Night sky: Venus, a meteor shower and a comet offer April views

Venus will be prominent in the west-northwest soon after sunset through April, and the Lyrid meteor shower is expected to peak the night of April 21 into early April 22. A faint comet, C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS), is due to appear in the evening sky late in the month.

April brings several steady sky events that are drawing attention this month, from a very bright Venus to a long-recorded meteor shower and a returning comet. Venus is visible in the early evening toward the west-northwest and is brighter than any star. The Lyrid meteor shower is active in the last weeks of April and is reported to peak the night of April 21 into early April 22. Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) will move through the inner solar system and appear in the evening sky later in the month. Key details: - Venus is visible 30 to 60 minutes after sunset in the west-northwest; it sets about 90 minutes after sunset at the start of April and about two hours after sunset by late April. - April 19 will feature a conjunction of Venus and a 2-day-old moon, with the moon passing just to the north of Venus. - Jupiter is higher in the sky and, unlike stars, does not twinkle; binoculars can reveal its moons and a waxing crescent moon will appear just above Jupiter on the evening of April 22. - The Lyrid meteor shower originates from Comet Thatcher and is one of the oldest recorded showers; it is active in the last couple of weeks of April and is expected to peak April 21–22, with typical rates of about 10–20 meteors per hour under dark skies and occasional bright fireballs. - Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) is noted to appear as a faint, fuzzy glow in the evening sky around April 25 and will be closest to Earth on April 27; it may show a faint tail under darker skies and can be seen with binoculars. Summary: These events provide several modest viewing opportunities through late April and into early May, including lunar conjunctions with Venus and Jupiter, the Lyrid meteor shower peak on April 21–22, and Comet PanSTARRS around April 25–27. Other seasonal notes include Earthshine on waxing crescent nights and forthcoming May highlights such as the Eta Aquarids and the Flower Moon. Undetermined at this time.