April 2010 astronomy events

If you've never positively identified Mercury, this may be your month. Mercury and the easily recognized Venus are setting together shortly after sunset at the beginning of April. They get very close around the 6th and 7th, then start pulling apart. Mercury's at greatest elongation 19 degrees east of the sun on the 8th. A thin crescent moon swings by on the 15th and 16th. This promises to be a particularly awesome sight. Mercury drops out of visibility during the second half of the month and to conjunction with the sun on the 28th.

Mars is high in the sky at sunset. It's still fairly close from opposition in January, so the viewing should be good all evening. The moon passes by the red planet on the 22nd.

Saturn is high in the east when the sun sets. It was at opposition last month, so the viewing's still good most of the night. The moon passes by the ringed planet on the 23rd.

Jupiter's getting hard to see in the morning twilight. It's going down in the west as the sun's glow from over the horizon increases in the east.

The April Lyrid meteor shower should peak around the 22nd and 23rd.

Full moon is on the 28th. If you've paid attention for the last few months, you've noticed the moon is getting further south in the sky. The full moons are getting lower for those in the northern hemisphere, and higher for those south of the equator.