Fix Your April Date With Astronomy: Jupiter and Lyrid Meteor Shower Puts Up A Grand Show

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We have got your Saturday evening plan sorted. April 1 is your date with the planets. Watch Jupiter shine brightly on the eastern horizon while Mars can be clearly seen in the western direction. Saturn will come in view two hours after midnight and catch Venus the next day at 6:10 a.m.

If one date only is not enough to satiate your rendezvous with Jupiter, you will be pleased to know the giant planet is coming closer to earth this April. What that means is you get to see more of the globe. A medium-sized telescope or binoculars will be enough this April to catch a glimpse of Jupiter's cloud bands and the planet's four large moons. Plus the planetary motions have not forgotten the fireworks. The Lyrid Meteor Shower is on the cards for April.

Celebrating International Astronomy Day on April 29, stargazing seems to be a great plan for this month.

Here's a lowdown of the interstellar performances awaiting you:

On April 6, find waxing gibbous moon 2 degrees away from Regulus, the heart of Leo, the Lion, reported Go StarGazing.

See Jupiter shine the brightest on April 7 when it is scheduled to come closest to Earth.

All year long Jupiter will stay paired up with Spica in Virgo. On April 10, the full moon will join them. They will be visible right after sunset in the East.

Don't miss the triangle formation of waxing crescent moon, Mars, and the Pleiades on April 27 on the western horizon, reveals The Sky.

The peak time for the Lyrid Meteor is on April 22 and 23. The meteor shower discovered in 1861, consists of dust particles that were left behind in the galaxies by comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher.

 Keep your eye on the evening sky on these two dates to make sure you do not miss the phenomena.