This Week In The Creator's Skies

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,

the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

What is man, that thou art mindful of him?

Psalm 8:3,4

 (From Astronomy and Sky & Telescope Magazines) 

Sunday, April 21
As night descends, look high in the west for Pollux and Castor lined up almost horizontally (depending on your latitude). These two stars, the heads of the Gemini twins, form the top of the enormous Arch of Spring. To their lower left is Procyon, the left end of the Arch. Farther to their lower right is the other end, formed by 2nd-magnitude Menkalinan (Beta Aurigae) and then brilliant Capella. The whole thing sinks in the west through the evening.

It's the last part of the even larger Winter Hexagon to depart.
Monday, April 22
The Lyrid meteor shower peaks tonight! The best time to catch shower meteors is either early this morning in the hours before dawn or overnight tonight into early tomorrow morning. That’s because meteor showers are best seen in the early-morning hours, as those positions on the planet getting ready for dawn are rotating into the direction of Earth’s motion.
If you’re out this morning around 4 A.M., look east to spot the three bright stars of the Summer Triangle. The Lyrids originate from a point near Vega, which is the magnitude 0 star that marks the highest point in the Triangle as it rises. The other two stars are Deneb to Vega’s lower left and Altair to Vega’s lower right.
Tuesday, April 23
Full Moon occurs at 7:49 P.M. EDT, bringing us April’s Pink Moon.
Wednesday, April 24
Mercury reaches its stationary point at 4 A.M. EDT, ending its retrograde track; after today,

it will begin moving eastward against the more distant background stars.
Thursday, April 25
Right after dark, the Sickle of Leo stands upright high in the south. Its bottom star is Regulus, the brightest of Leo. Leo himself is walking westward. The Sickle forms his front leg, chest, mane, and part of his head. His tail tip is Denebola, about two and a half fists left of Regulus.
Asteroid 532 Herculina is making its way through the constellation Boötes this month, nearing its western border and the region occupied by Coma Berenices.

Friday, April 26
Let’s return to Antares in Scorpius this morning as the waning gibbous Moon prepares to pass just 0.3° north of this red giant star at 5 P.M. EDT. Early this morning the Moon still sits some 6.2° west of Antares, having just passed between the space between Pi (π) and Delta Scorpii. Tomorrow morning, the Moon will sit east of Antares after passing the star this evening while not visible in the sky.
Saturday, April 27
Vega, the Summer Star, the zero-magnitude equal of Arcturus, now twinkles low in the northeast after nightfall. . . depending on your latitude. The farther north you are the higher it will be. If you're in the latitudes of the southern US, you'll have to wait until a bit later after dark for it to appear.