A general ASTRONOMY site to get you started exploring the night sky
Optimized for desktops and laptops.
Most pages on phones and tablets will overlap.
For information on celestial events like ECLIPSES or COMETS, I recommend Space.com or SpaceWeather.com
PARADE OF PLANETS • April 2026
Better in a month or two before Sunrise
Saturn & Mars are close together and very low in the eastern sky shortly before the Sun rises. You may miss them because they will quickly get lost in the glow of dawn.
EVENING
Jupiter is in Gemini and high in the western sky after sunset. It is always brighter than any other “star” except for Venus. And, it will be amongst many of the brightest winter stars—a nice sight filling the western and somewhat southern areas of the sky. Venus is up in the western sky after sunset. It can certainly look like the headlight of a jet. Venus is the brightest “star,” by far, in the whole sky.
Remember • Twinkle Factor
The planets DO NOT normally twinkle like stars unless they are very close to the horizon or the atmosphere is extremely turbulent. So, even thought Saturn is not very bright, it is easier to identify because it does not twinkle.
Header Image
The celestial image used for this site's header is part of the Veil Nebula, a supernova remnant in the constellation Cygnus (the Swan) visible throughout most of the summer and fall. This triangular wedge is a fainter part somewhat between the two major sections that make up the Veil Nebula and it is called Pickering’sTriangle. I took this image using a 6-inch diameter refractor telescope.
