Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
April 20:

- 🪐 Check out Mercury, Mars and Saturn within 1.7° of each other, low in the western sky in the constellation just before sunrise.
April 21:

- 👀 Look for the waxing crescent Pink Moon near M35, the open star cluster in Gemini also known as the Shoe Buckle Cluster high in the western sky around 9:00 PM.
April 22:

- 🌠 The Lyrids Meteor Shower peaks late in the evening of April 21st into the early morning of the 22nd. Look for about 10-20 meteors per hour with occasional fireballs radiating near the bright star Vega in the constellations Lyra and Hercules.
- 👀 Find the waxing crescent Pink Moon near Jupiter, Castor and Pollux. The Moon cuddles up with the bright gas giant and the two bright twins of the constellation Gemini high in the western sky around 9:00 PM.
April 23:

- 🖥️ Standley Lake Stargazing: Weekly Livestream: Free Online program via Zoom: 6:00PM
- 🌓 First quarter Pink Moon: 8:31 PM
April 24:

- 👀 Check out Venus and Uranus next to the Pleiades (M45). Find the the evening star and the ice giant next to the spectacular open star cluster in the constellation Taurus in the western sky: 8:40 PM
- 👀 Look for the waxing gibbous Pink Moon near the Beehive Cluster (M44), the beautiful open star cluster also known as Praesepe in the constellation Cancer high in the southwestern sky: 9:00 PM
- 🔭 Standley Lake Stargazing Indoor Star Party: Ticketed, In-person event at Majestic View Nature Center (registration required): 7:30 PM
- 🔭 Sommers-Bausch Observatory Open House: Free in-person event at Sommers-Bausch Observatory, CU Boulder: 8:00 PM
April 25 (Astronomy Day):

- 🔭 DAS Open House – Jupiter! Free, In-person event at Chamberlin Observatory: 8:00 PM
- 🔭 Colorado Springs Astronomical Society Star Party: Free, In-person event at Cheyenne Mountain State Park: 8:00 PM
- 👀 Look for the waxing gibbous Pink Moon near Regulus, the bright alpha star of Leo and the bright tip of the handle of the Sickle asterism high in the southern sky: 10:00 PM.
April 26:

- 🌔 The waxing gibbous Pink Moon reaches Descending Node, as it moves from north of the ecliptic to south of it, crossing the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun: 8:36 AM
This Week’s Solar System Summary:
- The Sun shifts from rising about 6:16 AM to 6:08 AM, while sunset moves from 7:41 PM to 7:48 PM, continuing the steady increase in daylight.
- The Moon rises in the afternoon at the start of the week and shifts into the evening hours by the weekend, while moonset moves from the late afternoon into the evening.
- Venus shines brightly in the western sky after sunset and sets between 9:50 PM and 10:05 PM.
- Jupiter remains visible through the evening and into the early morning hours, setting between 1:45 AM and 1:30 AM.
- Mercury, Mars, and Saturn remain clustered near the Sun and may be glimpsed very low in the eastern sky shortly before sunrise by experienced observers with a clear horizon.
- Uranus sets between 10:15 PM and 10:00 PM and can be observed with a telescope under dark skies.
- Neptune remains difficult, rising shortly before sunrise and setting in the late afternoon, requiring challenging observing conditions.
This Week’s Meteoric Activity:
You can keep track of the activity of meteor showers as well as those beyond the limits of visual observing by visiting the NASA Meteor Shower Portal.
- Anthelion (ANT): 1:00 AM in central Virgo: About 2 per hour
- April Lyrids (LYR): 3:00–4:00 AM in eastern Hercules near Lyra: 10–20 per hour (peaking the night of April 21/22)
- Comae Berenicids (COM): 3:00–4:00 AM in western Boötes: Less than 1 per hour
Check Out These Helpful Guides from DAS:
- Where to Explore the 2026 Denver Night Skies
- When to Explore the 2026 Denver Night Skies
- What to Explore in the 2026 Denver Night Skies
Sky Map
- A pdf map of the night sky can be found at https://www.skymaps.com/skymaps