I was hoping to come and stargaze in April, is 11pm late enough?
I was hoping to come and stargaze in April, is 11pm late enough?
April should be a great month for stargazing!
Sunset will be around 8 PM at the start of the month, but will come at almost 8:30 by the end of April, and in general the later past sunset you stay awake, the more stars you’ll see!
Here’s a link to a terrific map of the April sky at around 10 PM, courtesy of SkyMaps:
However, there are a few highlights in the sky that are worth seeing before 11 PM.
Jupiter is a great sight to check for early in the evening: it will appear low in the west at sunset. (By the end of April, it will be setting by 9:20 PM, so catch it early!)
One last tip: don’t forget to take the moon into account!
Best of luck, and happy stargazing!
-Naturalist “Astro-Nat” Chris Mentrek
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