Join EarthSky’s founder Deborah Byrd at 12:15 p.m. CDT (17:15 UTC) on Wednesday, April 9, for a preview of this month’s micromoon and Pink Moon! Watch in the player above, or on YouTube.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | The April 12-13 full moon is 2025’s smallest, faintest and most distant full moon. It’ll lie just over a quarter million miles away (400,000 km). And it’s the 2nd of 3 full micromoons, or especially small full moons, in a row in 2025. Pruthu Vanara in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India, captured this comparison of a supermoon and a micromoon in 2023. In 2025, the crest of the full moon will fall at 7:22 p.m. CDT on April 12. The moment of lunar apogee – when the moon is farthest from Earth for this month – will fall at 5:49 p.m. the following day, on April 13. Will you notice the extra-small size of the moon on April 12-13? Probably not. But it really is smaller, about 14% smaller on our sky’s dome than the year’s largest full moons, or supermoons. You’ll need a photographic comparison, like this one, to show the difference. This full moon – sometimes called the Pink Moon – will float close to Spica, the brightest star in Virgo the Maiden. See the entry above this one! Chart via EarthSky. Thank you, Pruthu!
The fantastic planet parades we saw earlier in 2025 are gone. But the sky always has more. Join EarthSky’s founder Deborah Byrd as she provides details on the 5 must-see sky marvels of April 2025. Hint … suddenly, it’s meteor-watching time again! Watch in the player above, or on YouTube.
Jupiter and Mars in the April evening sky
You can see 2 planets in the evening sky in April 2025. They will lie along the path the sun travels in daytime (the green line on our chart). As darkness falls, look for bright Jupiter high in the western sky and reddish Mars almost overhead. Jupiter will set before midnight by month’s end and Mars will set a few hours later. Chart via EarthSky.
April moon phases and alignments
Join EarthSky’s Marcy Curran in a video preview of the moon phases for the month of April 2025. The moon will visit Venus, Jupiter and Mars in the morning and evening sky. And we’ve got the most distant full moon of the year. Plus there’s a lot more to see this month. Watch the video here or on YouTube.
April 11 and 12 evenings: Moon and Spica
In the early evening hours of April 11, 2025, the fat waxing gibbous moon will glow brightly in the east above Spica, the brightest star in Virgo the Maiden. Then on April 12, the full moon will float close to Spica. Spica will be hard to see in the moon’s bright glow. They’ll be visible through dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
April 13 and 14 evenings: Moon, Antares and Zubenelgenubi
In the evening hours of April 13 and 14, 2025, the waning gibbous moon will lie near Spica and the moderately bright star in Libra the Scales with the odd name Zubenelgenubi. They’ll rise late evening and be visible through dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
In the early morning hours of April 16 and 17, 2025, the waning gibbous moon will hang near Scorpius the Scorpion and its bright red star Antares. They’ll rise after midnight and be visible through dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
April 18 and 19 mornings: Moon and the Teapot
In the early morning hours of April 18, 2025, the waning gibbous moon will hang near the asterism of the Teapot of Sagittarius the Archer. On the following morning, April 19, the moon will float inside the stars of the Teapot. Chart via EarthSky.
Overnight on April 20-21: Watch for the last quarter moon
The moment of last quarter moon will fall at 1:35 UTC on April 21, 2025. That’s 8:35 p.m. CDT on April 20. It’ll rise after midnight your local time and set around noon. Look for it high in the sky before dawn.
There are 3 planets in the morning sky in late April 2025. They will lie along the path the sun travels in daytime (the green line on our chart). Look for them about 30-40 minutes before sunrise. Bright Venus will be the easiest to spot and rises early enough you MIGHT catch it before dawn. Mercury is brighter than most stars, but it will be elusive in the bright twilight. Saturn is the dimmest of the 3 planets and might be challenging to spot. Venus and Saturn will be easier to spot next month. Mercury will slip away from the morning sky later this month. Chart via EarthSky.
Overnight April 21-22: Lyrid meteor shower
The predicted peak of the Lyrid meteor shower is 16 UTC on April 22. The peak of the Lyrids is narrow (no weeks-long stretches of meteor-watching, as with some showers). So, in 2025, the best time to watch is late evening April 21 to after midnight on April 22. Watch before the thick waning crescent moon rises several hours after midnight. Lyrid meteors radiate from near the bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra the Harp. You don’t need to identify Vega or Lyra in order to watch the Lyrid meteor shower. But you do need to know when the radiant rises, in this case in the northeast before midnight. You’ll see the most meteors after the radiant has come over the horizon. Image via EarthSky.
April 21: Mercury greatest distance from the morning sun
Mercury will reach its greatest elongation from the morning sun at 19 UTC on April 21. It’ll be 27 degrees from sun. However, this will be the best morning apparition of Mercury for the Southern Hemisphere, and challenging to spot from the Northern Hemisphere. In fact, for viewers in the Northern Hemisphere, Mercury will not be visible in the morning sky before April 18, 2025. After that, it appears to the lower left of brilliant Venus and the much dimmer Saturn about 30 minutes before sunrise. Chart via EarthSky.
In the early morning hours of April 21 and 22, 2025, the moon, showing as a thick waning crescent phase, will pass through the dim arrowhead-shaped constellation of Capricornus the Sea Goat. Chart via EarthSky.
A thin waning crescent moon will hang low above the eastern horizon on April 24, 2025. Brilliant Venus will shine nearby with the much dimmer Saturn closer to the horizon. Venus and Saturn will be closest to each other on the morning of April 29 when they are 4 degrees apart. That’s 8 full moons lined up side-by-side. Look for them about 40 minutes before sunrise. Mercury is also low on the horizon but might be difficult to spot in the morning twilight. Chart via EarthSky.
About 30 minutes before sunrise on April 25, 2025, the thin waning crescent moon will form a triangle with brilliant Venus and the much dimmer Saturn. Mercury will lie near the horizon and might be difficult to spot. Do you see a delicate glow on the unlit portion of the moon? That’s light reflected off Earth and is called earthshine. Chart via EarthSky.
The moon will reach perigee – its closest point to us in its elliptical orbit around Earth – at 16 UTC (11 a.m. CDT) on April 27, 2025, when it’s 221,902 miles (357,118 km) away. Large tides possible.
April 27: Venus at greatest brilliancy
Venus is bright all month. At 17 UTC on April 27, 2025, it will reach its point of greatest brilliancy in the morning sky. After late April 2025, Venus won’t appear this bright to us again in the morning sky until November 2026. But it remains a bright morning object through the fall of 2025. The brilliant planet will lie above the much dimmer Saturn and Mercury. Mercury might be difficult to spot so low in the bright twilight. Chart via EarthSky.
The moment of new moon will fall at 19:31 UTC (2:31 p.m. CDT) on April 27, 2025. New moons rise and set with the sun. It’s the 3rd of 5 new supermoons in a row for 2025. Nights around the new moon are perfect for stargazing. See EarthSky’s best places to stargaze.
April 28 and 29 evenings: Slender moon and Jupiter
About 60 minutes after sunset on April 28, 2025, the thin waxing crescent moon will lie low above the western horizon with Jupiter nearby. On the following evening, April 29, a thicker crescent moon will hang near Jupiter. They’ll set a few hours after sunset. Look for lovely a glow of earthshine on the unlit portion of the moon. That’s light reflected off Earth. Chart via EarthSky.
About 90 minutes after sunset on April 30, 2025, the waxing crescent moon will lie close to bright Jupiter in the western sky. Nearby is the fiery eye of Taurus the Bull, Aldebaran. They’ll set around midnight. Chart via EarthSky.
It’s zodiacal light season
The zodiacal light is visible in dark skies through May. Look for it when the moon isn’t out or is only a slender crescent. Northern Hemisphere? Look after dusk. Southern Hemisphere? Look before dawn.
April stars
If you’re out stargazing on any April evening, look for these stars and constellations overhead in the sky.
On April evenings, the Big Dipper is high and almost overhead in the sky. The Big Dipper is an asterism – a well know pattern of stars – in the constellation of Ursa Major the Great Bear. It’s handy to locate the North Star, Polaris. And you can use the Big Dipper to locate Leo the Lion. Draw an imaginary line southward from the pointer stars in the Big Dipper – the two outer stars in the Dipper’s bowl – to point toward Leo the Lion. The brightest star in Leo is Regulus.On April evenings, almost at zenith – overhead in the sky – you’ll see Leo the Lion in the sky in 2 parts. First, the stars making up a backwards question mark represents Leo’s head and it’s also known as the Sickle. And the triangle at the back represents the Lion’s hindquarters. Also, the bright star Regulus is the period at the bottom of the backward question mark. Chart via EarthSky.On April evenings, look overhead for the constellation Gemini the Twins. The twin stars are Castor and Pollux. However, in April 2025, there’s a trio of bright lights in Gemini. That’s because the the planet Mars is near the twin stars. Image via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
April evening planets
In April 2025, Jupiter will lie in the west all month after sunset. Nearby is the bright orange star, Aldebaran, the fiery eye of Taurus the Bull. Also nearby is the delicate Pleiades star cluster and the looser Hyades star cluster. Jupiter’s evening appearance is coming to an end soon, it’ll be setting about 3 hours after the sun by month’s end. Chart via EarthSky.In April 2025, the red planet Mars will lie near the twin stars of Gemini: Castor and Pollux. Mars will move into Cancer the Crab this month and close to the Beehive star cluster. Mars will remain visible in the evening sky through November but continue to fade the rest of the year as it recedes from Earth. However, this month Mars will continue to shine a bit brighter than the twin stars. Chart via EarthSky.
April morning planets
In the first half of April 2025, Venus will rise in the east about an hour before the sun. By month’s end, it’ll rise a few hours before sunrise. Venus will reach its greatest brilliancy in the morning sky on April 21, 2025. In the second half of April, Venus will grow brighter and will be joined by the much dimmer Mercury and Saturn. Mercury and Saturn will be challenging to spot in the morning twilight. Venus will reach its greatest distance from the sun on May 31-June 1, 2025. Mercury will reach its greatest elongation from the sun at 19 UTC on April 21. However, this will be the best morning apparition of Mercury for the Southern Hemisphere, and challenging to spot from the Northern Hemisphere. Saturn is just emerging from its superior conjunction, and it’ll lie close to Venus on April 23. Saturn is now showing the southern face of its rings, but the planet will be challenging to spot in the morning twilight. Venus and Saturn will be closest to each other on the morning of April 29 when they are 4 degrees apart. That’s 8 full moons lined up side-by-side. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
Sky dome map for visible planets and night sky
Here is the sky dome view for April 2025. It shows what is above the horizon at mid-evening for mid-northern latitudes. The view may vary depending on your location. Image via Guy Ottewell’s 2025 Astronomical Calendar.
Attention amateur astronomers! Guy Ottewell’s popular and informative Astronomical Calendar for 2025 is available in both electronic and printed versions.
Bottom line: Visible planets and night sky guide. See a video of the best sky sights for April. Plus, look for Jupiter high in the west and Mars overhead.
Meet Marcy Curran, our voice of the night sky on EarthSky YouTube. Check out her popular short videos in the Sky category on our YouTube channel. When she's not making videos, Marcy is an EarthSky editor, helping to keep our night sky guide up-to-date and just generally helping to keep the wheels turning around here. Marcy has enjoyed stargazing since she was a child, going on family camping trips under the dark skies of Wyoming. She bought her first telescope in time to see Halley’s Comet when it visited the inner solar system in 1986. She co-founded her local astronomy club and remains an active board member. Marcy taught astronomy at her local community college for over 20 years. She and her husband live in Wyoming, in a rural location, with an all-sky camera and super-good horizon views! And, their observatory will soon be ready to photograph the night sky.
“I can sometimes see the moon in the daytime” was a cosmic revelation that John Jardine Goss first discovered through personal observations at age 6. It shook his young concept of the universe and launched his interest in astronomy and stargazing, a fascination he still holds today. John is past president of the Astronomical League, the largest U.S. federation of astronomical societies, with over 24,000 members. He's earned the title of Master Observer and is a regular contributor to the video series, “Global Star Party.” He has authored the celestial observing guides “Exploring the Starry Realm,” and “Carpe Lunam,” and “Take Your First Steps, an Introduction to Amateur Astronomy.” John also wrote for twenty years the monthly stargazing column, Roanoke Skies, for the Roanoke Times, and currently writes a bimonthly column, Skywatch, for Blue Ridge Country magazine. He has contributed to Sky and Telescope magazine, the IDA Nightscape, the Astronomical League’s Reflector magazine, and the RASC Observer’s Handbook.
Our Editor-in-Chief Deborah Byrd works to keep all the astronomy balls in the air between EarthSky's website, YouTube page and social media platforms. She's the primary editor of our popular daily newsletter and a frequent host of EarthSky livestreams. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
Kelly Kizer Whitt - EarthSky’s nature and travel vlogger on YouTube - writes and edits some of the most fascinating stories at EarthSky.org. She's been writing about science, with a focus on astronomy, for decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine and made regular contributions to other outlets, including AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club. She has nine published books, including a children's picture book, Solar System Forecast, and a young adult dystopian novel, A Different Sky.
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