NS ARE INDICATED ALONG

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The Evening Sky Map

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Sky Calendar – April 2024
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OB
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EARLY APR 10 PM
r
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2 Last Quarter Moon at 3:15 UT.
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LATE APR 9 PM

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Moon near Mars at 6h UT (morning sky). Mag. 1.2.
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am

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eclipse at 18:17 UT (duration 4m 28s). Totality
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M81

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M36
an

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visible along narrow path crossing Mexico, eastern

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USA and south-eastern Canada. Partial eclipse

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OF THE SKY DIRECTLY OVERH

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visible across all of North America (except Alaska),

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M35
Hawaii and parts of Central America.
MAJOR

M5
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Castor
URSA

1
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8 New Moon at 18:22 UT. Start of lunation 1253.

M94
THAT APPEARS ALONG THE

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Cr 69
Betelgeuse
CANES
Cor Caroli

WEST
EAST

10 Moon near Jupiter at 20h UT (evening sky). Mag. –2.0.

Pollux
10 Mars 0.44° NNW of Saturn at 21h UT (37° from

M3
SERPENS
T r a ce t h e e cl ip

(CAPUT)

Sun, morning sky). Mags. 1.2 and 1.1.

2264

AR T
th e sk y.
M44
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11 Moon near the Pleiades at 14h UT (evening sky).

Arcturu

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2244

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11 Mercury at inferior conjunction with the Sun at ick

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18 Moon near Regulus at 16h UT (evening sky).

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20 Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 2h UT

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Sir
(distance 405,623km; angular size 29.5'). ECLIPTIC

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22 Lyrid meteor shower peaks at 7h UT (timing and activity M1

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is variable). Active April 14-30. Radiant is between Hercules

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23 Moon near Spica at 5h UT (evening sky).
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Moon near Antares at 22h UT (morning sky). Occultation visible
S

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Variable Star

ha
FA

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l p
from the Middle East, southern India and Indonesia. A T
CE

AP
BE I Diffuse Nebula
.

GI
N AS
29 Mars 0.04° SE of Neptune at 5h UT (morning sky). Mags. 1.1 and 7.9. BY Th
ec Z O N
Planetary Nebula
on US R I
More sky events and links at http://Skymaps.com/skycalendar/ ste IN
G e s. HO
Open Star Cluster
l TH i m - TO -
E S l at io 3132 tt
e n IZON
All times in Universal Time (UT). (USA Eastern Daylight Time = UT – 4 hours.) KY n
MA L e o ( a n c i
O R Globular Star Cluster
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OF L io n ” si F RO
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 Easily Seen with the Naked Eye

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
APRIL 2024
About the Celestial Objects
Listed on this page are several of the brighter, more interesting celestial objects Capella Aur The 6th brightest star. Appears yellowish in color. Spectroscopic binary. Dist=42 ly.
visible in the evening sky this month (refer to the monthly sky map). The objects are Arcturus Boo Orange, giant K star. Name means "bear watcher". Dist=36.7 ly.
Sirius CMa The brightest star in the sky. Also known as the "Dog Star". Dist=8.6 ly.
grouped into three categories. Those that can be easily seen with the naked eye (that Procyon CMi Greek name meaning "before the dog" - rises before Sirius (northern latitudes). Dist=11.4 ly.
is, without optical aid), those easily seen with binoculars, and those requiring a Castor Gem Multiple star system with 6 components. 3 stars visible in telescope. Dist=52 ly.
telescope to be appreciated. Note, all of the objects (except single stars) will Pollux Gem With Castor, the twin sons of Leda in classical mythology. Dist=34 ly.
appear more impressive when viewed through a telescope or very large Regulus Leo Brightest star in Leo. A blue-white star with at least 1 companion. Dist=77 ly.
binoculars. They are grouped in this way to highlight objects that can be seen using Vega Lyr The 5th brightest star in the sky. A blue-white star. Dist=25.0 ly.
Betelgeuse Ori One of the largest red supergiant stars known. Diameter=300 times that of Sun. Dist=430 ly.
the optical equipment that may be available to the star gazer. Algol Per Famous eclipsing binary star. Magnitude varies between 2.1 & 3.4 over 2.867 days.
Aldebaran Tau Brightest star in Taurus. It is not associated with the Hyades star cluster. Dist=66.7 ly.
Tips for Observing the Night Sky Polaris
Spica
UMi
Vir
The North Pole Star. A telescope reveals an unrelated mag 8 companion star. Dist = 433 ly.
Latin name means "ear of wheat" and shown held in Virgo's left hand. Dist=250 ly.
When observing the night sky, and in particular deep-sky objects such as star clusters,
nebulae, and galaxies, it’s always best to observe from a dark location. Avoid direct Easily Seen with Binoculars

CELESTIAL OBJECTS
light from street lights and other sources. If possible observe from a dark location M38 Aur Stars appear arranged in "pi" or cross shape. Dist=4,300 ly.
away from the light pollution that surrounds many of today’s large cities. M36 Aur About half size of M38. Located in rich Milky Way star field. Dist=4,100 ly.
You will see more stars after your eyes adapt to the darkness—usually about 10 to M37 Aur Very fine star cluster. Discovered by Messier in 1764. Dist=4,400 ly.
20 minutes after you go outside. Also, if you need to use a torch to view the sky map, M44 Cnc Praesepe or Beehive Cluster. Visible to the naked eye. Dist=590±20 ly.
M3 CVn Easy to find in binoculars. Might be glimpsed with the naked eye.
cover the light bulb with red cellophane. This will preserve your dark vision.
Mel 111 Com Coma Berenices. 80 mag 5-6 stars in 5 deg. Dist=283 ly. Age=400 million years.
Finally, even though the Moon is one of the most stunning objects to view through ν Draconis Dra Wide pair of white stars. One of the finest binocular pairs in the sky. Dist=100 ly.
a telescope, its light is so bright that it brightens the sky and makes many of the M35 Gem Fine open cluster located near foot of the twin Castor. Dist=2,800 ly.
fainter objects very difficult to see. So try to observe the evening sky on moonless M13 Her Best globular in northern skies. Discovered by Halley in 1714. Dist=23,000 ly.
nights around either New Moon or Last Quarter. M92 Her Fainter and smaller than M13. Use a telescope to resolve its stars.
M48 Hya 12+ stars in 7x binoculars. Triangular asterism near centre. Dist=1,990 ly.
R Hydrae Hya Long period variable. Mag varies between 3.0 & 11.0 over 390 days. Brilliant red.
Astronomical Glossary R Lyrae Lyr Semi-regular variable. Magnitude varies between 3.9 & 5.0 over 46.0 days.
2232 Mon A large scattered star cluster of 20 stars. Dist=1,300 ly.
Conjunction – An alignment of two celestial bodies such that they present the least 2244 Mon Surrounded by the rather faint Rosette Nebula. Dist=5,540 ly.
angular separation as viewed from Earth. M50 Mon Visible with binoculars. Telescope reveals individual stars. Dist=3,000 ly.
Constellation – A defined area of the sky containing a star pattern. Cr 69 Ori Lambda Orionis Cluster. Dist=1,630 ly.
Double Cluster Per Double Cluster in Perseus. NGC 869 & 884. Excellent in binoculars. Dist=7,300 ly.
Diffuse Nebula – A cloud of gas illuminated by nearby stars. M47 Pup Bright star cluster. 15+ stars in 7x binoculars. Dist=1,500 ly.
Double Star – Two stars that appear close to each other in the sky; either linked by M46 Pup Dist=5,400 ly. Contains planetary NGC 2438 (Mag 11, d=65") - not associated.
gravity so that they orbit each other (binary star) or lying at different distances from M5 Ser Fine globular star cluster. Telescope will reveal individual stars. Dist=25,000 ly.
Mizar & Alcor UMa Good eyesight or binoculars reveals 2 stars. Not a binary. Mizar has a mag 4 companion.
Earth (optical double). Apparent separation of stars is given in seconds of arc (").
Ecliptic – The path of the Sun’s center on the celestial sphere as seen from Earth. Telescopic Objects
Elongation – The angular separation of two celestial bodies. For Mercury and Venus ε Boötis Boo Red giant star (mag 2.5) with a blue-green mag 4.9 companion. Sep=2.8". Difficult to split.
the greatest elongation occurs when they are at their most angular distance from the M67 Cnc Contains 500+ stars mag 10 & fainter. One of the oldest clusters. Dist=2,350 ly.
M94 CVn Compact nearly face-on spiral galaxy. Dist=15 million ly.
Sun as viewed from Earth. M51 CVn Whirlpool Galaxy. First recognised to have spiral structure. Dist=25 million ly.
Galaxy – A mass of up to several billion stars held together by gravity. η Cassiopeiae Cas Yellow star mag 3.4 & orange star mag 7.5. Dist=19 ly. Orbit=480 years. Sep=12".
M64 Com Black-Eye Galaxy. Discovered by J.E. Bode in 1775 - "a small, nebulous star".
Globular Star Cluster – A ball-shaped group of several thousand old stars.
3242 Hya Ghost of Jupiter. Bright blue disk. Mag 11 central star. Dist=2,600 ly.
Light Year (ly) – The distance a beam of light travels at 300,000 km/sec in one year. M83 Hya Classic face-on spiral. Discovered in 1752 by Lacaille. In attractive star field.
Magnitude – The brightness of a celestial object as it appears in the sky. γ Leonis Leo Superb pair of golden-yellow giant stars. Mags 2.2 & 3.5. Orbit=600 years. Sep=4.4".
β Monocerotis Mon Triple star. Mags 4.6, 5.0 & 5.4. Requires telescope to view arc-shape. Sep=7.3".
Open Star Cluster – A group of tens or hundreds of relatively young stars. 2264 Mon Christmas Tree Cluster. Associated with the Cone Nebula. Dist=2,450 ly.
Opposition – When a celestial body is opposite the Sun in the sky. M1 Tau Crab Nebula. Remnant from supernova which was visible in 1054. Dist=6,500 ly.
M81 UMa Beautiful spiral galaxy visible with binoculars. Easy to see in a telescope.
Planetary Nebula – The remnants of a shell of gas blown off by a star. M82 UMa Close to M81 but much fainter and smaller.
Universal Time (UT) – A time system used by astronomers. Also known as Greenwich 3132 Vel One of the brightest planetaries. Magnitude 10 central star. Dist=2,600 ly.
M87 Vir Supergiant galaxy with supermassive black hole at its core. Dist=53.5 million ly.
Mean Time. USA Eastern Standard Time (for example, New York) is 5 hours behind UT.
M104 Vir Sombrero Galaxy. Almost edge-on spiral galaxy. Protruding central core.
Variable Star – A star that changes brightness over a period of time. γ Virginis Vir Superb pair of mag 3.5 yellow-white stars. Orbit=169 years. At their closest in 2005.
The Evening Sky Map (ISSN 1839-7735) Copyright © 2000–2024 Kym Thalassoudis. All Rights Reserved.
 NS ARE INDICATED ALONG
S D I RE C T I O
O MP A S T HE HO
O N. C he northern sky to find R IZO N

The Evening Sky Map

R I Z a t e d i n t CI RC
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Sky Calendar – April 2024
M Eta s
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THE NIGHT SKY LOOKS
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EARLY APR 8 PM
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2 Last Quarter Moon at 3:15 UT.

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visible along narrow path crossing Mexico, eastern

CA

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13
r
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visible across all of North America (except Alaska),

Pleia
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Hawaii and parts of Central America.

17
M38
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N

Arcturus
LY

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8 New Moon at 18:22 UT. Start of lunation 1253.
THAT APPEARS ALONG THE

M36

21

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Hyades

WEST
EAST

M37
10 Moon near Jupiter at 20h UT (evening sky). Mag. –2.0.

Mel 111
M64

25
IN

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10 Mars 0.44° NNW of Saturn at 21h UT (37° from ran
T r a ce t h e e cl ip

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M1
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M35
Vindem

29 April
de

G
Sun, morning sky). Mags. 1.2 and 1.1. ll u x Al
Po

th e sk y.
11 Moon near the Pleiades at 14h UT (evening sky).

Betelgeuse
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I S T HE P
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11 Mercury at inferior conjunction with the Sun at

9
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la
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morning sky.

N
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M67
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44
15 ECLIPTIC

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S
n

22
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18 Moon near Regulus at 16h UT (evening sky).

TE R
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2
32
O

M4

ing
P IS

N
ca

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22

ER
el
O
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20 Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 2h UT

c ri b
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M1
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β
(distance 405,623km; angular size 29.5').

s
04

CR

S. T
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M5
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line

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TE

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22 Lyrid meteor shower peaks at 7h UT (timing and activity M47 ius
EA

R
fr o

Ar a
Sir

DT
ST

is variable). Active April 14-30. Radiant is between Hercules

m

AN
N D e ” in
M46
HE
Sp

ES
and Lyra. Expect 10 to 20 bright, fast meteors per hour at peak. NI R
i c a TI O N
DI R

CO

324

on
AT
C AA J O

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2 1
M4 Symbols
to

R
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γ
Moon near Spica at 5h UT (evening sky).
V

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Re

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Full Moon at 23:50 UT.

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23
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Double Star

ON
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W
Moon near Antares at 22h UT (morning sky). Occultation visible
S

26

S
AR
E

rd
S
Variable Star

ha
FA

PE
p
from the Middle East, southern India and Indonesia. Al T
CE

AP
BE I Diffuse Nebula
.

GI
N AS
29 Mars 0.04° SE of Neptune at 5h UT (morning sky). Mags. 1.1 and 7.9. BY Th
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MA (Th L2 e H
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Help Support The Evening Sky Map IND io n
) is i n gs
hi p
SKY
• freely shared with sky watchers worldwide since January 2000 •
AB
RIG
HT S
high
u p in t he SOUTH ed w i t h “ k
N I G H T
-1 0 1 2 3 4 Star Magnitudes
so u t h er so c iat TI RE
Donate at: skymaps.com/donate/ • Shop at: skymaps.com/amazon/ TA R
P A TT n sky. Regulus and Leo have been as T H E EN
ER N I N W S Copyright © 2000–2024 Kym Thalassoudis. All Rights Reserved.
Quality Astronomy Products & Guides at: skymaps.com/agena/ TH E S K Y . A P SH O
INSTRUCTIONS: THE SKY M * TERMS OF USE: FREE FOR NON-COMMERCIAL EDUCATIONAL USE. ASTRONOMY EDUCATION GROUPS
MAY FREELY DISTRIBUTE PRINTED HANDOUTS. FULL DETAILS AT http://Skymaps.com/terms.html