Sky Watch, April
April 1, 2026
by Peter Lutken
Spring in Texas is often hot, cold, rainy, dusty, stormy, and sunny all in one day!! It's off-balance, but beautiful! Bluebonnets are blooming; birds are arriving and departing. It's an active time of year!
Evening Skies: Jupiter leads the winter stars down in the west, chasing Venus after sunset. Jupiter will slowly get closer to Venus as April goes on. It's the best time of year to watch the Big Dipper circling the northern sky. Use the pointer stars (the two at the front of the cup) to find the North Star, or follow the arc of the Dipper’s handle south to the bright star Arcturus, the Bear Hunter.
Full Moon: April 1.
Morning Skies: Mars and Saturn are very low in the east just before sunrise. The Summer Triangle is overhead, coming up earlier every day!
Quarry/Outdoors: There is a lot of bird activity right now: Ducks, Swallows, Kingfishers, and all kinds of beautiful Herons. The photo is of an Egret and a flock of Coots, visitors to a nearby lake on a windy spring day
Head outside to watch and listen as spring goes by. It helps you keep your balance when the world trips you up!
PKL
