The April new moon has arrived bringing a number of nights of spectacular darkish skies excellent for observing the planets of the photo voltaic system, majestic constellations and the galaxies that lie past.
April’s new moon happens at 7:52 a.m. EDT (1152 GMT) on April 17, when the moon is positioned between the sun and Earth, rendering it misplaced from sight in the daytime sky, with the entirety of its close to aspect bathed in shadow.
Visible planets
Look to the west shortly after sundown on April 17 to seek out Venus showing as a vibrant night star 15 levels from the horizon, with the blue-white stars of the Pleiades open star cluster glowing 10 levels above — roughly the width of your clenched fist held at arm’s size.
The ice big Uranus may be discovered slightly underneath 5 levels to the decrease left of the star cluster. It’ll be too dim to identify with the bare eye — with out exceptionally darkish skies and excellent imaginative and prescient — however a pair of binoculars or a small telescope will mean you can spot its disk as a tiny greenish dot, according to telescope manufacturer Celestron.
Jupiter, in the meantime, will shine excessive overhead, beneath Castor and Pollux — the brightest stars of the constellation Gemini. Turn a 6-inch telescope on Jupiter and you might discover a line of vibrant dots extending outward from the gas giant‘s colourful disk. Those are the Galilean moons Io, Ganymede, Europa and Callisto!
Head out an hour before sunrise on April 18 and find yourself a clear view to the eastern horizon for a chance to catch a planetary triangle rising in the glow of the coming dawn.
Mars will sit larger in the sky,with Saturn beneath and Mercury off to the proper. Neptune can even be current to the higher proper of Mercury, although the distant ice big will likely be far too dim to identify with the bare eye.
Stars and constellations
The darkish nights surrounding the new moon are an ideal time to discover some of the subtler constellations that glisten in the northern hemisphere sky.
First, find the sickle-like formation of stars representing the head and chest of the nice lion represented in the constellation Leo, which may be discovered excessive above the southern horizon in April with the vibrant star Regulus at its base.
Next, look to the lower right of Regulus to find a circlet of stars representing the head of the great serpent in the constellation Hydra, along with a string of stars that wind down and to the east towards the horizon, which mark its tail. Hydra is the largest constellation in the night sky, though it’s often overlooked due to its lack of bright stars.
Perched along Hydra’s back are the compact constellations Corvus (the crow) and Crater (the cup). To their east is the blue-white light of Spica — the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.
For a spot of deep sky viewing, why not head out to a dark sky location and sweep your telescope over the patch of sky where Leo, Virgo and the constellation Coma Berenices meet?
First, find Denebola, the star that marks the tail of the lion in Leo, and Vindemiatrix using a handy stargazing app. Roughly midway between the two is Markarian’s Chain — a spectacular string of galaxies whose historic gentle may be spied with the assist of a modest telescope.
Read more: Galaxy season: Spring brings deep space wonder to the northern hemisphere night sky.
You may additionally seize spectacular pictures of the stars with the assist of our beginner’s guide to photographing the night sky. Be positive to take a look at our picks of the best telescopes and binoculars for exploring the night sky, together with our roundups of the top cameras and lenses for astrophotography available in 2026.
Editor’s Note: If you wish to share your evening sky pictures with Space.com’s readers, then please ship your picture(s) alongside along with your title, location and feedback to spacephotos@house.com.
