whats the best time to see the stars tonight

Find these visible planets in Apr 2022: Venus blazing in the east before sunrise; Mars and Saturn, likewise in the east before sunrise; Jupiter, emerging in the east before sunrise in early April and easier to see as the month progresses. Mercury will return to the evening heaven by mid-April, to begin its best evening apparition for the year for the Northern Hemisphere. Visible planets in depth below.

In this commodity:

Dark sky guide for April 2022
April 2022: Planets in depth
April-May 2022 heliocentric solar system
Some resource to enjoy

Nighttime sky guide for Apr 2022

Late March and early Apr: Jupiter emerging from dawn

Jupiter in Late March — We're getting reports of bright Jupiter poking above the eastern horizon shortly earlier sunrise. Volition you see it, below the other planets? Maybe … if your skies are clear and y'all take an unobstructed horizon. Jupiter volition return in earnest in April!

Evening of April 2: A very immature moon

Thin crescent moon low to horizon in pink sky. — New moon happens at 06:24 UTC on April one, 2022. And evenings in spring are the best time to see very young moons – very thin crescents – near the horizon after sunset. Will anyone see the moon after dusk on April 1? Maybe. The further west you lot are, the more probable you'll see a young moon on April 1. But – given clear skies – all of the states in the Northern Hemisphere should run across the very thin crescent moon, floating just to a higher place the western horizon later on sunset. An exquisite sight! Chart via John Jardine Goss.

Mornings of April iv and 5: Mars and Saturn conjunction

Big dot for Venus, red dot for Mars, two dots for Saturn showing change over 2 days. — On April 4 and 5, 2022, wait low in the sunrise direction, maybe an hour before sunrise. Red Mars and golden Saturn will expect like next-door neighbors on the heaven's dome. Note the difference in Saturn'south position with respect to Mars from Apr 4 to April 5. Their conjunction – when the two planets will take the aforementioned correct ascent on our sky's dome – will come up at 22 UTC on Apr 4. At that time, Mars will be 0.3 degrees south of Saturn. Illustration via John Jardine Goss.

Evenings of April 4 and 5: Crescent moon by famous star clusters

Dots in V shape on left, tight cluster of dots on right, crescent moon sliding between. — On April iv and 5, 2022 – in the evening sky – the crescent moon visits ii famous star clusters located in the direction of the constellation Taurus the Bull. The Hyades cluster is shaped like the alphabetic character V. Aldebaran, brightest star in the 5, is not a true cluster member. The Pleiades star cluster – aka the Seven Sisters – is shaped like a tiny misty dipper of stars. Await westward after dusk for the moon and these beautiful clusters, which are about to leave the evening sky. Analogy via John Jardine Goss.

April eight and 9 evenings: Castor and Pollux by the moon

Two dots labeled Pollux and Castor with a half-moon shape above and below, plus dot for Procyon on left. — The moon passes the vivid stars Brush and Pollux in Gemini the Twins on April eight and ix. The moon reaches its 1st-quarter stage on April 9. Chart via John Jardine Goss.

April 11 and 12 evenings: Regulus and the moon

Not-quite-full circles representing the moon on April 11 and 12 on right side of green line, dot on line labeled Regulus. — On April 11 and 12, a waxing gibbous moon passes close to Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Panthera leo. Nautical chart via John Jardine Goss.

Past mid-Apr: 4 planets from the Northern Hemisphere

Line from lower left to upper right with four dots labeled with planets. — Some of you might have glimpsed Jupiter nearly the sunrise as early as late March 2022. By mid-April, nosotros'll all run into Jupiter in the sunrise management, about an hr before the sun comes up. You'll recognize it hands as the 2nd-brightest planet, afterward Venus. Here is the placement of the four bright planets in the morning sky effectually mid-Apr, equally viewed from the Northern Hemisphere. The same 4 planets are visible from the Southern Hemisphere, too. See the chart below.

By mid-Apr: 4 planets from the Southern Hemisphere

Vertical line with four dots labeled with planets. — Notation the contrast between this chart and the 1 above. The same iv planets – Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Venus – tin be seen before sunrise, with Jupiter closest to the sunrise point. But it's autumn now in the Southern Hemisphere. So the ecliptic, or sun's path, makes a steep angle to the morning horizon, placing the planets loftier above the sunrise.

April 15 and 16 evenings: Moon and Spica

Slanted green line with dot for Spica on right side and two large white circles on left, one labeled Full Moon Apr 16 and one labeled April 15. — If you're enjoying the total or nearly full moon on April 15 and 16, you'll probably notice a bright star nearby. That star is Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo the Maiden. Chart via John Jardine Goss.

April 15 to 29, peaking on 22nd: Lyrid meteor shower

Chart showing Lyra, Vega, and radial arrows from Lyrid meteor shower radiant point. — Lyrid meteors radiate from near the bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra the Harp. You don't need to identify Vega or Lyra in social club to watch the Lyrid meteor shower. But you do need to know when the radiant rises, in this case in the northeast before midnight. That's why the Lyrids are typically best between midnight and dawn, and why the concluding quarter moon will interfere with the shower in 2022. You'll run across the most meteors after the radiant has come over the horizon. The meteors radiate from there but volition appear unexpectedly in whatsoever and all parts of the sky. Read more about April'due south Lyrid shooting star shower.

Apr xix and twenty mornings: Moon and Antares

Two waning gibbous moons, one labeled Apr 20 and one Apr 19, are on either side of a red dot labeled Antares. — For those up early on April 19 and 20, you may exist asking, "What's that bright star by the moon?" That crimson star is Antares in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. A waning gibbous moon is west of Antares on Apr 19 and due east of the red star on April 20. Its phase will shrink a bit from ane night to the next. Nautical chart via John Jardine Goss.

Beginning around April 20: Mercury nears the Pleiades

Larger dot for Mercury getting smaller as it rises and then is right next to the Pleiades on April 30. — Sentinel Mercury starting effectually April 20, when it'due south low in the west after sunset. You lot'll meet the closest planet to the sun steadily climb closer to the Pleiades star cluster every dark until April 29, when Mercury and the Pleiades are right next to each other. Their conjunction on our sky's some comes at xix UTC on April 29. Then the star cluster and the planet are separated by 1.iv degrees. On our chart, Mercury follows the white line upward and gets dimmer (represented by the shrinking circle) as it nears the Pleiades. Nautical chart via John Jardine Goss.

April 24 and 25 mornings: Crescent moon most Saturn and Mars

An angled line with a red dot for Mars and a white dot for Saturn plus two crescent moons below labeled Apr 24 and Apr 25. — The waning crescent moon lies w of Saturn on the forenoon of April 24 and east of Saturn on April 25. On the 25th, it appears betwixt Mars and Saturn. Chart via John Jardine Goss.

April 26 and 27 mornings: Crescent moon near 3 planets

Two crescent moons low to the horizon with labels Apr 26 and Apr 27, plus the circles for the planets Jupiter, Venus and Mars above. — The sparse waning crescent moon first passes Mars on the morning of April 26, then hovers beneath Jupiter and Venus on the forenoon of April 27. Chart via John Jardine Goss.

In late April: Don't miss the Jupiter-Venus conjunction

Visible planets: Moon at bottom with Venus and Jupiter above, Jupiter shown on either side of Venus over 2 days. — Catch the 2 brightest planets – Venus and Jupiter – close together around the end of Apr and beginning of May 2022. The moon volition join the scene on April 27. This chart also shows that Jupiter will be on one side of Venus on April 30 and the opposite side on May i. That's because the two planets' conjunction – when they pass one some other in right ascension – comes at xix UTC on Apr 30. At that time, Venus will be 0.2 degrees south of Jupiter. Also, note reddish Mars on the far correct. Correct now, because information technology'south nonetheless far ahead of us in orbit, Mars tin't compete in brightness with Venus and Jupiter! Illustration via John Jardine Goss.

On April 30: A deep fractional solar eclipse

Bright crescent in orange clouds plus big bird in front of dark area of eclipse. — View at EarthSky Customs Photos. | The April 30, 2022, eclipse will be a partial, only deep, eclipse, similar to the eclipse shown in this photo. It's visible from the southeast Pacific and south South America. Our friend James Trezza in Cedar Beach, Mount Sinai, New York, captured this photo of the partial solar eclipse on June 10, 2021. He wrote: "Solar eclipse 2021! Nix like perfect timing with a bird flight through the frame during the eclipse." Thanks, James, and aye! Read more most the Apr xxx, 2022 solar eclipse.

On the night of May 15-sixteen: A total eclipse of the moon

Chart for lunar eclipse on May 15, 2022. — A total lunar eclipse sweeps across the Americas, Europe, and Africa during the night of May fifteen-16, 2022. The moon will enter World'due south shadow at x:28 p.thousand. EDT on May 15, condign completely eclipsed about one hour later. This full eclipse is central, meaning the moon's deejay actually passes through the axis of Earth's umbral shadow. Because they are so deep, such eclipses typically have the longest total phases. In this example, the elapsing of totality lasts almost an hour and a one-half: 84.nine minutes! Chart by John Jardine Goss. Read more about the May fifteen-xv total lunar eclipse.

April 2022: Planets in depth!

Venus and Jupiter

Venus dominates the morning eastern sky throughout Apr 2022. It's dazzlingly bright in the sunrise management each morning. Plus Venus will accept a glorious conjunction with our sky's 2d-brightest planet, Jupiter, earlier this month ends. Jupiter is low on the eastern horizon as April begins: a claiming to spot. But it'll rise higher higher up the sunrise glare equally the month progresses and by mid-month will be located along a regularly spaced line of planets – with Venus, Saturn and Mars – in the eastern predawn sky.

Venus and Jupiter are the two brightest planets. The Venus-Jupiter conjunction volition come at 19 UTC on April xxx. And then Venus volition exist 0.2 degrees due south of Jupiter.

Venus reached its greatest elongation – its uttermost angular distance from the sunrise – on March 20, 2022. It's at present slowly moving a little closer to the sunrise horizon each morning. But Venus is so bright and so beautiful. You will enjoy it every bit the dazzling "forenoon star" for many months to come up.

Jupiter will spend the next several months of 2022 shifting from the morning to the evening heaven. Its opposition – when it'due south opposite the sunday from Earth – will come on September 26. Then it will be ascent in the e at dusk, as the sun sets in the w.

Saturn and Mars

Saturn and Mars both are much dimmer than Venus or Jupiter. In April 2022, Saturn appears a petty brighter than Mars. Sentry for a fascinating sight on the morning time of April iv, and extending into the morning of April 5, when Mars slides 0.3 degrees southward of Saturn on our sky'southward dome. Their conjunction comes at 22 UTC on April 4. Notation that Mars is the second-smallest planet. Saturn is the second-largest planet. Saturn shines with a golden colour. And Mars appears ruddy; it's chosen the Red Planet for a reason. From the longitude of India – on the 24-hour interval of their conjunction – Mars appears to slide directly underneath Saturn, barely missing it! No affair what geographical location y'all view from, use binoculars to bring out the colors of these intriguing worlds.

Also, go on in mind how nosotros translate the view in April 2022: planets in 3-dimensional space projected onto a 2-dimensional dome. Even though they seem to be close in the heaven, Venus, Saturn, and Mars are actually nowhere near each other in space. Venus lies 72 million miles from Earth, and Mars is 95 million miles further out. Saturn orbits the sun merely nether i billion miles from our globe!

Like Jupiter, Mars is now beginning a new bike of visibility in our heaven. Throughout 2022, it'll brighten and shift into our evening heaven, as Globe draws up behind Mars in our smaller, faster orbit around the sun. Earth and Mars will be closest on December i. Our 2 worlds will be most about on a line in space – bringing Mars to its once-in-2-years opposition – on the night of December 7-8.

Like Jupiter and Mars, Saturn is too but beginning its cycle of visibility in Globe's heaven. It'll come to opposition – rising in the east at dusk, highest at midnight, setting at sunrise – on Baronial fourteen.

Mercury

Mercury reaches superior conjunction – sweeping to the far side of the dominicus from Earth – on Apr 2. It will sally into the western sky later on dusk by mid-month, thereby becoming the lone evening planet. It'll be the outset of Mercury's best evening apparition of this year, for us in the Northern Hemisphere.

Note that Mercury will exist most the famous Pleiades star cluster – aka the Seven Sisters – in April 2022. You'll probably start to notice Mercury nigh the Pleiades effectually Apr xx, and information technology'll steadily climb closer to the cluster every night until Apr 29, when Mercury and the Pleiades are right adjacent to each other. Their conjunction on our heaven's some comes at 19 UTC on April 29. Then the star cluster and the planet are separated by 1.4 degrees.

Mercury will also announced farthest from the sunset at 8 UTC on Apr 29, 2022. This is Mercury's greatest elongation, its greatest apparent distance from the sun on our sky's dome. Read more than nearly Mercury's greatest elongation in April 2022.

Recent planet photos from EarthSky'south customs

Three planets, with Chinese lettering. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Matthew Chin captured Venus, Mars and Saturn on March 31, 2022, from Hong Kong. Thank you, Matthew!

4 planets and the moon before sunrise. — View at EarthSky Customs Photos. | Peter Lowenstein captured Venus, Mars and Saturn on March 30, 2022, from Mutare, Zimbabwe. You can apply Matthew's photo, above, to see which is which. In this photo, also notice Jupiter, which is the bright dot merely above the ridgeline, below and to the left of the waning crescent moon. Thank you, Peter!

Apr-June 2022 heliocentric solar organisation

The sun-centered charts below come up from Guy Ottewell. You'll find charts like these for every month of 2022 in his Astronomical Calendar. Guy Ottwell explains:

In these views from ecliptic northward, arrows (thinner when south of the ecliptic airplane) are the paths of the four inner planets. Dots along the residuum of the orbits are v days apart (and are black for the part of its course that a planet has trodden since the beginning of the yr). Semicircles testify the sunlit side of the new and total moon (vastly exaggerated in size and altitude). Pairs of lines point outward to the more than remote planets. Phenomena such as perihelia (represented by ticks) and conjunctions (represented by lines between planets) are at dates that can be found in the Astronomical Calendar. Gray covers the one-half of the universe below the horizon around 10 p.m. at mid- month (equally seen from the equator). The zodiacal constellations are in directions from the Earth at mid-calendar month (non from the sun).

White chart with black lettering, showing planets paths during April 2022. — View larger. | Heliocentric view of solar organisation, Apr 2022. Chart via Guy Ottewell.

Circle with sun at center, planets around, and zodiac names on outer edge. — View larger. | Heliocentric view of solar system, May 2022. Chart via Guy Ottewell.

Some resources to savour

Don't miss anything. Subscribe to daily emails from EarthSky. Information technology's free!

Visit EarthSky'southward Best Places to Stargaze to discover a nighttime-sky location near y'all.

Post your dark sky photos at EarthSky Community Photos.

Interpret Universal Time (UTC) to your fourth dimension.

Encounter the indispensable Observer'south Handbook, from the Purple Astronomical Social club of Canada.

Visit Stellarium-Web.org for precise views from your location.

Visit TheSkyLive for precise views from your location.

Back by popular demand! Guy Ottewell's Astronomical Calendar for 2022

Great resource and beautiful wall chart: Guy Ottewell's zodiac wavy chart

A modern chair, a large plant, and the zodiac wavy chart on the wall. — Guy Ottewell's Zodiac Wavy Chart is a two-by-3 pes poster displaying the movements of the sun, moon and planets throughout the year. You tin can buy it here.

Bottom line: April 2022 is a month for seeing four planets in the morning heaven. By mid-month, Jupiter and Venus – Saturn and Mars – will exist stretched out in a line in the eastern predawn sky. Meanwhile, the dominicus'due south innermost planet, Mercury, will render in mid-April to brainstorm its best evening bogeyman of the year for Northern Hemisphere skywatchers. Plus Mercury will appear near the famous Pleiades star cluster, aka the Seven Sisters. April planets – April nighttime sky – here.

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John Jardine Goss

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About the Author:

"I can sometimes see the moon in the daytime" was a catholic revelation that John Jardine Goss first discovered through personal observations when he was 6 years sometime. It shook his immature concept of the universe and launched his involvement in astronomy and stargazing, a fascination he still holds today. John is by president of the Astronomical League, the largest U.S. federation of astronomical societies, with over 20,000 members. He'due south earned the championship of Master Observer and has authored the celestial observing guides Exploring the Starry Realm and Carpe Lunam. John also writes a monthly stargazing column, Roanoke Skies, for the Roanoke Times, and a bimonthly column, Skywatch, for Blueish Ridge Country magazine. He has contributed to Heaven and Telescope magazine, the IDA Nightscape, the Astronomical League's Reflector magazine, and the RASC Observer's Handbook.

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Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury/

Percival Peopple