Night sky, April 2025: What you can see tonight [maps]

The night sky tonight and on any clear night offers an ever-changing display of fascinating objects you can see, from stars and constellations to bright planets, the moon, and sometimes special events like meteor showers.

Observing the night sky can be done with no special equipment, although a sky map can be very useful, and a good telescope or binoculars will enhance some experiences and bring some otherwise invisible objects into view.

You can also use astronomy accessories to make your observing easier, and use our Satellite Tracker page powered by N2YO.com to find out when and how to see the International Space Station and other satellites. We also have a helpful guide on how you can see and track a Starlink satellite train.

You can also capture the night sky by using any of the best cameras for astrophotography, along with a selection of the best lenses for astrophotography.

Read on to find out what's up in the night sky tonight (planets visible now, moon phases, observing highlights this month) plus other resources (skywatching terms, night sky observing tips and further reading)

Related: The brightest planets in the night sky: How to see them (and when)

Monthly skywatching information is provided to Space.com by Chris Vaughan of Starry Night Education, the leader in space science curriculum solutions. Follow Starry Night on Twitter @StarryNightEdu and Chris at @Astrogeoguy

Editor's note: If you have an amazing skywatching photo and would like to share them with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Calendar of observing highlights

Tuesday, April 1 - Crescent moon crosses the Pleiades (evening)

Once the sky has darkened on Tuesday evening, April 1, look in the lower part of the western sky, where the bright little Pleiades Star Cluster (aka The Seven Sisters, Subaru, and Messier 45) will be close enough to the 17%-illuminated waxing crescent moon for them all to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). Skywatchers in Europe and Africa will see the moon below or passing through the cluster, while those in the Americas and the Pacific Ocean region will see the moon above its stars.

Wednesday, April 2 - Pretty moon joins Jupiter (evening)

Another 24 hours of eastward orbital motion will place the slightly fuller crescent moon less than a palm's width to the upper right (or 5 degrees to the celestial north) of the brilliant planet Jupiter between the horns of Taurus, the Bull on Wednesday evening, April 2. The duo will share the view in binoculars (orange circle) and make a nice photo opportunity until they set in the west towards midnight local time.

Thursday, April 3 - Lunar craters Theophilus, Cyrillus, and Catharina (evening)

On Thursday evening, April 3, the terminator boundary that separates the moon's lit and dark hemispheres will fall just to the left of a trio of large craters named Theophilus, Cyrillus, and Catharina that curve along the western edge of gray Mare Nectaris. You can tell what order the craters were formed in by observing how sharp and fresh Theophilus' rim appears, and by the way it has partially overprinted neighboring Cyrillus to its lower left (or lunar southwest). Under magnification, Theophilus' terraced rim and craggy central mountain peak are evident. Cyrillus hosts a trio of degraded central peaks inside a hexagonal rim, while much older Catharina's peak has been submerged, her edges blurred and her floor overprinted by smaller, more recent craters.

Friday, April 4 - First Quarter Moon approaches Mars (overnight)

On Friday night, April 4 in the western evening sky, the half-full moon will shine a fist's diameter below (or 10 degrees to the celestial west of) the red planet Mars and Gemini's two brightest stars, Pollux and Castor. Observers in more westerly time zones will see the moon closer to the line formed by the trio. The moon will officially complete the first quarter of its orbit around Earth at 10:15 p.m. EDT or 7:15 p.m. PDT, which converts to 02:15 GMT on Saturday, April 5. At first quarter, the relative positions of the Earth, sun, and moon cause us to see our natural satellite half-illuminated - on its eastern side. First quarter moons always rise around noon and set around midnight, allowing them to be seen in the afternoon daytime sky, too. The evenings surrounding first quarter are the best ones for viewing the lunar terrain when it is dramatically lit by low-angled sunlight.

Sunday, April 6 - The Winter Triangle (evening)

The lower part of the southwestern sky in early April evenings is dominated by the three bright stars of the Winter Triangle. The prominent asterism, which is visible even while the bright, waxing gibbous moon is shining nearby this weekend, is anchored on the bottom by the magnitude -1.45 star Sirius or Alpha Canis Majoris, the brightest star in the entire night sky. Above Sirius (to the celestial NNE) shines the white, magnitude 0.34 star Procyon or Alpha Canis Minoris. The third, northwestern vertex is occupied by the reddish, magnitude 0.50 star Betelgeuse or Alpha Orionis. The Winter Triangle first appears in the late evenings of November. By the end of April, it will be disappearing into the western post-sunset twilight. This spring, the even brighter planet Jupiter will gleam off to the triangle's right side.

Wednesday, April 9 - The Aristarchus Plateau (all night)

Three prominent craters break up the expanse of Oceanus Procellarum, the widespread dark region on the moon's left-hand side. Large Copernicus is the easternmost of the craters. Its extensive, ragged ray system intermingles with the smaller crater Kepler to its southwest. The small, but very bright crater Aristarchus positioned northwest of them will fall just to the sunny side of the terminator on Wednesday, April 9. Aristarchus occupies the southeastern corner of a spectacular, diamond-shaped plateau. A backyard telescope under high magnification will show features like the large, sinuous rille named Vallis Schröteri. Its snake-like form begins between Aristarchus and the next-door crater Herodotus and meanders across the plateau.

Friday, April 11 - Venus gleams above Mercury and Saturn (before sunrise)

During early April, the planets Venus, Mercury, Neptune, and Saturn will all be gathered above the eastern horizon before sunrise. Neptune is far too faint to compete against the morning twilight, but the other three planets will be visible, especially from tropical latitudes where the ecliptic (green line) will be closer to vertical. On the mornings surrounding Friday, April 11, find brilliant Venus and then search a bit more than a binoculars' field of view below it (orange circle) for the side-by-side pair of Mercury and Saturn. Mercury will be the slightly brighter planet to Saturn's left. On the prior few days, Saturn will be lower than Mercury. Then it will climb while Mercury descends.

Saturday, April 12 - Mini Full Pink Moon occults Spica

The moon will officially reach its full phase on Saturday, April 12 at 8:22 p.m. EDT or 5:22 p.m. PDT, which converts to 00:22 GMT April 13. Around that time, the full moon will also pass in front of the bright star Spica for observers within a zone from Panama southeast across northern South America, and ending near the southern tip of Africa. Surrounding regions will see Spica near the moon. April's full moon, commonly called the Pink Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, or Fish Moon, always shines in or near the stars of Virgo or Libra. The moon won't look pink, though — the name arises from the forest wildflowers blooming in April. The indigenous Ojibwe groups of the Great Lakes region call the April full moon Iskigamizige-giizis "the Maple Sap Boiling Moon" or Namebine-giizis, "the Sucker Moon". For them, it signifies a time to learn cleansing and healing ways. The Cree of North America call it Niskipisim, "the Goose Moon" — the time when the geese return with spring. For the Mi'kmaw people of Eastern Canada, this is Penatmuiku's, "the Birds Laying Eggs Time Moon". The Cherokee call it Kawonuhi, "the Flower Moon", when the plants bloom. This full moon will occur less than 23 hours before its monthly perigee, making it the smallest full moon in 2025. It's also the Paschal Moon that controls the timing of Easter and Passover.

Tuesday, April 15 - Moon moves through the Scorpion's claws (overnight)

When the bright, waning gibbous moon clears the trees to the southeast in the late evening on Tuesday, April 15, it will be shining close to the line of medium-bright stars that form the claws of Scorpius, the Scorpion. From upper left to lower right, their names are Graffias (or Beta Scorpii), Dschubba (or Delta Scorpii), Pi Scorpii, and Rho Scorpii. Skywatchers viewing later that night, or in more westerly time zones, can see the moon approach (green line) and then cross in front of Pi Scorpii around 5 a.m. EDT or 09:00 GMT. Lunar occultations are safe to watch with eyes, binoculars, and telescopes. Use an app like Starry Night or Sky Safari to look up the timings where you live.

Wednesday, April 16 - Bright moon covers Antares (overnight)

On Wednesday evening, April 16, observers in a zone extending from the southern Atlantic Ocean, the southern part of Africa, the Kerguelen Islands, and eastern Antarctica can watch the motion (green line) of the bright, waning gibbous moon cross in front of (or occult) the very bright, reddish star Antares, which marks the heart of Scorpius. Lunar occultations are safe to watch with eyes, binoculars, and telescopes. Use an app like Starry Night or Sky Safari to look up the timings where you live.

Friday, April 18 - The Whirlpool and Pinwheel Galaxies (all night)

On evenings during mid-April, the Big Dipper is positioned nearly overhead with its handle pointed down to the east. On this week's moonless nights, two impressive galaxies can be seen in binoculars (orange circle) and backyard telescopes by using the bright star Alkaid at the tip of the dipper's handle to find them. The Pinwheel Galaxy, or Messier 101, is a spectacular, large, face-on spiral galaxy positioned a slim palm's width to the lower left (or 5.5 degrees north) of Alkaid, forming an equilateral triangle with Mizar, the double star at the bend of the dipper's handle. This relatively close galaxy (21 million light-years away) is nearly as large as the full moon in the sky. Since the galaxy's light is spread over such a large area, its overall brightness is lowered. Aim your binoculars several finger widths to the upper right (or 3.7 degrees to the southwest) of Alkaid to discover the iconic Whirlpool Galaxy, aka Messier 51. This spiral galaxy's angular size is smaller, but it will look somewhat brighter in your binoculars and telescope. A secondary galaxy core designated NGC 5195 close beside M51 is linked by a bridge of material.

Saturday, April 19 - Ursa Major Galaxies (all night)

The Big Dipper asterism and its home constellation of Ursa Major are very high in the northern sky in the late evening during mid-April - ideal for observing the spectacular galaxies they host in strong binoculars or backyard telescopes on the dark nights this weekend. Draw a line connecting the dipper stars Phecda to Dubhe, and extend it by an amount equal to their separation to arrive at the galaxy named Bode's Nebula, otherwise known as Messier 81. It's a magnitude 6.9 spiral galaxy oriented not quite face-on to Earth, making it appear relatively large and bright. A smaller, magnitude 8.4 galaxy named the Cigar or Messier 82 is located less than a finger's width below (or half a degree to the celestial north of) it. That allows both galaxies to be viewed together in the eyepiece of a telescope at low magnification (inset). Several other fainter galaxies can be found within a few degrees of Bode's Nebula.

Sunday, April 20 - Third Quarter Moon

The moon will reach its third quarter phase on Sunday, April 20 at 9:35 p.m. EDT (6:35 p.m. PDT, 01:35 GMT April 21). Third quarter moons rise around midnight in your local time zone, and then linger in the southern sky after sunrise. At third, or last, quarter the moon is illuminated on its western side, towards the pre-dawn sun. The week of dark, moonless evening skies that follow this phase will be ideal for observing deep sky targets in binoculars and telescopes, especially spring galaxies.

Monday, April 21 - Mercury at greatest western elongation (before sunrise)

On Monday, April 21, Mercury (orbit shown in red) will reach its greatest angle of 27.4 degrees from the morning sun and maximum visibility for its current morning apparition. With Mercury positioned low in the eastern sky and well below the tilted morning ecliptic (green line), this appearance of the innermost planet will be a poor one for Northern Hemisphere observers, but an excellent one for those viewing Mercury from the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere. The optimal viewing times at mid-northern latitudes will start around 5:45 a.m. local time. Viewed in a telescope (inset) the planet will exhibit a waxing, almost half-illuminated phase.

Tuesday, April 22 - Lyrids Meteor Shower peak (overnight)

The annual Lyrids meteor shower, derived from particles dropped by comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher), runs from April 16 to 29. It will peak in intensity at approximately 9 am EDT on Tuesday, April 22, but some meteors should be seen while the shower's radiant point near the bright star Vega in Lyra climbs the eastern sky starting late on Monday night, April 21. The Lyrids can produce up to 15-20 meteors per hour at the peak, with occasional fireballs. The waning crescent moon rising in the wee hours shouldn't hinder the shower this year. For best results, try to view the meteors from a safe location that has a wide open sky free of light pollution. Don't focus your attention on the radiant because the meteors near it will be travelling towards you and have extremely short trails.

Thursday, April 24 - Old moon shines with Venus and Saturn (pre-dawn)

On Thursday morning, April 24, early risers can look low in the eastern sky for the pretty sight of the waning crescent moon shining a fist's diameter to the right (or 10 degrees to the celestial west) of brilliant Venus. Much fainter Saturn will also shine a few degrees below Venus. Just before sunrise, Mercury will appear just above the horizon to Venus' lower left. The moon and Venus, which will clear the rooftops around 5:15 a.m. local time, will make a lovely photo opportunity. Faint Neptune will not be visible.

Friday, April 25 - Crescent moon meets planets (before sunrise)

After 24 hours of additional eastward orbital motion, the very slim crescent of the old moon will shine within a triangle composed of three planets before sunrise on Friday morning, April 25. Locate brilliant Venus and then look for the moon about a binoculars' field of view (orange circle) to its lower left. Less bright Saturn will appear below Venus and to the right of the moon, while Mercury will be positioned about a fist's diameter to the lower left of the two planets. You'll need an unobstructed, cloud-view view to the east to see them from moonrise around 4:40 a.m. local time until the sky brightens enough to hide all but Venus. Observers closer to tropical latitudes will see the grouping, which will be oriented up-down, more easily.

Sunday, April 27 - Venus at greatest illuminated extent (pre-dawn)

On Sunday, April 27, Venus will reach its greatest illuminated extent for the current morning apparition. In a telescope (inset), the planet will show a surprisingly slender, 26%-illuminated, waxing crescent phase on a large apparent disk size of 39 arc-seconds. Even with a less than fully-illuminated disk, Venus' distance from Earth of only 0.432 Astronomical Units (40.12 million miles or 64.57 million km) will boost its brightness to a brilliant magnitude -4.75. After rising at about 4:20 a.m. local time, Venus will be visible in the eastern pre-dawn sky below the western fish in Pisces and a few finger-widths to the upper left of Saturn. Venus will appear nearly as bright on the surrounding mornings.

Sunday, April 27 - New Moon

The moon will reach its new phase on Sunday, April 27 at 3:31 p.m. EDT or 12:31 p.m. PDT or 19:31 GMT. At that time our natural satellite will be located in Aries and 3.25 degrees north of the sun. While new, the moon is travelling between Earth and the sun. Since sunlight can only reach the far side of the moon, and the moon is in the same region of the sky as the sun, the moon becomes unobservable from anywhere on Earth for about a day (except during a solar eclipse). In the evenings following the new moon phase, Earth's planetary partner will return to shine in the western sky after sunset.

Monday, April 28 - Venus shines above Saturn (pre-dawn)

In the eastern sky before dawn in late April, the orbital motion of the brilliant planet Venus will be carrying it past 240 times fainter Saturn. On the mornings before Monday, April 28, Saturn will be positioned several finger widths below (or 3.6 degrees to the celestial south of) Venus, allowing the two planets to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). After Venus shines closest above Saturn on Monday, it will descend more to Saturn's left and widen their separation. All told, you'll be able to see the duo in binoculars from about April 16 to May 6.

Tuesday, April 29 - Crescent moon jumps Jupiter (evening)

In the western sky after dusk on Tuesday, April 29, the waxing crescent moon will shine prettily a fist's diameter to the lower right (or 11 degrees to the celestial northwest) of Jupiter. On the following evening, April 30, the moon will climb to shine a palm's width to Jupiter's upper right. The moon's nightly shift across the stars and planets has long shown us that the moon is orbiting around Earth. The moon and Jupiter will make a lovely photo opportunity when composed with some foreground scenery before they set in the west around 11 p.m. local time.

Wednesday, April 30 - The Three Leaps of the Gazelle (all night)

The large and bright constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear is at the zenith after dusk in late April. Everyone is familiar with the Big Dipper asterism portion of that constellation. Another easily seen, but lesser-known pattern is the Three Leaps of the Gazelle, composed of three pairs of medium-bright stars strung in a line spanning nearly 30 degrees of the sky. In each pair, the stars are separated by about a thumb's width (or 1.5 degrees). The most westerly stars Al Kaprah and Talitha, are found by extending a line drawn diagonally through the Big Dipper's bowl from Megrez to Merak, i.e., towards Castor and Pollux. The central pair of Tania Borealis and Tania Australis shines midway between the bright stars Dubhe and Ras Elased Australis in Leo. The lowest (most easterly) duo named Alula Borealis and Alula Australis, are close to a line extended to the right (celestial south) from Dubhe through Merak. The word Alula arises from Arabic for "first leap", while Tania means "second", and Talitha means "third".

Visible planets

Mercury

Mercury will appear above the eastern horizon before sunrise throughout April. The planet will become easier to see as it swings wider from the sun every morning since the amount of twilight will be less when it rises. Mercury will reach its greatest angle (27.4 degrees) west of the sun on April 21 and then spend the rest of April shifting lower and sunward. The innermost planet's low sky position will make this appearance a poor one for Northern Hemisphere observers, but an excellent apparition for those viewing it from the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere, where it will shine higher and in a darker sky. Visually, Mercury will brighten from magnitude 2.9 to around 0.0 in April. In a telescope Mercury will wax from a very slim, 8%-illuminated crescent on April 1 to half-illuminated at greatest elongation, and then to slightly gibbous on April 30. As it heads towards the far side of the sun from Earth, Mercury's apparent disk size will shrink from 11 to 6.8 arc-seconds across. In the early days of April, brilliant Venus will shine about 6 degrees above Mercury, with Saturn, about as bright as Mercury, positioned just to its right (or celestial southwest). Nearby Neptune will be too faint to see. As the month unfolds, Mercury will speed east away from those three planets. The waning crescent moon will pose on Mercury's upper right on April 25 and then to the planet's left on the following morning.

Venus

During April, brilliant Venus will increasingly dominate the eastern pre-dawn sky, rising around 5:30 a.m. local time, an hour before the sun, on April 1, and then nearly two hours ahead of sunrise, around 4:15 a.m., at month's end. That early rise time will allow the stars of Pisces hosting Venus to be visible. Venus will travel retrograde through the western fish stars until April 10 and then reverse course in prograde motion for the rest of the month. The shallow slope of the morning ecliptic will hold Venus rather low in the sky for mid-Northern latitude observers. Visually, it will brighten from magnitude -4.3 to -4.73, while telescope views will show it waxing from a razor-thin crescent on April 1 to a 28%-illuminated crescent at month's end. Over the same period, its apparent disk size will shrink from 56.7 to 36.8 arc-seconds due to its increasing distance from Earth. At the beginning of the month Venus will gleam a palm's width above much fainter Mercury and nearly a fist's diameter to the upper left of Saturn. Nearby Neptune will be too faint to see. As mid-month approaches, Mercury and Saturn will slide under Venus, and then Mercury will speed east and sunward while Venus and Saturn approach 3.6 degrees from one another near month's end. The old crescent moon will shine to the right and then to the lower left of Venus on April 24-25.

Mars

Mars will be well-positioned for observing between dusk and the wee hours during all of April, though its rapidly increasing distance from Earth will reduce its brightness from magnitude 0.45 to 0.93 and shrink its 90%-illuminated disk size from 8.1 arc-seconds to 6.6 arc-seconds. Mars will begin April in a line with Gemini's bright stars Pollux and Castor, but it will rapidly shift east away from them, passing into Cancer on April 12 and ending the month close to the prominent Beehive Star Cluster (aka Messier 44). The waxing gibbous moon will shine several finger widths above (or 3 degrees to the celestial east of) Mars on April 5.

Jupiter

As it is carried lower in the western evening sky among the stars of Taurus, the number of hours for observing Jupiter each evening will shorten during April. It will set around 12:45 a.m. local time on April 1 but at 11 p.m. at month's end. The brilliant planet will fade a little from its initial magnitude -2.1 brilliance. Its easterly prograde motion between the bull's horns will lift it higher above the bright star Aldebaran and carry it telescope-close to the left (or celestial south) of the large open star cluster NGC 1764 on April 10. Owners of quality telescopes can watch the great red spot cross Jupiter on every 2nd or 3rd night, and one or more of its four Galilean moons will cast their small, black shadows onto the planet from time to time. The moon will shine near Jupiter twice in April — once as a thick crescent on April 2 and again as a slimmer crescent on April 29-30.

Saturn

Following its solar conjunction around mid-March, Saturn will gradually emerge from the eastern pre-dawn twilight during April, but the shallow slope of the ecliptic will hold the planet very low in the sky for mid-Northern latitude observers. By the end of the month, Saturn will be rising shortly before the sky begins to brighten. Since Earth crossed Saturn's ring plane on March 23, its thin rings will still appear extremely narrow in cross-section during April, casting a thin linear shadow onto the planet's globe. Saturn's easterly prograde motion will carry it from Aquarius to Pisces on April 19. Meanwhile, it will be accompanied by far brighter Venus shining above it, similarly-bright Mercury, and all-but-invisible Neptune. Mercury will speed east away from Saturn after mid-month, but Venus will drop lower until it achieves a minimum separation of 3.6 degrees north of the ringed planet on April 28. The waning crescent moon will be positioned near Venus and Saturn on April 25.

Uranus

As April begins, magnitude 5.8 Uranus will be observable in the western sky from dusk until about 10 p.m. local time, but its observing window will close after mid-month. The planet, which is visible in a backyard telescope or binoculars on moonless nights, will spend the month moving slowly eastwards near the Taurus-Aries border and about 6.5 degrees below (or celestial southwest) of the bright Pleiades Cluster. The waxing crescent moon will shine above the Pleiades on April 1, and then return as an extremely thin crescent several finger-widths to the upper right (or celestial north) of Uranus on April 28.

Neptune

Throughout April, Neptune will be located above the eastern horizon before sunrise, just a few degrees to the left (or celestial east) of Saturn and Venus. From mid-Northern latitudes, magnitude 7.9 Neptune will be hidden from view until the very end of the month, when it will begin to rise with the stars of western Pisces while the sky is still dark. Observers in the tropics will be able to see the distant blue planet sooner than that. Mercury will pass only 0.7 degrees south of Neptune on April 16-17 and the old crescent moon will pass just north of it on April 25.

Skywatching terms

Gibbous: Used to describe a planet or moon that is more than 50% illuminated.

Asterism: A noteworthy or striking pattern of stars within a larger constellation.

Degrees (measuring the sky): The sky is 360 degrees all the way around, which means roughly 180 degrees from horizon to horizon. It's easy to measure distances between objects: Your fist on an outstretched arm covers about 10 degrees of sky, while a finger covers about one degree.

Visual Magnitude: This is the astronomer's scale for measuring the brightness of objects in the sky. The dimmest object visible in the night sky under perfectly dark conditions is about magnitude 6.5. Brighter stars are magnitude 2 or 1. The brightest objects get negative numbers. Venus can be as bright as magnitude minus 4.9. The full moon is minus 12.7 and the sun is minus 26.8.

Terminator: The boundary on the moon between sunlight and shadow.

Zenith: The point in the sky directly overhead.

Night sky observing tips

Adjust to the dark: If you wish to observe fainter objects, such as meteors, dim stars, nebulas, and galaxies, give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Avoid looking at your phone's bright screen by keeping it tucked away. If you must use it, set the brightness to minimum — or cover it with clingy red film.

Light Pollution: Even from a big city, one can see the moon, a handful of bright stars, and the brightest planets - if they are above the horizon. But to fully enjoy the heavens — especially a meteor shower, the fainter constellations, or to see the amazing swath across the sky that is the disk of our home galaxy, the Milky Way — rural areas are best for night sky viewing. If you're stuck in a city or suburban area, use a tree or dark building to block ambient light (or moonlight) and help reveal fainter sky objects. If you're in the suburbs, simply turning off outdoor lights can help.

Prepare for skywatching: If you plan to be outside for more than a few minutes, and it's not a warm summer evening, dress more warmly than you think is necessary. An hour of winter observing can chill you to the bone. For meteor showers, a blanket or lounge chair will prove to be much more comfortable than standing, or sitting in a chair and craning your neck to see overhead.

Daytime skywatching: On the days surrounding first quarter, the moon is visible in the afternoon daytime sky. At last quarter, the moon rises before sunrise and lingers into the morning daytime sky. When Venus is at a significant angle away from the sun it can often be spotted during the day as a brilliant point of light - but you'll need to consult an astronomy app to know when and where to look for it. When large sunspots develop on the sun, they can be seen without a telescope — as long as you use proper solar filters, such as eclipse glasses. Permanent eye damage can occur if you look at the sun for any length of time without protective eyewear.