April 2024

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April of 2024: Finally the month of the eclipse! A wonderful experience for North America, the Lyrid Meteor Shower, and lots of planetary action makes April of 2024 one of THE best months in a LONG time.

Naked-eye PLANETS

Sunset

Jupiter – LAST CALL FOR JUPITER!  SUPER bright in the SW, about 30˚ up in the sky, setting before 10:30pm at the beginning of April, but sinking all the way down to being lost in the twilight by month’s end. 

Morning

Mars, Saturn, (Mercury?) – On the 1st, Saturn will be about 10˚ above the ESE horizon, and Mars about 5˚ up and to the right of that.  The challenge will be how bright the sky gets at sunrise at 6:50am and how low the planets are.  But, as the month goes by, Mars will stay relatively the same distance from the Sun, while Saturn moves to the right, and passes Mars on the 10th.  Eventually, on the 30th, Saturn will be 20˚ above the horizon at sunrise, with Mars 12˚ to the left, and perhaps an appearance of Mercury 17˚ left and down from Mars.  The clearer your view, the better your chances.

EVENTS 

5th - 6th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Mars, Saturn– Get out between 5:30am and 6:30am and get a very clear look at the ESE horizon.  During that hour, you should be able to see the Moon as a VERY thin crescent, with Saturn bright and 14 ̊ to the left of the Moon, with Mars up and to the right of Saturn a little bit.  Then, on the 6th, the Moon will move to be below both Saturn and Mars, making a thin triangle.

8th – TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE – We’re going to skip over that, not because it’s not important.  I’ve been preparing for it for 6 years now.  But we’ve had PLENTY of coverage of it so far and there are better places to give you more information that you’re looking for.  In fact, I’ll link some videos I’ve created or participated in for better info.

10th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Mars, Saturn – Get out again between 5:30am and 6:30am and get a very clear look at the ESE.  Mars and Saturn will be as close as they’re gonna get, about ½˚ apart, with Mars on top. It’ll be tough to see, all that more rewarding when you do. 

10th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Jupiter – Get out after sunset, look W, and the Moon will be only 4˚ to the right of Jupiter.  

22nd – LYRID METEOR SHOWER – At only 10-20 meteors per hour, it is a minor shower, and we have essentially a Full Moon to get massively in the way of observing.  The shower is greatest on the 22nd, but you might see some on the 21st and 23rd as well.  

All you need to know to prep for the 2024 Eclipse (in Lancaster County)

S2 E1 Preparing For The Eclipse - Cosmos Safari Podcast - Presented by Celestron 

And that’s the sky for this month! If you find this advance notice of the night sky helpful, please support this work by finding Last Minute Astronomer on Patreon, and don’t forget to follow Last Minute Astronomer on Facebook and Instagram. Till next month, I’m the Last Minute Astronomer wishing you fruitful plans and clear skies. Music was produced by Deep Sky Dude and used with permission.