Sky Report

April, 2026

This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report for the period between April 1 and April 30, 2026. Here are the events happening in the sky of southern California.

Mercury rises in the east at 5:35 a.m., PDT, and the sun rises at 6:40 a.m., PDT, one hour five minutes later. Mercury is 45-percent illuminated and 8.0 arcseconds wide. On the 8^th, Mercury rises in the east at 5:30 a.m., PDT, and the sun rises at 6:31 a.m., PDT, one hour one minute later. Mercury is 56-percent illuminated and 7.1 arcseconds wide. For the remainder of April Mercury is close to the sun and cannot be safely observed. Do not observe any planet when it appears close to the sun, for the danger to the eyes is great.

Venus sets in the west at 8:52 p.m., PDT, on the 1^st, and the sun sets at 7:14 p.m., PDT, and is 94-percent illuminated and 10 arcseconds wide. On the 30^th, Venus sets in the west-northwest at 9:52 p.m., PDT, and is 88-percent illuminated and 12 arcseconds wide.

Mars begins April close to the sun and cannot be safely observed. On the 30^th, Mars rises in the east at 5:02 a.m., PDT, and the sun rises at 6:05 a.m., PDT, one hour three minutes after. The planet is 98-percent illuminated and 4.1 arcseconds wide. Do not observe any planet when it appears close to the sun, for the danger to the eyes is great.

Jupiter is in the constellation Gemini the Twins. On the 1^st, Jupiter sets in the west-northwest at 2:33 a.m., PDT, and is 37 arcseconds wide. On the 30^th, the planet sets in the west-northwest at 12:50 a.m., PDT. A telescope capable of magnification 50x will show the Red Spot, and the four bright Galilean moons can be seen moving back and forth, across and behind Jupiter.

Saturn is in the constellation Cetus the Monster. The planet is close to the sun until the 26^th, and it is not safe to observe it. On the 26^th, Saturn rises in the east at 5:04 a.m., PDT, and the sun rises at 6:09 a.m., PDT, one hour five minutes later. Do not observe any planet when it appears close to the sun, for the danger to the eyes is great.

Uranus is in the constellation Taurus the Bull. On the 1^st, Uranus sets in the west-northwest at 10:57 p.m., PDT. On the 30^th, Uranus sets in the west-northwest at 9:10 p.m., PDT. On the 15^th, Uranus is at Right Ascension 3^h 49^m 1^s with a declination of +19° 51ʹ 44ʺ. The disk of Uranus is only 3.5 arcseconds wide, and so a telescope with a magnification of 150x is needed.

Neptune is in the constellation Pisces the Fishes. On the 1^st, Neptune rises in the east at 6:22 a.m., PDT. On the 30^th, the planet rises in the east at 4:31 a.m., PDT. The position of Neptune on the 15^th is Right Ascension 0^h 12^m 4^s with a declination of –0° 7ʹ 23ʺ. The disk of Neptune is only 2.2 arcseconds wide, and so a telescope with a magnification of 150x is needed.

The moon is full on the 1^st, last quarter on the 9^th, new on the 17^th, and first quarter on the 23^rd.

SPECIAL EVENTS

The Lyrid meteor shower is active from the evening of April 14 to the morning of the 30^th. The parent body is comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher). The Lyrids are named after the constellation of Lyra the Harp, from which they appear to originate. The Lyrid meteors comprise a medium-strength shower, with perhaps 20 meteors per hour at the peak, which will occur from the evening of the 21^st to the morning of the 22^nd. The Lyrids can produce occasional fireballs. The moon will be a crescent, 27-percent illuminated and will not interfere with observations.

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April 1st is the Full Moon. Starting from the 2nd on, the Moon is waning. The New Moon on the 17th ends this cycle. From the 18th onward, the Moon is waxing which means its surface is becoming more illuminated. The Last Quarter is on the 9th, and the First Quarter is on the 23rd.

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