The month begins with Venus low in the west, Mars high in the west and the waxing gibbous moon high in the south. The moon is always a treat to explore with binoculars or a small telescope.
On April 11, Mercury is at its highest above the western horizon, but you may have to look carefully to see it against the bright twilight sky. The longer you wait for the sky to darken, the lower it sinks. Binoculars will help if you scan within a couple of fields of view above the horizon.
The sky is pretty much clear of the moonlight within a week centred on April 20. So, in the evenings, you can watch Orion, and the other winter stars sink lower towards the western horizon each night, and the summer constellations rise higher in the east.
APRIL 2023 NOTEABLE EVENTS:
6 (Thu) Full moon
11 (Tue) Mercury at eastern elongation in evening
15 (Sat) Moon at Perigee
19 (Wed) Sun enters Aries
20 (Thu) New Moon, Partial solar Eclipse (southwestern Canada)
28 (Fri) Moon at Apogee
One of Canada’s foremost writers and educators on astronomical topics, the Almanac has benefited from Robert’s expertise since its inception. Robert is passionate about reducing light pollution and promoting science literacy. He has been an astronomy instructor for our astronauts and he ensures that our section on sunrise and sunset, stargazing, and celestial events is so detailed and extensive it is almost like its own almanac.
