What can I see in the sky? April 2020 Moon Phase: First Quarter 1st Full Moon 8th Last Quarter 15th New Moon 23rd Australian Daylight Savings Time Ends on the 5th. Remember to put your clocks back an hour. Planets: Apart from Venus in our evening skies, all the planetary action this month is in the morning sky. Venus is in the western sky after sunset. Mercury is in the pre-dawn eastern sky Mars is in the eastern pre-dawn sky. Jupiter is high in the eastern pre-dawn sky. Saturn is in the eastern pre-dawn sky.
Worth a Look:
1st: Saturn and Mars are within one degree of each other in the pre-dawn sky. With Jupiter directly above the pair, they will be good to observe with the unaided eye or in binoculars. Also a good opportunity for wide-field photographers.
3rd and 4th: Venus crosses the Pleiades star cluster (M45) on both dates. The brightness of Venus may overpower some of the bright cluster stars so binoculars may be handy for viewing the cluster.
4th and 5th: A good east horizon is required for this along with binoculars or a small telescope. Mercury and Neptune have a close encounter with only 1.4 degrees separating them. They will be 1.6 degrees apart on the morning of the 5th.
15th: A lovely pre-dawn meeting of the last quarter Moon with Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. From the horizon upwards, it’s Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon. Definitely worth a look! It is also a great opportunity for wide-field photographers.
16th: Same as the 15th, however the Moon will be just below Saturn and slightly to the south (right) and directly above Mars. Also definitely worth a look and again a great opportunity for wide-field photographers.
17th: A clear view to the eastern horizon will be needed as the waning crescent Moon is low on the horizon with Mars, Saturn and Jupiter above. Only worth a look if you have a good east horizon and if so, a good opportunity for wide-field photographers.