Learn what is happening in April 2009 and what has happened in April in the past. Discover highlights of the night sky and learn what to look for in April 2009.
April Highlight - Stealing the Spotlight
NASA/JPL
Mercury is an elusive figure, as befits its place as the god of thieves. It isn't visible very often and when it is, it's usually during twilight hours and vanishes quickly, only showing for a couple of weeks at a time. This year, the best time to see Mercury will be late April and early May. You can start looking for it around mid-month with the best viewing during the final week. Meanwhile Saturn remains steady in the sky. Venus will start moving into the morning while Jupiter and Mars remain morning stars.
April Skymap
Nick Greene
Check out this map for the month of April, or create your own customized map with our Free Sky Maps tool.
Note: This map is for a median time and location and may have slight differences from your location and viewing time. Planets and moons shown on this map will have the highest probability of appearing in different locations.
Use this handy Sky Map Symbols Key to figure out what you should be looking for.
Events in April
Check out our Astronomical Events Calendar to learn about other happenings in space and on Earth. Here is a sampling of highlights.- 4 - Cassini, Titan Flyby
- 12 - Easter Sunday
- 12 - Yuri's Night: World Space Party
- 14 - Christiaan Huygens' 380th Birthday (1629)
- 22 - Lyrids Meteor Shower Peak
- 26 - Mercury is at Greatest Eastern Elongation
- 29-May 03 - Astronomy Week
Featured Constellation - Cygnus
Nick Greene
Featured Biography - Giordano Bruno
Public Domain
born in Nola, Italy in 1548, Giordano Bruno became a priest of the Dominican Order, but left the order in 1576 and started wandering Europe as a traveling philosopher. Being a philosopher and not an astronomer, Giordano Bruno would not have even warranted our attention if not for his book "Dell Infinito, universo e mondi" ("Of Infinity, the Universe, and the World") and its consequences. Despite eight years of imprisonment and torture, he remained unrepentant, stating to his Catholic Church judge, Jesuit Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, "I neither ought to recant, nor will I."
This Month in History
Check every day to learn what happened "This Day in History."
- 1: 1960 - First known weather observation satellite, TIROS I (Television Infra-Red Observation Satellite), launched
- 6: 1973 - Pioneer 11 - USA Jupiter/Saturn Flyby (April 6, 1973 - November 1995) launched
- 11: 1970 - Apollo 13 - USA Lunar Flyby (April 11-17, 1970) launched.
- 16: 1867 - Wilbur Wright born in Millville, Indiana.
- 21: 1972 - Apollo 16 - USA Manned Lunar Lander (April 16-27, 1972) landed on lunar surface.
