What's Up: April 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA

Mercury shines extra bright, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks, and a comet soars into view. That's what's up this April. On April 3rd, Mercury will be at its most visible all year. On

this date, the planet will be at its greatest elongation, or its furthest distance from the sun as we see it from Earth, making it easier to see the often hard-to-spot planet. To find Mercury, look east before the sun begins to rise. The planet will be very low on the horizon just above Mars. The Lyrid meteor shower peaks April 21st to 22nd. This meteor shower comes from debris left behind by comet Thatcher. When this debris hits and then burns up in our atmosphere, we see the shooting stars of a meteor shower. To experience the peak of the April Lyrids, look to the east starting at around 10:00 p. m. on April 21st and through the night into April 22nd. The meteor shower takes place nearby the star Vega, the fifth brightest star in the night sky, which can be found in the constellation Lyra, the harp. April 17th might be your best chance to see the comet C/2025 R3, which some think could be the brightest comet of the year. This comet will make its closest approach to Earth on

April 27th, coming within 44 million miles of our planet. Experts estimate that the comet will likely reach magnitude eight, which means you would need access to a telescope or binoculars to see it. The comet will be visible in eastern sky in the constellations Pegasus and above Pisces. You'll be able to spot the comet in the pre-dawn hours from mid-April through the end of April in the northern hemisphere and in the evenings in early May for viewers in the southern hemisphere. Here are the phases of the moon for

April. You can stay up to date on all of NASA's exploring the solar system and beyond at science. nasa. gov. I'm Chelsea Goed from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that's what's up for this month.