Equatorial Sky Guide - April

0:00It's the 365 days of Astronomy PodGam, coming in 3, 2, 1. Hello Stargazes, welcome to the 365 days of astronomy. This is your Equatorial Sky Guide for April 2026. I'm Alphifa, your host. This month, the dawn and the skies are putting on a spectacular show, from a rare triple planet triangle to some grazing comets and return of the lyrics. They're splendid to keep your eyes on the stars. Let's dive in. If you're an early bird, the eastern horizon is your stage. Through April, Mercury, Mars and Saturn are performing a celestial dance before sunrise. On April 4th, Mercury reaches its greatest western alienations. Rising at 7 past 4 am, it will be at its highest and brightest point in the dawn sky.

1:05A perfect window for observations. By mid-month, watch as the planet confers. On April 16th, a slander-weaning recent moon visits the trio, but the real highlight comes between April 20th and 21st. Mercury, Mars and Saturn will cluster together to form a tight, beautiful triangle in the constellation Spices. They'll be low on the horizon, so find a clear view to the east. Before the evening, Venus, our evening star, is dominating this western sky for about an hour after sunset. Mark April 19th on your calendar. Venus and a tiny crescent moon will form a stunning triangle with the Pleiades star cluster. If you miss it, don't worry. On April 24th, Venus will pass even closer to the Pleiades, separated by only 3 degrees. Meanwhile, the giant Jupiter remains visible in Gemini until nearly midnight.

2:06Meeting the moon toward the end of the month. For those with telescope, Uranus is visible after sunset. While Neptune begins, it's a sun in the dawn sky by late April. We have two potential gas stars this month. First, comet C2026A1 maps. This is a sun grazer. If it survives its brush with the sun on April 4th, it could become visible to the naked eye in the evening sky, glowing at the possible magnitude of minus 4. Then, on April 26th, comet C2025A3 stars makes its appearance for the southern hemisphere. It could be bright enough to see without the telescope in the evening toilet. And don't forget the lyrid meteor shower. Picnite is April 21st to 22nd. With the moon setting before midnight, the skies will be perfectly dark to catch about 18mph.

3:07On April 26th, something rare happens. An asteroid named Strenua will pass in front of a distant star. These occultations will be visible across Indonesia from Sumatra to West Timor. For a few seconds, the star will simply vanish. Finally, April is a month for conservations. From April 13th to 20th, we celebrate international dark sky week. It's a perfect time to join the globe at night campaign. Look for the constellations groups for southern hemisphere and Leo for the northern hemisphere and help us measure light pollution in your area. From planetary triangles to shooting stars, April 26th is a month of wonders. Grab your gear, find a dark spot and reconnect with the universe. For solar cell updates, stay tuned to Equatorial Sky Guide next month.

4:07Clear skies, everyone. Thank you for listening. This is 365 Days of Astronomy. You are listening to the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast. Cool. The 365 Days of Astronomy podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. Audio post-production is by me, Richard Drum. Project management is by Aviva Yamani, and hosting is donated by LibSyn.com. This content is released under a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial 4.0 International License. Please share what you love, but don't sell what's free. This show is made possible thanks to the generous donations of people like you. Please consider supporting our show on patreon.com,

5:07forward slash CosmoQuestX, and get access to bonus content. Without your passion and contribution, we won't be able to share the stories and inspire the worlds. We invite you to join our community of storytellers and share your voice with the listeners worldwide. As we wrap up today's episode, we're looking forward to unraveling more stories from the universe. With every new discovery from ground-based and space-based observatories, and each milestone and space exploration, we come closer to understanding the cosmos and our place within it. Until next time, let the stars guide your curiosity.