In April, Mars is the sole bright planet at nightfall. Jupiter rises at late night, followed by Saturn a few hours later. Venus and Mercury appear briefly before daybreak. Read more.
A small asteroid - now designated as 2019 FC1 - flew closer to us than the moon on March 28. Astronomers detected it one day later. It's the largest of 14 asteroids to pass closer to us than the moon since 2019 began. Read more.
On Tuesday morning, April 2, the moon will be a very thin crescent, below bright Venus. Mercury will be nearby. Venus will be easy, but both Mercury and the moon will be in bright morning twilight. Optical aid will help you see them. Southern Hemisphere observers – for whom the moon and planets appear higher above the sunrise now – have a better shot at them! Read more about planets in April.
