The Lyrid meteor shower is building toward its peak, on Sunday night. Unfortunately, the Moon will be almost full then, so its glare will wash out all but the brightest of the “shooting stars.”
Weekly Stargazing Tips
Provided by StarDate.org. Unless otherwise specified, viewing times are local time regardless of time zone, and are good for the entire Lower 48 states (and, generally, for Alaska and Hawaii).
April 19: Lyrid Meteors
April 20: Kochab
The Little Dipper is famous for the star at the tip of its handle: Polaris, the North Star. Its second-brightest star is Kochab, at the lip of the bowl. It’s to the right of Polaris at nightfall, and rotates directly above it in the wee hours of the morning.
April 21: Looking Up
Several bright stars and star patterns stand high in the sky this evening. Regulus, the brightest star of Leo, is in the south. Pollux and Castor, the twins of Gemini, are about the same height in the west. And the Big Dipper hangs upside-down in the northeast.
April 22: Moon and Spica
Spica, the brightest star of Virgo, stands just a whisker away from the full Moon tonight. They are low in the southeast as twilight fades, separated by about half a degree, which is less than the width of a pencil held at arm’s length.
April 23: Full Moon
The Moon is full at 6:49 p.m. CDT as it lines up opposite the Sun in our sky. Among other names, the full Moon of April is known as the Egg Moon, Grass Moon, or Pink Moon
April 24: Zosma
The fourth-brightest star of Leo represents the lion’s hip. It’s named Delta Leonis as an indication of its ranking within the constellation. But it also has some older names, including Zosma, from an ancient Greek word that means “the girdle.”
April 25: Moon and Antares
Antares, the star that marks the bright orange heart of Scorpius, stands to the lower left of the Moon as they climb into good view tonight, after midnight. Antares will appear about the same distance to the upper right of the Moon tomorrow night.