Key Takeaways
- Lyrid meteor shower peaks the night of April 22–23 — up to 18 meteors per hour with dark skies after 02:00 BST
- Monday April 20: crescent Moon floats between Venus and Jupiter in a stunning evening trio
- April 22–23: Venus sits just 1–0.8° from Uranus — catch both in the same binoculars view
- Jupiter at mag −2.1 in Gemini remains the brightest evening showpiece all week
- Comet PanSTARRS C/2025 R3 is fading from Northern Hemisphere view — try for it low in the west tonight
📑 Table of Contents
This is a genuinely excellent week to be outside with your eyes on the sky. The Lyrid meteor shower — the oldest recorded in human history — peaks with near-perfect dark-sky conditions. A dazzling crescent Moon hangs between Venus and Jupiter on Monday night. And Venus is so close to Uranus mid-week that both planets fit in the same binoculars view along with the Pleiades. If you only go outside twice this week, make it Monday evening and the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The Lyrids: Two Nights to Bag Shooting Stars
The Lyrid meteor shower peaks around 20:00 BST on Wednesday 22 April, though in practice the best viewing comes in the hours before dawn. Set your alarm for 02:00–05:00 BST on the morning of Thursday 23 April — that's when the radiant in Lyra climbs high enough in the northeast to throw meteors across a large stretch of sky, and it's also well after the Moon has set.
This year's conditions are excellent. The Moon is a waxing crescent (about 35% illuminated) and sets around 01:30 BST on the peak night, leaving nearly four hours of genuinely dark sky before astronomical twilight begins at around 03:30. You could realistically expect to see 15–18 meteors per hour under a clear, dark sky away from town.
The night of Tuesday 21/Wednesday 22 is almost as good — try that one too if the weather cooperates on the peak night.
Where to look: You don't need to stare at the radiant. The meteors appear to shoot outward from the star Vega in Lyra (high in the northeast from about 01:30 BST onwards), but they'll streak across the whole sky. Lie on your back, face up, and let your eyes take in as wide a field as possible. Give yourself 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust — and leave the phone face-down.
What to bring: a reclining chair or sleeping mat, several layers (April nights are still cold — 3–7°C is typical), a flask, and a red torch if you need one.
The Lyrids are famous for occasional outburst years when the rate can spike to 100+ meteors per hour. We don't know in advance when those happen, so there's always a chance of a surprise.
Monday Night: Moon Floats Between Venus and Jupiter
Step outside any time from about 21:00 BST on Monday 20 April and look west. You'll see three bright objects arranged in a loose triangle: brilliant Venus low in the west-northwest (shining at magnitude −3.9), the slender crescent Moon (17% illuminated, with earthshine softly lighting the dark portion) roughly in the middle, and Jupiter (magnitude −2.1) higher up toward the west-southwest in Gemini.
It's a beautiful naked-eye scene — but it's even better through binoculars. Turn them on Venus and you'll also catch the Pleiades star cluster just above and to the right. The crescent Moon will show stunning earthshine — that ghostly blue-grey glow of sunlight reflected off our planet's oceans and clouds illuminating the lunar night side. For a photograph: mount your camera or phone on a tripod and use a 4–8 second exposure to capture all three objects plus earthshine in one frame.
Venus is currently about 5.4° from the brightest Pleiades star (Alcyone), slowly climbing higher in the evening sky as the weeks go on. Jupiter, meanwhile, is almost due south of Castor in Gemini.
This triple arrangement is temporary — enjoy it while it lasts.
Venus Meets Uranus (and the Pleiades Too)
On the evenings of April 22–23, Venus passes unusually close to Uranus — separated by just 1.4° on the 22nd and around 0.8° on the 23rd, reaching their closest alignment (same right ascension) on the morning of April 24. That's tight enough that both planets will fit inside the same binoculars view — with the Pleiades thrown in for free.
Here's how to spot Uranus for possibly the first time:
- Wait until about 75–90 minutes after sunset (roughly 21:45–22:00 BST) to let the sky darken
- Find brilliant Venus — it's impossible to miss, the brightest thing in the western sky
- Point binoculars at Venus and look just slightly to its south-east for a faint, flat, blue-grey "star" shining at magnitude 5.8 — that's Uranus
- At the same time, you should also see the Pleiades above and to the right
Be aware that by mid-week Venus is only about 10° above the horizon an hour after sunset, so a clear, flat western horizon is essential. Binoculars with 7× or 10× magnification will do the job easily.
Uranus is never an easy naked-eye planet, but next to Venus there's no better signpost for it in the sky. If you've never consciously observed Uranus before, this is your moment.
Jupiter: The Evening King in Gemini
Jupiter remains the undisputed highlight of the evening sky for the rest of April and into May. Shining at magnitude −2.1, it sits in Gemini between the twin stars Castor and Pollux, and it's still high enough in the southwest at dusk to get some telescope time on it before it sets (around 03:00 BST from the UK).
Even a small telescope will show two or three dark equatorial cloud belts and the Great Red Spot if it's on the facing hemisphere when you look. More impressively, the four Galilean moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) change their positions noticeably from night to night — on Sunday 20 April between 20:11 and 00:41 BST, Callisto's shadow transits Jupiter's disc, a phenomenon you can follow in real time through a 4-inch scope or larger.
The First Quarter Moon falls on April 24 at about 04:30 BST — so from Monday through Thursday the Moon is a thin crescent that sets well before midnight, leaving the sky dark for planet observing.
Comet PanSTARRS: One Last Chance
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) reached perihelion yesterday (April 19) at 0.499 AU from the Sun — and while it's heading away again, the geometry for UK observers is getting tricky fast. The comet is sliding closer to the solar glare as seen from the Northern Hemisphere, sitting only about 15–20° from the Sun and very low in the western twilight sky.
That said, it was still reaching naked-eye brightness around magnitude 5 in the days leading up to perihelion, and there's a chance it remains just visible in binoculars low in the west-northwest during the 30–40 minutes after sunset over the next few evenings. Look below and to the right of Venus, very low toward the horizon — you'll need a clear, flat view to the west and reasonably transparent air.
Be honest with yourself: if you haven't caught it yet, the window from the UK is closing quickly. Southern Hemisphere observers will have the best of it from late April into May. We have a full observing guide here if you want the full story on this comet.
🔭 Will Tonight Be Worth It?
Spring weather is notoriously unpredictable — clear one night, clouded out the next. Our free Tonight stargazing tool gives your local UK conditions a score from 1–10 based on your postcode — factoring in cloud cover, Moon phase, light pollution, and atmospheric transparency. That way you know before dragging the scope out whether it's worth the effort.
You can also sign up for free email alerts: we'll drop you a note on afternoons when tonight's score hits 7 or above — so you never miss a clear night without realising it.
Quick Tips for the Week
Here's a quick rundown of what to do each night this week:
Sunday 19 / Monday 20 — Get out early evening (21:00–22:00 BST) for the Moon–Venus–Jupiter triangle. Try to photograph all three with earthshine on the Moon. Also attempt Comet PanSTARRS very low in the western twilight.
Tuesday 21 / Wednesday 22 — First Lyrid watch. The Moon is about 25–30% illuminated and sets around 01:30 BST, so the best window is 02:00–03:30 BST. Also look for Venus near Uranus and the Pleiades in the early evening.
Wednesday 22 / Thursday 23 — Peak Lyrid night. Set your alarm for 02:00 BST. This is the night to make the effort. First Quarter Moon is on the 24th so conditions are still good. The evening also features the Moon close to Jupiter in Gemini.
Thursday 23 / Friday 24 — Venus at closest to Uranus. Try one more binoculars look in early evening if you haven't caught the conjunction yet.
All week — Jupiter in Gemini is well-placed for telescopes from dusk until after midnight. If you want to attempt Saturn, it rises in the pre-dawn east from around 03:30–04:00 BST and is worth a look if you're already up for the Lyrids.
Clear skies — and keep an eye on the forecast. For more detail on the Lyrids, see our full guide: The Oldest Meteor Shower on Record Peaks This Week.
