The April new moon has arrived bringing several nights of spectacular dark skies perfect for observing the planets of the solar system, majestic constellations and the galaxies that lie beyond.
April’s new moon occurs at 7:52 a.m. EDT (1152 GMT) on April 17, when the moon is positioned between the sun and Earth, rendering it lost from sight in the daytime sky, with the entirety of its near side bathed in shadow.
Visible planets
Look to the west shortly after sunset on April 17 to find Venus appearing as a bright evening star 15 degrees from the horizon, with the blue-white stars of the Pleiades open star cluster glowing 10 degrees above — roughly the width of your clenched fist held at arm’s length.
The ice giant Uranus can be found a little under 5 degrees to the lower left of the star cluster. It’ll be too dim to spot with the naked eye — without exceptionally dark skies and perfect vision — but a pair of binoculars or a small telescope will allow you to spot its disk as a tiny greenish dot, according to telescope manufacturer Celestron.
Jupiter, meanwhile, will shine high overhead, below Castor and Pollux — the brightest stars of the constellation Gemini. Turn a 6-inch telescope on Jupiter and you may notice a line of bright dots extending outward from the gas giant‘s colorful disk. Those are the Galilean moons Io, Ganymede, Europa and Callisto!
Head out an hour before sunrise on April 18 and find yourself a clear view to the eastern horizon for a chance to catch a planetary triangle rising in the glow of the coming dawn.
Mars will sit higher in the sky,with Saturn below and Mercury off to the right. Neptune will also be present to the upper right of Mercury, though the distant ice giant will be far too dim to spot with the naked eye.
Stars and constellations
The dark nights surrounding the new moon are a perfect time to explore some of the subtler constellations that glisten in the northern hemisphere sky.
First, locate the sickle-like formation of stars representing the head and chest of the great lion represented in the constellation Leo, which can be found high above the southern horizon in April with the bright star Regulus at its base.
Next, look to the lower right of Regulus to find a circlet of stars representing the head of the great serpent in the constellation Hydra, along with a string of stars that wind down and to the east towards the horizon, which mark its tail. Hydra is the largest constellation in the night sky, though it’s often overlooked due to its lack of bright stars.
Perched along Hydra’s back are the compact constellations Corvus (the crow) and Crater (the cup). To their east is the blue-white light of Spica — the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.
For a spot of deep sky viewing, why not head out to a dark sky location and sweep your telescope over the patch of sky where Leo, Virgo and the constellation Coma Berenices meet?
First, find Denebola, the star that marks the tail of the lion in Leo, and Vindemiatrix using a handy stargazing app. Roughly halfway between the two is Markarian’s Chain — a spectacular string of galaxies whose ancient light can be spied with the aid of a modest telescope.
Read more: Galaxy season: Spring brings deep space wonder to the northern hemisphere night sky.
You could also capture spectacular images of the stars with the help of our beginner’s guide to photographing the night sky. Be sure to check out our picks of the best telescopes and binoculars for exploring the night sky, along with our roundups of the top cameras and lenses for astrophotography available in 2026.
Editor’s Note: If you would like to share your night sky photography with Space.com’s readers, then please send your photo(s) along with your name, location and comments to spacephotos@space.com.
