directly beneath stunning Venus and almost hugging the horizon. You’ll need a clear observing location free from obstacles like trees or buildings in order to spot them.
Mars, the red planet, at magnitude +0.4 can be found high in the southwest an hour after sunset at the beginning of April. By Wednesday the 30th, it will have moved to the western sky. Look for it at 10:00 p.m. fairly high in the west with a crescent moon below and to its right, close to the horizon. Jupiter will be beneath the moon, even closer to the horizon, getting ready to set.
