April sky |  The rare solar eclipse and meteor shower are the highlights of the month

April sky | The rare solar eclipse and meteor shower are the highlights of the month


The month of April brings incredible astronomical events such as a meteor shower and a very rare hybrid solar eclipse.

The month of April begins with the beauty of some comets visible in the southern hemisphere, provided the sky is dark and clear enough for observations, of course. In addition to the comets, there will be a rare solar eclipse which, unfortunately, will not be visible from Brazil, other than one Meteor shower.

Check below for more information on what, when and how to see this month’s night sky!

Astronomical events in April 2023

Visible comets (07/04)




On April 7, comet 364P/PANSTARRS comes closest to the Earth along its orbit around the Sun. On this day it is 0.12 astronomical units from our planet (remembering that each AU is equal to the average distance between the Earth and our star). It is visible from the southern hemisphere and, to find it, look for it in a north-easterly direction, in the constellation of the Fox, from 1:19.

Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is still visible in our sky, although it has lost a lot of brightness. Despite this, it can still be observed from 1 am, even in a northeasterly direction, throughout the month.

Hybrid Solar Eclipse (04/20)

The month comes to an end with a rare solar eclipse. The phenomenon will be of a hybrid type and will take place at 22:36 Brasilia time – therefore, being here at night, it will not be possible to see it in Brazil.

A hybrid solar eclipse is a combination of partial, annular and total eclipses. During the phenomenon, the Moon passes in front of the Sun forming an annular eclipse which then becomes total. At the end of the show, the eclipse becomes annular again, ending afterwards.

Lyrids Meteor Shower Peak (04/23)

Debris left by Comet Thatcher as it orbits in space causes a beautiful meteor shower between April 16 and 25. The peak of this rain is expected on the night of the 22nd, going towards the early hours of the 23rd. “Shooting star hunters” can start looking up from midnight onwards.

To see the meteors, keep in mind that the radiant (name given to the direction from which the meteors appear to emerge) of this shower is in the direction of the constellation of Hercules. They seem to come from there, but they scatter everywhere, so the possibility of seeing some light trails across the sky is good.

Moon phases in April 2023

Check the lunar calendar for April and the start of the main phases of the moon:

  • April 6, at 01:34: full moon
  • April 13 at 6:11: waning quarter
  • April 20 at 1:12: New moon
  • April 28 at 18:19: First quarter

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Source: Terra

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