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You Bet Your Garden

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Garden Guru Mike McGrath shares all his wisdom to give your plants the best life possible!

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Pre-dawn planet parade—April 16-23

An exceptional planet parade will adorn the sky for about half an hour before the sun rises from April 16th to the 23rd. Mercury, Mars, and Saturn will appear in a tight cluster just above the eastern horizon. The most striking views come between April 18 and 20 when the planets appear closest together.

To watch it, look for a viewpoint with unobstructed views across the eastern horizon, such as a large lake.

Peak stargazing conditions—April 17

The Milky Way core is increasingly visible in pre-dawn hours. To see it, head out around the new moon on April 17—one of the month’s best nights for stargazing. No lunar glare, so sights like the Milky Way’s luminous center—packed with millions of stars—become visible.

Moon, plea-a-deez, & Venus conjunction—April 18-19

After sunset on April 18 and 19, the crescent moon, Venus, and the Pleiades star cluster will loosely line up above the western horizon, visible for around two to three hours after sunset. Look higher in the sky to find Jupiter, which will shimmer above Orion.

Lyrid meteor shower peak—April 22-23

The annual Lyrid meteor shower runs from April 14 to 30, with peak conditions overnight from April 21 to 22, producing about 10 to 15 streaking meteors per hour under dark skies. The moon will set before midnight during the peak, ensuring dark skies when the shower climbs highest in the pre-dawn hours.

Whirlpool galaxy—All month

The galaxy season gives us the chance to view our interstellar neighbors—including some you can spy with binoculars. One of the best ones to see this month is the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51). It’s high in the sky around midnight for most of the month, and its position near the handle of the Big Dipper makes it easy to locate. The spiral galaxy appears as a smudge of light in binoculars. 

It’s quite bright, with a noticeable spiral structure, when viewed through a telescope. The Leo Triplet of galaxies is also worth spotting this month; look for it near the Leo constellation.

It’s always best to watch from an elevated stargazing site with little to no light pollution.

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This week's article is: Spring Lawn Care: Leave it alone!

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