Spring is a great time to get out and view the night sky. The nights are warming up but the bugs aren't out in full force yet. The moon, planets, meteors and the Milky Way are all up, viewable and ready to be photographed.
Moon
The full Pink Moon will be on April 13th and the New Moon on April 27th. On April 1st will be the lunar occultation of the Pleiades. Early in the evening if you look to the west you will see the 18% crescent moon very close to the Seven Sisters providing a unique opportunity to photograph both,
Planets
Visible during April are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The big four Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are easily spotted with the naked eye and Mercury can even be seen if you know exactly when and where to look. For the others you will need a telescope.
Meteors
The April Lyrid are active from the 15th to the 28th and peak on the night of the 21-22. Since the moon will be in it's final quarter and waning at it's peak you should see a good show. Expect up to 18 meteors per hour. Look toward the northeast around the constellation of Lyra.
Milky Way
April is prime viewing for the Milky Way in the northern hemisphere. It becomes visible in the southeast from 1 to 2am and is arched across the sky. As the first rays of the sun begin to creep across the sky it slowly disappears.
If you're interested in learning nightscape post processing check out my YouTube Channel here. I'm also available for private coaching zoom sessions where we can work with your own images.
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